Oppositions in Oliver Twist - Analysis of texts

In Oliver Twist there are several instances where Dickens uses the ideas of opposition and contrast, for example, between town and country, rich and poor, etc. He has used this device to draw our attention to the values contained within certain settings and characters by showing them in contrast to their opposite. Ideas and values often change over time and you may agree or disagree with the ideas that Dickens puts forward through the various oppositions in Oliver Twist.

Using the novel, decide if the contrasts listed below are presented as oppositions in the text. You must provide evidence from the text to support your opinion. Then see if you can think of other examples of these contrasts in other novels, film etc. You may also want to consider your own view on these oppositions.

• How is the town viewed compared to the country?
• How are the rich and poor compared? Is this consistent?
• How different are the morals of beautiful and ugly characters in the novel? Would you agree that physical appearances in the novel are some how an indication of the goodness (or otherwise) of the character?