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Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
Please, sir
What does Oliver's request for more say about the workhouse system?
Keep the conversation going
- How does Dickens use humour to attack the board and Mr Bumble?
- Why does Oliver stay good despite how he was raised?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
What does Oliver's request for more say about the workhouse system?
Keep the conversation going
- How does Dickens use humour to attack the board and Mr Bumble?
- Why does Oliver stay good despite how he was raised?
What does Fagin offer the boys that no one else does?
Keep the conversation going
- Is Fagin's warmth real, or only a means to an end?
- How do you respond to the way the novel portrays Fagin, and to the language it uses for him?
What did you make of the Artful Dodger, and of his trial?
Keep the conversation going
- Is the Dodger a victim or a willing criminal?
- Why is he more likeable than many respectable characters?
Why does Nancy help Oliver, at such risk to herself?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does she refuse to leave Sikes?
- What does her story say about loyalty and love?
How did Nancy's murder and Sikes's flight affect you?
Keep the conversation going
- What does Bull's-eye, the dog, add to his end?
- Does Sikes feel any remorse?
What do Mr Brownlow and the Maylies offer Oliver that Fagin cannot?
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- How believable is the chain of coincidences that saves Oliver?
- What does the novel suggest about birth and goodness?
What does Monks want, and how does his plot shape the story?
Keep the conversation going
- How did you feel when Oliver's parentage was revealed?
- Does Oliver's happy ending depend too much on his inheritance?
How did you respond to Fagin's last night in the condemned cell?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Oliver pray with him?
- What does the novel say about justice for the poor?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.