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

There are multiple examples throughout Oliver turning of derision, satire and humour. Although a glowering novel, there are many moments of humour and an extraordinary amount of chuckling, giggling and knee-slapping by characters. Each of the literary techniques of humour, irony and satire, employed by daemon help add focus and reason on the various conflicts in the midst of the novels outcasts and its established society. It is impossible to cover all avenues within Oliver Twist that index be considered as humorous, satirical or ironic just now whatsoever of the more obvious and classical examples of each testament now be discussed.There is ambiguous humour in conflicts between the creation and the individual found throughout daemon Oliver Twist. An example of this coming early in the second chapter when Oliver is told that the come on has said he has to appear before it forthwith1, the humour here comes in Olivers ignorance of not having a very clearly defined notion of what a live tabular array was and on entering the style of eight to ten fat 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 property which is very much out of his control.There are many examples where Dickens juxtaposes humour and ridicule with infringement and cruelty one example being the introduction of Mr. Gamfield in chapter three, who was alternately cudgelling his brains and his donkey2, this gives rise to laughter on the part of the audience and alike gives, in my opinion, an impression of Gamfield as wild or as a fool. Soon after we are told that he gave the donkeys jaw a not bad(p) wrench, and another blow on the head, just to stun him till he came back once again, this portrayal of him as aggressive and violent is juxtaposed with the fool implied earlier. The cudgelling that was once used 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 neer fully feel comfortable in laughing at stations as we are never rattling certain(p) if this situation or character will soon show a darker side.Later in the shooter between Gamfield and the board, the use of laughter as a weapon and inextricably linked to aggression and violence is again shown when he tells the boardBoys is wery obstinit, and wery lazy genlmen, and theres nothink like a full hot blaze to make em come down with a run. Its humane too, genlmen, acause, unconstipated 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 Gamfields brutal account of his treatment of boys. This localises the audience in the uncomfortable position of the board because we are like the mankind in the white undershirt 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 post be seen in the masters 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 such a small beg while humorous in and of itself serves a greater purpose in showing the appalling situation and impoverished position this orphan boy, Oliver Twist found himself in. The fact that to ask for more then the minimal s velocity allotted by the dietary could cause such a reaction from the master and cause the gentleman in the whit e 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 shocking situation for those orphaned and in state care at the time, who encountered brutality and apathy at all turn.Another example of laughter in Oliver Twist is in the naming of the characters Master Charles Bates, often referred to as Master Bates is a very clear pun that is most definitely not lost on the audience. The mere mention of his name evokes a smirk and laughter from the audience. The naming of the character of the Beadle as Mr. cross is also for comic effect in my opinion. The Oxford English Dictionary defines bumble as to move or act in an awkward or busted manner speak in a confused or indistinct way. Like that of Master. Bates, the image evoked by the name bluster is one of ridicule, a fool or idiot but Mr. Bumbles behaviour throughout the book does not make him a sympathetic foolish character, instea d his consistent brutality, viciousness and violent nature lends him to become one of the villains of the story. tho 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 easily fooled by those he believes are inferior.Dickens Oliver Twist is laden with irony. The opening chapters exemplify this when Oliver cries himself to sleep and Dickens sarcastically exclaims, What a novel illustration of the tender laws of England They let the paupers go to sleep1 This irony is effective in showing the discontinuity between the various classes in Victorian London, better than simply stating the conditions present at the time.The scene where Oliver asks for more gruel is also ironic in that the helpless 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 puni shed for their treatment of the poor.Another form of irony Dickens uses is in showing the dishonest nature 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, however when viewed from the position of the lower class perspective of the orphans themselves, she is avid and abusive.Again this duplicity and irony can be seen when Oliver is presented to the Board and begins to cry, a reaction that should be apprehensible to anyone, because he is a scared, nine year old boy, alone, in a room full of scare away adults, not knowing what to expect, however 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 crying for?1 The members of the board really have no grounds of why Oliver could be crying, believing they have provided him with everything he could need and a luxurious home in the workhouse. They have no un derstanding or sympathy for the situation of the poor people 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 discovered the poor people liked it It was a regular place of public frolic 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 amicable class and poverty affects the outcomes of a persons life and a protest by Dickens against the Poor lawfulness and the Workhouse system of the time. The overlooked manner in which Olivers birth is exposit provokes commiseration 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 troublesome burden upon the parish and society. From the outset his entrance into the world is scorn, 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 innate(p) 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 none3 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. Through the use ofOliver, the vulnerable of society are given a voice. The characters that Oliver encounters each represent a different corrupted socio-political 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 histrionics of greed and mater ialism.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 wrongful situations that are being portrayed. The satire used by Dickens, although an exaggeration, exposes the ridiculousness and impropriety of the society being described and may also act as a true representation of the effects of the Poor Law and the workhouse system of the time.