s to change. Throughout Dickens whole literary career he tried to make people aware of the political problems of Great Britain. He tried to inspire change in every way he could, including novels. The political beliefs of Charles Dickens show up through the characters in Oliver Twist. The characters in Oliver Twist are unique. Dickens created the characters to show his political belief that the new poor laws victimized the poor and forced them into a life of crime. His characters capture the feelings and views of the actual classes of England (Taine 155). The main character that Dickens political beliefs can be seen in is Oliver. Since Dickens believed that the poor were victims, he created Oliver to be a noble orphan. It is important to remember that Dickens believed his characters were the same as the real people they portrayed (Gissing 423). Dickens tried to make the readers feel so much sorrow and pity for Oliver that they would be inspired to help the cause of the poor. “Oliver, after all, seeks nothing more than food, shelter, and consoling love. Key concerns of Oliver Twist are more primal than topical” (Murray 80). Dickens created a character that just wanted food, shelter and love. When Oliver did not receive these things, the readers were to feel angry and upset. They were to realize that those three things were all the poor really wanted, and what they had been denied. Another political belief can be found in the characters of Oliver Twist. This political belief is that the new poor laws would lead to crime. The new poor law would try to force people towards work and away from education. An important theme in Oliver Twist is the relationship between criminality and lack of education. Dickens provides an example of this when pauper children have no education. They fall into the hands of those such as Mrs. Mann and Fagin. This is a bad situation in which the uneducated can be easily manipulated. Dic...
