Friday, 21 October 2011

EXPLOITATION OF CHILD AND CLASS SOCIAL IN OLIVER TWIST


Oliver Twist is a novel by  Charles Dickens  which was published  in 1838. Oliver twist appeared at Victorian era. In this era happened social change, economy and technology, Victorian novels seek to represent a large and comprehensive social world, with a variety of classes. Dickens tried to shows the impact from change; we can see a society condition which far from prosperity. That was happened imbalance social between rich and poor, child and adult, consequence of exploitation of children. Major theme is the place of the individual in society, the aspiration of the hero or heroine for love or social position. Oliver Twist has been the subject of numerous film and television adaptations, and is the basis for a highly successful musical play, and the multiple Academy Award winning 1968 motion picture made from it.
Exploitation of child is issue in Oliver Twist. As we know, Oliver twist wrote at Victorian era became notorious for employing young children in factories. Child labor played an important role in the Industrial RevolutionThey were forced to work in factories because families were very poor and they didn't have enough money to live on children worked eight or twelve hours a day, six days a week. They didn't have any insurance so if they had an accident they didn't have any help. During this period there was exploitation of children happened because children had give little wage and it is make employer didn’t take much money. The conditions of life for children were not good; there weren't vaccines, and children were often sick, because they are working as adult.
In the novel Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens describes the life in the workhouses.  Oliver was born in workhouses. His mother, whose name no one knows is found on the street and dies just after Oliver's birth. Oliver spends the first nine years of his life in a badly run home for young orphans and then is transferred to a workhouse for adults. Here Oliver and other child employ with hard considerably in factory. They are given some eat and treaded without good. Nevertheless, workhouses council that have responsible to take care of orphan just at the moment he had doesn’t care with child. Workhouses have a good alive from money that they are accepting from government. So there are brogues ideologies which as related to class capitalist that influence by social class and economy.
The ideology comes from the human lifestyle, usually from people thinks, and from the characteristics of human interaction. According to Althusser ideology as the imagery relationship between the reality and human condition which Marx stated as a false consciousness. Ideology of someone relates to their attitude and how they live their life. In looking at Dickens’ Oliver Twist from a Marxist standpoint we can gain a deeper insight into the economic, social, and political issues. This condition is showed to pass a child that named Oliver that treated bad and ignored because he from low class.
In Oliver Twist, the upper class is defined as the dominant force in power. Dickens illustrates the upper class as they exploit not only the child laborers, but the poor in general.  We can relate the bourgeoisie to Mr. Bumble and the workhouse officials, and the proletarians to Oliver and the other children in the workhouse. The government owns the power, while Oliver and the other children not. This is the ideal situation for the wealthy, as they have complete control of the social classes and labor.
The poor in Dickens' novel are exploited by the powerful bourgeoisie, as Oliver's labor is owned by the workhouse officials. Additionally, Oliver is only fed meager proportions in order for him to survive and keep working for the wealthy group in power. Oliver is degraded in the best interests of the wealthy, who contribute to molding beliefs and ideas in accordance to their needs. By purposely underfeeding Oliver and the workhouse laborers, the wealthy are able to extract more labor for a lower cost. The government harsh treatment towards Oliver demonstrates how his labor is depicted as a commodity. This is evident when Oliver protests against the wealthy for not receiving enough food. 
“Please, sir I wont some more”.[p.24]
“The master aimed a blow at Oliver’s head with the ladle, pinioned him in this arms and stricked a lound for the beatle”. [p25]
For a weak after that Oliver remained a close pioneer in the dark room without food. On the action he is preside over the case and offer five pounds to any person wishing to take on but a kindly old magistrate refuses to sign the indentures.
Finally a death house entrepreneur named Mr. Sowerberry take and employ Oliver. Initially everything was good, even time Oliver to be monsieur Mr. Sowerbby business. One day Oliver fights with Noah Claypole, another of the undertaker's boys, after Noah mocks Oliver’s mother. Oliver attacks him in a fit of rage. Charlotte and Mrs. Sowerberry rush to Noah's aid, and the three of them beat Oliver and lock him in the cellar. Early the next morning, Oliver runs away. On his way out of town, he passes the workhouse where he used to live and sees an old friend, Dick, in the yard.
“I am running away they beat and ill. Use me dick; and I’m going to seek my fortune, some long way off. I don’t know where…”.  “…good bye, dear. Good bless you!” said Dick. [p.95]
Dick vows not to tell anyone about Oliver's flight and bids him a warm farewell. He wanders aimlessly for a time, until a well-placed milestone sets his wandering feet towards London . When he when to Landon, Oliver founded a new life. Although sadness or cruelty still here come to him. During his journey to London, Oliver encounters Jack Dawkins, a pickpocket more commonly known by the nickname the  Artful Dodger . Thus Oliver is thrown together with the gang of thieves run by the sinister Fagin. Oliver innocently goes "to work" with Dawkins, also known as the Artful Dodger, and Charlie Bates. When the gentleman, Mr. Brownlow, discovers the robbery in progress Oliver is mistaken for the culprit and, after a chase, is captured and taken to the police. Oliver, injured in the chase, is cleared by a witness to the crime and is taken by the kindly Brownlow to his home to recuperate. Oliver is kindly treated at the Brownlow home. However Oliver happiness doesn’t go on a long because Fagin return to kidnap Oliver and force to theft, Oliver used as bait.
This novel will bring us to seen the effects of industrialism on 19th-century England and to criticize the harsh new Poor Laws and delivers a somewhat mixed message about social caste and social injustice. Oliver, child is trapped in a world where his only options seem to be the workhouse and he struggles to survive in the savage world of the underclass before finally being rescued by his family and returned to his proper place a commodious country house.
 source: berbagai sumber

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