Charles Dickens’ Hyperoptimistic Inclination Reflected in Oliver’s Innocence

초록

This paper aims to illuminate Charles Dickens’ hyperoptimistic view of life in Oliver Twist representing his earlier writing stage, which is entirely different from his critical view of life in his later works. With an in-depth exploration of Oliver’s different experiences in Coffin ship, workhouse, thieves’ den and gentleman’s world, the paper proves that Dickens just simply regards life as a struggle between good and evil and believes that evil will be conquered in the end. Dickens’ rosy optimistic inclination makes Oliver remain miraculously undisturbed by negative influences even under difficult adversities, and Oliver’s change from an abandoned baby to a favorite of fate is not achieved by himself but for the most part by the help of several kind-hearted people. The introductory part of this paper takes a brief look at some criticisms on Dickens and approaches the task of the paper. Section Two points out that Dickens devises a series of occurrences for Oliver to find his way back to the gentleman world. Section Three discusses how Dickens always keeps his optimism and presents how Oliver is able to defeat misfortune, evil and temptation by virtue of fate.

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