Summary of Oliver Twist (From Beginning to Arrival in London)
Oliver Twist is born in a workhouse in an unnamed English town in the 1830s. His mother dies immediately after his birth, and Oliver is left an orphan, given the generic name "Twist" by the parish beadle, Mr. Bumble. He spends his early years in an orphanage starved and neglected. At almost nine, he's sent to a workhouse where he and the other starving boys are subjected to terrible conditions. During a desperate supper, Oliver asks for more gruel, a shocking transgression that leads to him being sold for a small sum as an apprentice.
Oliver is sold to an undertaker, Mr. Sowerberry. He is taunted and bullied by the older apprentice, Noah Claypole, and the maid, Charlotte. When Noah insults the memory of Oliver's dead mother, Oliver snaps and attacks him. This leads to a violent uproar and Oliver is severely beaten and locked up by Mr. Sowerberry.
Feeling completely alone and unjustly punished, Oliver makes the decision to run away. He walks for many days, enduring hunger and hardship, aiming for London, believing he can make a new life there. Exhausted and faint, he is eventually met on the road near London by a boy named Jack Dawkins, better known as the "Artful Dodger." The Dodger is street-smart and immediately takes Oliver under his wing, promising him food and lodging with a "nice old gentleman" in London. Oliver, desperate for help, trusts him and follows him to a house where he meets the criminal Fagin.He is the boss of a gang of pickpockets. He trains boys to steal wallets or handkerchief.
Questions About the Text
What shocking act by Oliver leads to him being removed from the workhouse and sold as an apprentice?
Who are the two individuals that bully Oliver during his apprenticeship to the undertaker, Mr. Sowerberry?
Why does Oliver decide to run away from the undertaker's house, and where does he decide to go?
What is the real name and common nickname of the boy Oliver meets on the road to London?
Who’s Fagin?










