Criticism

Article 2

When it comes to his novels, Dickens generally tends to incorporate similar ideas into his storylines. His novels deal with the lifestyles of many different types of people in 19th century England, the time he was living. In both Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, the novels are centered around an orphan boy and their life as they grow up.

Dickens explains poverty and the loss of childhood innocence by following the life of an orphaned boy in 19th century England.  He documents the experience of a child as they are thrown out into the harsh reality of society, required to fend for themselves. By reiterating this theme in multiple novels, Dickens is making a statement about the conditions of the poor in the Victorian age of  social classes.

Dickens’ life experiences have had a substantial impact on his writing and the subject matter. He was the second of eight children and at the age of twelve his father was arrested for debt. Because of this he had to leave school to go to work in a factory in order to help his mother support his family. Working at the factory led him to feel like he was abandoned by his parents and that his youth was cut short. His early life as a child leads the reader to believe that Dickens’ stories stemmed from his own experiences. He writes about the time period in which he lived, and the main characters share experiences similar to his own. In referring to the plots of Dickens’ stories one critic said, “In considering Dickens, as we almost always must consider him, as a man of rich originality, we may possibly miss the forces from which he drew even his original energy” (Chesterton, Gilbert).  Because Dickens’ drew from personal experience, he was able to connect with the characters he was creating and live through the events that took place in his books. Since he is writing from his own experience it gives his book authenticity and makes the reader feel like they are actually in the time period. The fact that Dickens was writing his novels about the time period that he was living in made an impact on those around him. He brought to light things that were actually happening in society that people did not want to acknowledge. The reoccurring story about an orphan boy trying to escape the poverty and people he was surrounded by was not a fiction of Dickens’ imagination, but his reality.

Dickens profiles all different types of people in his novels. He does a excellent job of incorporating people from all aspects of 19th century English society, ranging from the lonely orphan boy to the convict to the upper class elite. The characters in his novels were probably all inspired by people he knew or observed in his everyday life. They had an impact on his life, just like they had on the main characters’ lives too.