Analysis of Dickens’ use of irony, satire and humour in Oliver Twist Essay

There atomic number 18 multiple spokespersons passim O restr Twist of mockery, satire and surliness. Although a dark novel, on that point ar galore(postnominal) moments of humour and an extraordinary amount of chuckling, giggling and knee-slapping by references. Each of the literary techniques of humour, irony and satire, employed by the Tempter help add focus and prescience on the various conflicts in the midst of the novels outcasts and its established society. It is impossible to cover either avenues within Oliver Twist that might be considered as mirthful, satirical or juiceless more(prenominal)over some of the more obvious and important examples of to all(prenominal) one pull up stakes at a time be discussed.There is ambiguous humour in conflicts between the institution and the individual lay out end-to-end Dickens Oliver Twist. An example of this coming early in the second chapter when Oliver is told that the display board has said he has to appear befor e it forthwith1, the humour here comes in Olivers ignorance of not having a very drop offly defined notion of what a live board was and on entering the room of eight to ten toothsome gentlemen he is told to bow to the board, seeing no board but the table, he fortunately bowed to that. Olivers ignorance here is both humorous and sad, as it underpins his youthful ignorance and helplessness in the face of his attitude which is very a good deal out of his control.There are many examples where Dickens juxtaposes humour and ridicule with aggression and cruelty one example world the intromission of Mr. Gamfield in chapter three, who was alternately cudgelling his brains and his donkey2, this gives rise to gag on the part of the hearing and to a fault gives, in my opinion, an impression of Gamfield as ridiculous or as a fool. Soon after we are told that he gave the donkeys jaw a sharp wrench, and another blow on the head, just to besot him till he came back again, this portrayal of him as warring and violent is juxtaposed with the fool implied earlier. The cudgelling that was once employ humorously is now replaced by its more aggressive definition, short, thick stick used as a weapon3 This dichotomy between humour and aggression is used repeatedly byDickens and in my opinion forces the audience to never richly feel comfortable in express feelings at situations as we are never truly certainly if this situation or character will soon show a darker side.Later in the scene between Gamfield and the board, the use of laughter as a weapon and inextricably associate to aggression and violence is again shown when he tells the boardBoys is wery obstinit, and wery lazy genlmen, and theres nothink like a good hot blaze to tiller em come down with a run. Its humane too, genlmen, acause, stock-still if theyre stuck in the chimbley, roasting their feet makes em struggle to hextricate theirselves2Our laughter here is one of incredulousness and some revolt at Gamfield s brutal discover of his treatment of boys. This puts the audience in the uncomfortable maculation of the board because we are like the gentleman in the ovalbumin vest who appeared very much amused by his explanation. This juxtaposition of humour and brutality puts the audience in the uncomfortable position of being able to put itself in the position of the more brutal and vicious characters in Oliver Twist while also allowing us to sympathise and empathise with Oliver and dislike those responsible for their maltreatment.The humour in the famous scene where Oliver asks for more can be seen in the master somewhat extreme to a trivial event. We are told he gazed in stupefied astonishment and clung for support to the copper. This extreme reaction to much(prenominal)(prenominal) a small request while humorous in and of itself serves a greater purpose in showing the appalling situation and necessitous position this orphan boy, Oliver Twist found himself in. The fact that to ask fo r more then the meagre s hurrying allotted by the dietary could cause such a reaction from the master and cause the gentleman in the white waistcoat to say, that boy will be hungI know that boy will be hung, although amusing in its extreme reaction, this also serves to pointedly shed light on the dire situation for those orphaned and in state care at the time, who encountered brutality and apathy at either turn.another(prenominal) example of laughter in Oliver Twist is in the denomination of the characters Master Charles Bates, often referred to as Master Bates is a very muster out pun that is most definitely not lost on the audience. The continent mention of his name evokes a smirk and laughter from the audience. The naming of the character of the Beadle as Mr. Bumble is also for comic effect in my opinion. The Oxford side Dictionary defines bumble as to move or act in an awkward or confused manner speak in a confused or indistinct way. Like that of Master. Bates, the image evo ked by the name Bumble is one of ridicule, a fool or dimwit but Mr. Bumbles behaviour throughout the book does not make him a sympathetic foolish character, instead his consistent brutality, viciousness and violent disposition lends him to become one of the villains of the story. However his naming by Dickens is not only a source of humour but also of irony. It is ironic that Mr. Bumble is incapable of seeing Olivers situation correctly and is comfortably fooled by those he believes are inferior.Dickens Oliver Twist is laden with irony. The enterprise chapters exemplify this when Oliver cries himself to sleep and Dickens sarcastically exclaims, What a novel deterrent example of the tender laws of England They let the paupers go to sleep1 This irony is impelling in showing the discontinuity between the various break upes in Victorian London, mitigate than simply stating the conditions present at the time.The scene where Oliver asks for more gruel is also ironic in that the h elpless starving orphan, only trying to improve his situation in life, is treated incredulously and punished by the healthy and well-feed board members who in reality should be the ones who are punished for their treatment of the poor.Another form of irony Dickens uses is in showing the duplicitous reputation of the society in Victorian London at the time. The upper class found on the board, believe Mrs. Mann to be a great caretaker of the orphans, until now when viewed from the position of the lower class perspective of the orphans themselves, she is greedy and abusive.Again this hypocrisy and irony can be seen when Oliver is presented to the Board and begins to cry, a reaction that should be understandable to anyone, because he is a scared, nine year old boy, alone, in a room full of daunting adults, not knowing what to expect, thus far the board cannot understand this and one questions, What are you crying for?And to be sure it was very extraordinary. What could the boy be cr ying for?1 The members of the board truly support no understanding of why Oliver could be crying, believing they befool provided him with everything he could need and a luxurious home in the workhouse. They have no understanding or sympathy for the situation of the poor state of London as shown when Dickens states thatWhen they the board members turn their attention to the workhouse, they found out at once, what ordinary folks would never have discover the poor people liked it It was a regular place of universe entertainment for the poorer classes a tavern where there was nothing to pay1There are multiple examples of hearty and political satire throughout Oliver Twist. It is a satirical attack of the way in which predestined social class and poverty affects the outcomes of a persons life and a protest by Dickens against the pitiable Law and the Workhouse system of the time. The lose manner in which Olivers birth is described provokes compassion in the audience. He breathed , sneezed, and proceeded to advertise to the inmates of the workhouse the fact of a new burden having being imposed upon the parish. It is dark and ironic Oliver is depicted as a hard burden upon the parish and society. From the outset his entrance into the world is despised, the antithesis of what a childs birth should elicit. His life is condemned from the beginning by the ugliness of the world he has been born into and his social standing is imprinted upon him, he is a humble, half-starved drudge to be cuffed and buffeted through the world despised by all, and pitied by no(prenominal)3 and reaffirmed in the second chapter when the gentleman in the white waistcoat exclaims that boy will be hungOliver is the vehicle employed by Dickens to display the inadequacies within society. He highlights societys various injustices. by means of the use ofOliver, the vulnerable of society are given a voice. The characters that Oliver encounters each represent a different corrupted socio-po litical aspect prevalent in the society of the time. Mrs Mann and Mr Bumble both highlight the hypocrisy and perversion of the Poor Law and the Workhouse system, while Fagin is created as a representation of greed and materialism.It is clear that Dickens employs irony, satire and humour to great effect in Oliver Twist, and does so in a manner that is not as straightforward as might originally seem. His use of irony and humour as a weapon shows clearly the maltreatment of the poor at the hands of the upper classes and serves to both amuse the audience and make it uncomfortable in laughing along with the unfair and improper situations that are being portrayed. The satire used by Dickens, although an exaggeration, exposes the ridiculousness and impropriety of the society being described and whitethorn also act as a true representation of the set up of the Poor Law and the workhouse system of the time.