OLIVER ASKS FOR MORE

-Charles Dickens

PLOT / SUMMARY:

“Oliver Asks for More” is a distinguished scene from the renowned novel “Oliver Twist” by Charles
Dickens. The story takes place in a workhouse where bereaved and destitute children are housed
and fed meagerly. At the time when the story was written, workhouses homed the poor and
homeless in inhumane conditions. The inmates were usually the old, the orphans or disabled- all
who could not work in factories and generate income. The living conditions were so miserable
that the able-bodied lazy people would rather work instead of living in a workhouse. Oliver Twist,
a similar young boy, endures hunger and deprivation along with his companions. His mother was
brought to the work house when she was bearing a child, in labor. She was very ill and had walked
a long way with no sign of being a married woman. She had nobody to take care of her and her
infant. She died as soon as the child was born. The child, Oliver Twist, was thus, left in a work
house in England with nobody to take care of him. He was dressed in very old clothes as he was
an orphan in a world which had no love or pity for him.
Mr. Bumble, a chief officer in the town named the abandoned orphan as Twist. He used to name
them in alphabetical order. At the age of nine, Oliver grew up to be a feeble, thin child who like
others, was under-clothed and under-fed. They were just provided watery soup thrice a day to
eat in a big hall. Each child had a small bowl into which the master served the soup. The children
were as a result, always starving and hence, they arrived at the composed decision that among
themselves, one of them would ask for more soup. Oliver, being the youngest and the scrawniest,
was chosen to be the one to ask for more soup.
The master, a fat man, turned white with disbelief at Oliver’s strange request. He asked Oliver to
repeat his request. When Oliver repeated his request, he hit Oliver with a spoon, caught him and
called for help. Mr. Bumble rushed in. He too was shocked at Oliver’s seeming boldness to ask
for more food. He was locked up in a dark and cold room and a notice was put up at the
workhouse gate that the one who took in Oliver would get a reward of five pounds.
Oliver was a kept captive for a week. Each morning, he was taken out of the dark room to wash,
after which he was thrashed by Mr. Bumble. Then he was taken to the large hall where the
orphans had their soup. He would be again get beaten by Mr. Bumble with a stick, in front of the

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other orphans. After it was over, he was sent to his prison where he cried during the day and
could not sleep at night as he was cold, isolated and scared. One day, Mr. Sowerberry, the coffin
maker for the workhouse residents was accosted by Mr. Bumble. Mr. Bumble pointed to the five
pound reward and asked Mr. Sowerberry if he knew someone who wanted a workboy. In a way,
he tried to give away Oliver.

ANALYSIS / CRITICAL ANALYSIS / CRITICAL APPRECIATION:

The background of the story “Oliver Asks for More” is set in 19th-century England, during a time
of social and economic discrepancy. The Industrial Revolution had brought about significant
changes in society, leading to urbanization, poverty, and the rise of workhouses. During this
period, there was a stark rift between the affluent upper class and the impoverished lower class.
The poor faced extreme hardships, with limited access to basic necessities, healthcare, and
education. Orphaned children were particularly left susceptible, often subjected to neglect,
abuse, and inadequate living conditions. Charles Dickens, the author of “Oliver Twist,” was deeply
influenced by the social issues of his time and used his writings to shed light on the rampant
injustices prevailing in society. He drew inspiration from his own experiences, having grown up
in paucity and observing the struggles of the lower class firsthand.
The story serves as a critique of the social inequality and cruelty prevalent in Victorian society. It
highlights the stark distinction between the upper class, represented by the authorities and the
gentleman in the white waistcoat, and the lower class, depicted through the impoverished
children. Many people died in the workhouse at a regular basis being not properly fed or unfed
or beaten mercilessly. The person, Mr. Sowerberry, almost became rich because his profession
was making coffins and the work house provided many dead people. Compared to the thin Oliver,
the master is seen to be a fat and healthy person. Overall, “Oliver Asks for More” encapsulates
the struggle of a young orphan who, despite facing severe consequences, dares to demand more
and challenges the status quo, symbolizing the resilience and determination of the marginalized
in their fight against injustice. Against this backdrop, “Oliver Asks for More”, being a powerful,
poignant story sheds light on social injustice, institutional mistreatment, and the resilience of the
human spirit. It provides a scathing critique of the tyrannical systems and calls for an urgent need
of social reform and compassion towards the less fortunate, challenging the reader to confront
the systemic issues that perpetuate poverty and inequality.
One of the strengths of the story is its ability to evoke compassion and empathy from the readers.
Through vivid descriptions and compelling storytelling, Dickens paints a vivid picture of the harsh
realities faced by Oliver and his companions. The appalling conditions in which the orphans are
kept, their endless starvation, and the heartless treatment of the boys provoke a strong reaction,

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making the readers invested in the plight of the characters. The theme of social injustice is
effectively conveyed throughout the narrative. The stark contrast between the wealthy and the
impoverished is emphasized, exposing the glaring disparities in society.
The character of Oliver Twist serves as a symbol of hope and resilience. Despite his young age
and the adversities he faces, he refuses to be overpowered and dares to ask for more. His act of
defiance resonates with readers, inspiring them to question authority and advocate for justice.
Oliver’s unwavering spirit and his quest for a better life make him an enthralling central character
of the story. Furthermore, the story raises some significant moral and ethical questions. It forces
readers to reflect on the obligation of society towards its most vulnerable and defenseless
members and scrutinize their own attitudes towards poverty and inequality. The narrative
prompts critical thinking and encourages readers to challenge the status quo, emphasizing the
importance of empathy, social reform and advocacy for a fairer and more equitable society.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE:

“Oliver Asks for More” remains a fitting title for the story by Charles Dickens, as the entire story
revolves around the journey and experiences of Oliver.
The title “Oliver Asks for More” holds a significant meaning in relation to the story and its themes.
It captures a pivotal moment in Oliver Twist’s life which changes his life and symbolizes his
rebelliousness and defiance against the oppressive system that engulfs him. The act of asking for
‘more’ may seem inconsequential on its own, but it represents Oliver’s desire for something
better; his denial to accept the insufficient portions he and his mates are provided with. It
showcases his innate sense of justice and his unwillingness to remain dominated
The character of Oliver Twist serves as a symbol of hope and resilience. Despite his young age
and the adversities he faces, he refuses to be overpowered and dares to ask for more. His act of
defiance resonates with readers, inspiring them to question authority and advocate for justice.
Oliver’s unwavering spirit and his quest for a better life make him an enthralling central character
of the story. By asking for more, Oliver challenges the authority of his master and the established
order of the workhouse. His demand for additional food upsets the power dynamics and exposes
the harsh realities of the system’s treatment of the poor. It sparks shock and horror among the
adults, highlighting their indifference and cruelty towards the children under their care.
The background of the story “Oliver Asks for More” is set in 19th-century England, during a time
of social and economic discrepancy. The Industrial Revolution had brought about significant
changes in society, leading to urbanization, poverty, and the rise of workhouses. During this
period, there was a stark rift between the affluent upper class and the impoverished lower class.

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The poor faced extreme hardships, with limited access to basic necessities, healthcare, and
education. Orphaned children were particularly left susceptible, often subjected to neglect,
abuse, and inadequate living conditions. Dickens was intensely influenced by the social issues of
his time and used his writings to shed light on the rampant injustices prevalent in the society. He
drew inspiration from his own experiences, having grown up in paucity and observing the
struggles of the lower class firsthand in his story “Oliver Twist”.
The title also reflects the larger themes of social injustice and the mistreatment of the
impoverished. It symbolizes the courage to speak up against oppressive forces and serves as a
rallying cry for the demand of justice. Oliver’s simple act of asking for more represents a desire
for a fairer and more compassionate society, where basic needs are met and the vulnerable are
treated with dignity.
In essence, “Oliver Asks for More” encapsulates the defiance, resilience and hope that Oliver
embodies throughout the story. It emphasizes the significance of individual agency and the
power of challenging unjust systems, ultimately contributing to the overarching theme of social
injustice and the need for societal reform. The story serves as a critique of the social inequality
and cruelty prevalent in Victorian society. It highlights the stark distinction between the upper
class, represented by the authorities and the gentleman in the white waistcoat, and the lower
class, depicted through the impoverished children.

THEME:

Poverty and Social Injustice-

Extracted from Charles Dickens' timeless novel “Oliver Twist” (1838), 'Oliver Asks for More' is
concerned with the childhood of the orphan Oliver Twist and the tribulations he faces just due
to the simple matter of asking for a bit more soup.
Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist is a novel that is renowned for its depiction of social injustice during
the 19th century. The novel follows the story of a young orphan boy named Oliver Twist, who is
forced to live in a workhouse and eventually finds himself in the clutches of a group of criminals
led by the infamous Fagin. One of the central themes of the novel is the harsh reality of poverty
in Victorian England. Dickens paints a vivid picture of the living conditions of the poor, including
the crowded and squalid conditions of the workhouses. Dickens exposes the hypocrisy of the
middle class, who often profess to be charitable and compassionate towards the poor, but are
actually more concerned with maintaining their social status and wealth. This is shown through
characters such as Mr. Bumble, who is more concerned with enforcing the rules of the workhouse
than with helping the poor. The workhouse is depicted as a place of punishment and suffering,
where the poor are forced to work long hours for little pay, and are subjected to inhumane

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treatment by the authorities. Another important theme of the novel is the corruption and cruelty
of the justice system. Throughout the novel, we see examples of how the law can be used to
punish the innocent and protect the guilty.
In the story, the guilty party is not the cruel 'master' or the woefully apathetic Mr. Bumble but
the lonely orphan Oliver, garbed in tattered clothing and scarcely fed, who is judged severely and
ruthlessly and whose value is fixed at merely five pounds as if he were a lowly slave. Mr. Bumble's
lackadaisical attitude towards naming the orphans and merely adhering to an alphabetical
template further highlights his inherent disdain for the 'inferior' lower class people.
"I named the last one Swubble. This one is Twist. The next one will be Unwin..."
In the story, a microcosmic representation of the real world is astutely portrayed as Oliver
becomes the voice for the voiceless and shows the gall to stand up to the domineering upper
class who view him nothing more than an annoying buzzing insect as they hurriedly try to get rid
of him for five measly pounds.

Spark of Rebellion-
In Oliver Twist, Dickens mixes grim realism with merciless satire to describe the effects of
industrialism on 19th-century England and to criticize the harsh new poor laws. Oliver, an
innocent child, is trapped in a world where his only options seem to be the workhouse, a life of
crime or an early grave.
From this unpromising industrial/institutional setting, however, a fairy tale also emerges. In the
midst of corruption and degradation, the essentially passive Oliver remains pure-hearted; he
steers away from evil when those around him give in to it, rebelling against all odds, and in proper
fairy-tale fashion, he eventually receives his reward – leaving for a peaceful life in the country,
surrounded by kind friends. On the way to this happy ending, Dickens explores the kind of life an
outcast, orphan boy could expect to lead in 1830s London.
The story “Oliver Asks for More” also delves deep into the righteous rebelliousness of Oliver as
he becomes the pained yet unstifled voice of the voiceless poor as he dares to ask for more. This
action of asking for more is itself an inflammatory gesture in the eyes of the upper class who will
never tolerate a note of dissent. Due to Oliver's gesture, he is severely punished and even
regularly abused physically and mentally. His life is reduced to a mere five pounds as all his dignity
has been tried to be trampled as he is beaten in front of his friends at the workhouse.

CHARACTERS:

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Oliver Twist-
Born in hapless conditions, Oliver Twist has been dealt a cruel hand by fate. The demise of his
mother as well as the identity of his unknown father rendered him at the mercy of the people
from the workhouse who summarily named him Twist just to make him fall into the template of
an ascending alphabetical order. Oliver himself, though "badged and ticketed" as a lowly orphan
and named according to an alphabetical system, is, in fact, “all of a twist”. However, Oliver and
his name may have been based on a young workhouse boy named Peter Tolliver whom Dickens
knew while growing up.
Throughout the novel, Dickens uses Oliver’s character to challenge the Victorian idea that
paupers and criminals are already evil at birth, arguing instead that a corrupt environment is the
source of vice. On many levels, Oliver is not a believable character, because although he is raised
in corrupt surroundings, his purity and virtue are absolute. As the child hero of a melodramatic
novel of social protest, Oliver Twist is meant to appeal more to the sentiments than to any literary
sensibilities.

Mr. Bumble-
Mr. Bumble is a beadle who oversees the workhouse where Oliver's story begins. He is involved
in rehoming Oliver as an apprentice. He also plays a significant role towards the end of the novel
when he and his wife sell the villain monk’s evidence of Oliver's true identity.
In the story, Mr. Bumble emerges as the hierarchical foil to Oliver's character as well as the
temperamental antithesis of the latter. He is greedy, vicious and holds absolute disdain and
disregard for the inhabitants of the workhouse. In the story “Oliver Asks for More” it is this Mr.
Bumble who takes on the task of beating Oliver daily for his supposed crimes and it is the same
Mr. Bumble who looks to sell off Oliver to Mr. Sowerberry for a measly five pounds.
In an extraordinary turn of fate, Mr. Bumble ends up disgraced and penniless at the end of the
novel. In fact, Bumble ends up a pauper in the same workhouse where he had lorded it over and
abused many paupers through the years, thereby reinforcing Dickens' message that people are
merely born poor and rich, but how they die is not set in stone.

EXTRA QUESTIONS:

➢ What is a workhouse? What does it say about the setting of the story?

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 A workhouse is a place where people who are unable to support themselves, such as the
poor, elderly, and orphaned, are sent to live and work in exchange for the basic
necessities like food and shelter.
The fact that Oliver Twist was born in a workhouse suggests that the story takes place in
a time and place where poverty and inequality were significant concerns. The setting
reflects the pathetic condition of English society back then. It shows the "other side"(the
poor people's perspective). It reflects the poor economic condition of the people.

➢ What evidence is given in the story to say the young woman was poor and not married?

The evidence that suggests the young woman who gave birth to Oliver was poor and
unmarried includes her worn-out shoes, the absence of a wedding ring, and her physical
appearance. These details imply that she may have been in a challenging monetary
condition and lacked the resources to care for her child on her own, which is why she
ended up in the workhouse where she gave birth.

➢ Oliver was an orphan "born into a world, which had no love or pity for him". Give example
from the extract that shows Oliver experienced a lack of love.

One example from the extract that shows Oliver's lack of love is the fact that he and the
other workhouse boys never had enough warm clothes or food. They were given only
three meals of thin soup every day, and on Sundays, they had a small piece of bread. This
shows that the workhouse authorities did not care about providing proper nourishment
and warmth to the children under their care, indicating a lack of love and care towards
them.

➢ What was the condition of children in England as shown in the story?

The story depicts the miserable conditions of children in England, especially those who
were born into poverty and had no families to support them. Children in workhouses were
subjected to harsh living conditions, inadequate food, and little to no care or affection.
They were treated as if they had no value and were forced to work long hours in difficult
conditions. The story also highlights the lack of support and resources available for
women who found themselves in testing circumstances, such as Oliver's mother.

➢ Why was no one able to discover the identity of the baby's parents?

No one was able to discover the identity of the baby's parents because the child was an
orphan who was born in the workhouse. The mother was unknown and the father was
never mentioned or acknowledged. Mr Bumble, an important officer in the town,
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 invented a name for the baby and claimed that they name new babies in alphabetical
order from A to Z. This suggests that the workhouse was overcrowded and understaffed,
and the babies born there were often either abandoned or left without anyone to care
for them.

➢ What was the normal food given to the boys? What was the extra food given to them on
Sunday? What does it reflect about the inmates of the workhouse?

According to the text, the boys in the workhouse were given only three meals of thin soup
every day. On Sundays, they were given a small piece of bread. The extra food given to
them on every Sunday was just a small piece of bread. This reflects the extreme poverty
and harsh conditions that the inmates of the workhouse faced. They were not given
sufficient and nutritious food to maintain good health and were forced to live on meager
portions of thin soup and bread. This lack of proper nutrition and inadequate food intake
contributed to the poor health and weak physical condition of the children, including
Oliver.

➢ Why was Oliver hit with the Master's spoon? What does Oliver's asking for more food
signify?

Oliver was hit with the Master's spoon and was later punished for asking for more food
because it was seen as an act of insolence and waywardness.
The workhouse was a place where children were supposed to be grateful for whatever
little they were given, and asking for more was seen as a violation of the rules and an act
of rebellion. The Master's reaction and punishment of Oliver reveal the harsh and punitive
conditions of the workhouse, where the children had no voice or rights of their own and
were frequently subjected to the absolute authority of their superiors.

➢ What do you think Mr. Sowerberry’s black clothes signify? What was the notice at the
gate? What did the notice state?

The black clothes of Mr. Sowerberry, who was a coffin maker, signify that he was a
professional mourner and his business is associated with death. The notice at the gate
offered a reward of five pounds to anyone who would take Oliver Twist away from the
workhouse. This notice reflected the callousness and indifference on the part of the
workhouse authorities towards the plight of the orphans and their eagerness to get rid of
them.

➢ Briefly reflect on the theme of the story.

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 The story reflects the theme of poverty, highlighting the desperate living conditions o of
people in the workhouse who lacked basic necessities like food and shelter. Mr.
Sowerberry's job of making coffins for the poor who died in the workhouse illustrates the
grim reality of poverty. The workhouse master's willingness to sell Oliver for a small
amount of money highlights the exploitation of the vulnerable and the defenseless.
Dickens through his story portrays the unescapable and ubiquitous impact of poverty on
people's lives during that time.

➢ What does the notice reflect about the treatment of children in Victorian times?

The notice reflects the cruel treatment of children in Victorian times. It was common for
children to be put to work at a very young age, often in dangerous and unhealthy
conditions, and for very little pay. The notice at the workhouse gate, offering a small
reward for the return of a boy who had run away, shows how little value was placed on
the lives of these children. The notice highlights the societal disregard for the welfare and
rights of children during this time.