Oliver Twist and Christian Scripture

1. Oliver Twist and Christian Scripture By: Tara, Chris, Tyler, and Keith

2. Janet Larsonattempts to prove: • The time in which Dickens wrote had a direct correlation with the references and allusions to Christianity! • These correlations and relations can be found, portrayed both overtly and covertly.

3. Presences in the Novel include: • “The church” • Christian Works • Biblical Passages • Christian ideologies

4. Oliver Twist • Does not only explode with religious categories, but also demonstrates a parable of its own kind!

5. Christianity Overtly Portrayed • Mr. Bumble • Oliver himself • The Church itself

6. Mr. Bumble, even though he is an employee of the church, he abuses his power • Dickens uses this character to show what true Christianity is not.

7. Oliver prays, which shows that Dickens meant to portray a Christian character through Oliver.

8. ChristianityCovertly Portrayed Dickens’ allusion to Christian works: • Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress • A Morality Play

9. Pilgrim’s Progress • Bunyan writes in parables like “his master” did. • Dickens announces from the beginning a similar intention with the title Oliver Twist, A Parish boy’s Progress

10. Dickens also makes a reference from Bunyan’s work with the line: Oliver was nearly “dead upon the king’s highway” • “…such robberies are done on the King’s highway.” was the original line from Bunyan.

11. Dickens invites us to read his story a little deeper in order to compare: The struggles of good and evil in Pilgrim’s Progress and Oliver Twist. Such as -

12. Christian’s Burdens to Oliver’s illegitimacy and poverty • Hell to Urban crime and poverty • Heaven to Physical survival and family identity

13. Both Heroes go through • “Sloughs of Despair” • “Valleys of the Shadow of Death” • “ Valleys of Humiliation and in the end Oliver like Christians is saved!

14. A Morality Play • Oliver Twist is categorized in English morality plays and homiletic tales. • Although Dickens does not name his characters by their traits, such as “Doubt” in Everyman – still each of Dickens’ characters are given qualities which are then judged.

15. Christianity Covertly Portrayed Dickens’ references to Biblical Passages • Concept of a Millstone (Matt. 18:6) • The Good Samaritan

16. The Good Samaritan • Oliver is like the man being beaten up • Fagin, Nancy, and Sikes are the people who stood by and watched • Mr. Brownlow is the Samaritan who saves the beaten man’s (Oliver) life

17. Oliver is beaten by his • Poverty • Social status/Family

18. The People who stood by • Fagin takes Oliver in, but does not solve the problems Oliver has! • Nancy leads him back to Sikes, which shows here unwillingness to help Oliver until its too late, after which her own life is taken! • Sikes even leaves Oliver in the ditch to Die, just as the parable.

19. The Samaritan • The Samaritan in Oliver’s story is Mr. Brownlow. • He saves Oliver from poverty and gives him a family. • This shows that the poverty resembles hell while Mr. Brownlow heaven!

20. In Conclusion Be it through • References to passages of Scripture • Allusions to works such as Pilgrim’s Progress • Or simply the presence of prayer in the novel -

21. Dickens makes it evident that: • He is – at the least – writing in a time full of “substantial pressure of the Christian sentiments and language which were the received culture of Dickens’ time.”

22. If Dickens was not trying to make a parabolic point as Larson attempts to prove - Then at least we can see the Biblical references and concepts.

23. Questions? • What are the four presences Larson proposes Dickens has in his novel? • The church, Biblical Passages, Christian works, and Christian Ideology

24. Questions? • Who is the “Samaritan” in Oliver’s life? • Mr. Brownlow

25. Questions? • “Dead on the king’s highway” shows Dickens’ use of which book? • Pilgrim’s Progress

26. Any Questions?