Effect of child labour and critique of child labour in Oliver Twist

• Name              : Dodiya Mehul Maheshbhai 
• Roll No           : 23
• Enrollment No: 206910840120011
• Class               : M.A. Sem 2
• Paper Name    : The Victorian Literature
• Question  :  Effect of child labour and critique of child labour in Oliver Twist.
• Words    :  1829
• Year                          : 2017/19
• Submitted to   : Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University 

Question: Effect of child labor and critique of child labor in Oliver Twist.

        Oliver twist; or the Parish Boy’s Progress is notable unromantic portrayal written by Charles Dickens. The alternative title, The Parish Boy’s Progress, alludes to Buyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, as well as the 18th century caricature series by Willam Hogarth, A Rake’s Progress and A Horlot’s Progress. In this early example of the social novel, Dickens satirises the hypocrisies of his time, including child labor, the recruitment of children as criminal, and the presence of street children. The novel may have been inspired bu the story of Robert Blincoe, an orphan whose account of working as a child laborer in a cotton mill was widely read in the 1830s. 

• About the Author

              Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English writer, Social Critic and News editor. He created some invaluable work in Victorian Era. Dickens left the school in factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtor’s prison. He edited a weekly journel for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, 5 novellas and hundreds of short story. He was campaigned vigorously for children’s rights, education, and other social reforms. Dickens was the first person to make the serialization of the novels profitable and was able to expand his audience to including those who could not normally afford such literary works. In 1836 Dickens married Catherine Hogarth; the couple had ten children before their separation. Later Dickens fell in love with Ellen Ternan. Dickens supported her financially until the time of his death. On June 9, 1870, Charles died. He was buried in poet’s corner of Westminster Abbey.

• What is Child Labor?

          Child Labor is the biggest issue of whole world. Child labor is the social issue that is child has worked on the factory and many other places, and which time is the his/her childhood. Labour Organization (ILO), not all work done by children should be classified as child labour which international programs such as the international programs such as the International Programmed on the Elimination of child Labour (IPEC) target to be eliminated. They give definition that,

“Child labour is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity and that is harmful to physical and mental development. It refers to work that;

Is mentally, psycally, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; 

Interferes with their schooling by

Depriving them to leave school prematurely;

Requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

The ILO states diplomatically that “The answer varies from to country, as well as among  sectors within countries”. UNICEF defines,

“Child labour as work that exceeds a minimum number of hours, depending on the age of a child and on the type of work. Such work is considered harmful to the child and should there be eliminated."

• Today’s Condition

            It is not issue of the Victorian era and England but also it is issue of whole the world. We live in India we find that many child has worked because of lack of economy and financial condition. It is not only the issue of cities but also we find that in  villege child has worked in farm. If we are in the way of progress then why today’s writer and speaker oftenly compared today with Victorian Era? Poverty make a condition and child parents have to earn money. We  can say that increase of industry and machine is the reason of the poverty and also child labor, the poover parents doesnot get a employment and as a result they have to work on small income. India has a federal form of government and labour being a subject in the concurrent List, both the central and state governments can and have lefislated on child labor. The major national legislative developments including the following.

1. The Factories Act of 1948
2. The Mines act of 1952
3. The child and Adolescent Labour Act of 1986
4. The Juvenile Justice of Children Act of 2015
5. The Right of children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009

• Victorian Era

           Charles Dickens was a Victorian writer, thus he saws many revolution and revolt. Dickens himself experienced as Labor during his early life, when his father totally debated. Thus we find Revolutionary elements on his works, that time he worked as a Social reformer. In Oliver Twist, we find that the main theme was Child labor. He does so to highlight, right at the very beginning, how morality or ideology could be consider a very shaky concept in those days. He immediately goes ahead and shares with the readers the manner of upbringing of his protagonist. Oliver supposed to have some nurture and care; he is many with “a systematic course of treachery and deception.” Own can therefore see that right in the very onset itself, Dickens foes to all lengths to prepare the reader for worse to come, so much so that he ends the first chapter with these word,

“Oliver cried lustily. IF he could have known that he was an orphan, left to the tender mercies of church wardens, perhaps he would have cried the louder”

               This only foreshadows the future life events of the child protagonist, which according to Dickens would be a constant reason to make him want to cry and express his helplessness.

• Criminals and Crime for Living

            The Character of Dodger and Bates are often seen practicing their skills with the help of Fagin who stuffs a variety of things into his pockets and “trotted up and down the room with a stick, in imitation of the manner in which old gentlemen walk  about the streets any hour in the day. Sometime he stopped at the five at the point, Dodger would accidently step on his boot ot Bates would bump into him and with the stealth of experienced pickpockets, do away with either Fagin’s handkerchief. “If old man felt a hand in any one of his pockets, he cried out where it was; and then the game began all over again.” Oliver is also made to practice in a similar way although at tht poinr he fails to realize the real motive of the seemingly harmless game. It is only later when he is sent out with Dodger and Bates and when he sees the two boys in action, does it dawn upon him what the game was meant for. What was Oliver’s horror and alarm as he stood a few paces off, looking on with his eyeline as wide open as they possibly go to see the Dodger plunge his hand into the old gentleman’s pocket and draw from thence a Handkerchief. 

This exploit not only exposes the reality of the Victorian society which was then prevalent, it also conveys a social message. Dickens appeals to the reader, through his narration of Oliver Twist to leave the vulnerable children where they belong. He also makes a strong statement by highlighting the need got abolition of child labor altogether.

Generally, the children and poor and also orphan ate become the victim of child labor, during the age of Victorian Infudstrial Child labor was at the top and the rile of that factory was that most children befan working at year of age and wrenot allowed to leave the factory until they were 21. The children had too sign contracts called indentures that virtually made them the property of the factory owner. The novel of Fickens Oliver Twist id also written under the influence of this problem. Oliver Twist is also one of the best example of it, as he sometimes became violent under the effect in his behavior but we could see the changes in his behavior when he was lived with Mr. Brownlow. Oliver was talking in a food manner and also we first time see that he was enjoying his childhood. The efforts of Dickens to make people realize the gravity of child labor should be appreciated as he criticized society that he lived in for all the reasons. In the novel Oliver Twist we found the situation of child labor thrift the mouthpiece of the character of the novel as,

“What a fine thing capital punishment dead men never repent dead en never bring awkward stories to light the prospect of the fallows too make them hardy and bold as it is a thin for the reade five of them strung up in a row and none left to play booty of turn heart livered.”

             Furthermore, as dickens point out the official who run the work horurs bluntly violented the values they preaxhed to the poor. Dickens describes with feat saecasm the greed, laziness and arrogance of charitable workers like Ms. Bumble and Mrs. Mann. In general charitable institutes only reproduced the awful condition in which the poor could love any way. As Dickens put ot the door chooses between “being starved nt a gradual process in the house or by quick one of it” The situation of children in a work house was bery poor that they could not even askinf=g for some more food as when Oliver said,

“Please Sir, Give me more”

• Conclusion

      One can therefore conclude that the social problem of child labor troubled many writers across the age and many of those writers raised their voice against this malpractice by way of their works.

• Cite Work

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour

https://victorianera-olivertwist.weebly.com/child-labor-in-oliver-twist.html

heeralbhatt112013.blogspot.com/2013/03/childlabour-oliver-twist-name-a.html