雾都孤儿英文版

Charles Dickens: (born Feb. 7, 1812,--died June 9, 1870) British novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. The defining moment of Dickens's life occurred when he was 12 years old. With his father in debtors' prison, he was withdrawn from school and forced to work in a factory. This deeply affected the sensitive boy. Though he returned to school at 13, his formal education ended at 15. As a young man, he worked as a reporter. Then he wrote novels.

The author who himself was born in a poor family wrote this novel in his twenties with a view to reveal the ugly masks of those cruel criminals and to expose the horror and violence hidden underneath the narrow and dirty streets in London. Oliver Twist, one of the most famous works of Charles Dickens’, is a novel reflecting the tragic fact of the life in Britain in 18th century.

This novel shows us the cruelty and crime of London. Oliver Twist, the hero, is a poor orphan(孤儿). He lived in a life filled with taunts (嘲笑). Nobody loved him. With visions of his future, he decided to go to London. He thought a new life was coming, but he was wrong, a group of thieves were waiting for him. The author created a group of bad men. Fagin, an old man, with a horribly ugly face and red hair, was the head of those thieves. He tried to make Oliver be a criminal. Bill Sikes was a cruel and evil man in the group. He had a bad temper.

Monks, Oliver’s brother, did bad things to hurt Oliver. He wanted to get the legacies(遗产) left by his father alone. He paid Fagin to trap Oliver into a life of crime. In fact, they were all afraid of being put into prison and being hanged. They can’t live happily. Nancy, a poor girl, loved a bad man. She had to help Bill Sikes perpetrate(作恶), because she loved him. She had to be loyal to the criminal group, because she loved him. Actually, she was kind. She helped Oliver at the risk of her life. If she hadn’t fell in love with Sikes, she would have a happy ending. The author showed these ugly things to us, he described an ugly world. But there are more kind people in the novel.

Mr. Brownlow, an old friend of Oliver’s father, took good care of Oliver. Mrs. Maylie, Harry Maylie’s mother, saved Oliver of his life. Miss Rose is the aunt of Oliver. In fact, they all protect Oliver from hurt. Oliver was unlucky to meet so many evil people, but he was luckier to get help from so many kind people. In the end of the novel, all the evil people were punished. Oliver got what he should get. Rose married Harry Maylie and they lived happily. All the kind people have a happy ending.