# Oliver Twist — Oliver Twist character guide > Oliver Twist in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Oliver, young Oliver Twist, little Oliver, poor Oliver, young Twist **First appearance:** 0000-i-treats-of-the-place-where-oliver-twist-was-born-and-of-the-circumstances-attending-his-birth ## Snapshot A parish orphan whose meek endurance of hunger, cruelty, and bad company makes his stubborn flicker of goodness the most dangerous thing about him. ## Who they are Raised on starvation rations and apprenticed to an undertaker, Oliver runs to London and falls in with Fagin's boys before a kind gentleman named Mr. Brownlow takes him in. His passivity is not blankness but a kind of incorruptibility: he asks for more at the workhouse, and he keeps asking, in his way, for a life that matches the decency he somehow still expects from people. His flight and recapture set the whole plot in motion, and every faction in the book — the parish, the gang, the gentleman — wants to define what he is. ## Relationships ### [Fagin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/fagin) _psychological_ Fagin manipulates and grooms Oliver for a life of crime, acting as a predatory mentor. ### [Mrs. Maylie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/mrs_maylie) _family_ Mrs. Maylie becomes a loving maternal figure, providing Oliver with shelter and care. ### [Rose Maylie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/rose_maylie) _family_ Rose is Oliver's maternal aunt, and she treats him with deep affection and protection. ### [Bill Sikes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/bill_sikes) _psychological_ Sikes terrorizes and physically abuses Oliver, using him as a tool for burglary. ### [Mr. Bumble](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/mr_bumble) _rivalry_ Mr. Bumble is a cruel, self-important official who persecutes Oliver in the workhouse. ### [Mr. Brownlow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/mr_brownlow) _family_ Mr. Brownlow is Oliver's grandfather, who rescues and adopts him with kindness. ### [Mr. Losberne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/mr_losberne) _friendship_ Dr. Losberne is a kind, loyal friend to Oliver, tending to his injuries and supporting him. ### [The Artful Dodger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/the_artful_dodger) _friendship_ The Dodger is Oliver's first friend in London, though he leads him into Fagin's criminal gang. ### [Charley Bates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/charley_bates) _friendship_ Charley is a fellow child thief who initially befriends Oliver but later feels remorse for his fate. ### [Fagin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/fagin) _psychological_ Fagin manipulates and grooms Oliver for a life of crime, acting as a predatory mentor. ### [Mr. Bumble](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/mr_bumble) _rivalry_ Mr. Bumble is a cruel, self-important official who persecutes Oliver in the workhouse. ### [Mr. Brownlow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/mr_brownlow) _family_ Mr. Brownlow is Oliver's grandfather, who rescues and adopts him with kindness. ## In the story ### [Treats of the Place Where Oliver Twist Was Born and of the Circumstances Attending His Birth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/i-treats-of-the-place-where-oliver-twist-was-born-and-of-the-circumstances-attending-his-birth) Born in the workhouse, initially struggling to breathe, then crying lustily; immediately becomes a parish child. ### [II: Treats of Oliver Twist’s Growth, Education, and Board](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/ii-treats-of-oliver-twist-s-growth-education-and-board) A pale, thin child of nine, kept in the coal-cellar for asking for more food; brought before the board and later sent to the main workhouse. ### [Relates How Oliver Twist Was Very Near Getting a Place Which Would Not Have Been a Sinecure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/iii-relates-how-oliver-twist-was-very-near-getting-a-place-which-would-not-have-been-a-sinecure) Imprisoned and mistreated after asking for more food; nearly apprenticed to a chimney sweep. ### [IV: Oliver, Being Offered Another Place, Makes His First Entry Into Public Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/iv-oliver-being-offered-another-place-makes-his-first-entry-into-public-life) Oliver is taken to the undertaker's shop, weeps from loneliness, and is given scraps to eat before being sent to sleep among coffins. ### [Oliver Mingles with New Associates. Going to a Funeral for the First Time, He Forms an Unfavourable Notion of His Master’s Business](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/v-oliver-mingles-with-new-associates-going-to-a-funeral-for-the-first-time-he-forms-an-unfavourable-notion-of-his-master-s-business) Oliver feels terrified and desolate in the undertaker's shop, wishes for death, and is bullied by Noah Claypole. ### [Oliver, Being Goaded by the Taunts of Noah, Rouses Into Action, and Rather Astonishes Him](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/vi-oliver-being-goaded-by-the-taunts-of-noah-rouses-into-action-and-rather-astonishes-him) Oliver, goaded by Noah's taunts about his mother, finally fights back, showing a fierce spirit. ### [VII: Oliver Continues Refractory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/vii-oliver-continues-refractory) After enduring abuse, Oliver runs away from the undertaker's, stopping to say goodbye to his dying friend Dick. ### [Oliver Walks to London. He Encounters on the Road a Strange Sort of Young Gentleman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/viii-oliver-walks-to-london-he-encounters-on-the-road-a-strange-sort-of-young-gentleman) Oliver walks seventy miles to London over seven days, suffering hunger, cold, and rejection. He meets the Artful Dodger in Barnet and is taken to Fagin's den. ### [IX: Containing Further Particulars Concerning the Pleasant Old Gentleman, and His Hopeful Pupils](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/ix-containing-further-particulars-concerning-the-pleasant-old-gentleman-and-his-hopeful-pupils) Oliver wakes up in Fagin's den, observes Fagin's secret box, and is introduced to pickpocket training. ### [Oliver Becomes Better Acquainted with the Characters of His New Associates; and Purchases Experience at a High Price. Being a Short, but Very Important Chapter, in This History](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/x-oliver-becomes-better-acquainted-with-the-characters-of-his-new-associates-and-purchases-experience-at-a-high-price-being-a-short-but-very-important-chapter-in-this-history) Oliver is eager to go out and work, but is horrified when he witnesses the Dodger pickpocket an old gentleman. He runs in fear and is caught and accused of the crime. ### [XII: In Which Oliver Is Taken Better Care of Than He Ever Was Before. And in Which the Narrative Reverts to the Merry Old Gentleman and His Youthful Friends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xii-in-which-oliver-is-taken-better-care-of-than-he-ever-was-before-and-in-which-the-narrative-reverts-to-the-merry-old-gentleman-and-his-youthful-friends) Oliver is recovering from a fever in Mr. Brownlow's house, cared for by Mrs. Bedwin. He is weak but grateful, and notices a striking resemblance between himself and a portrait. ### [XIV: Comprising Further Particulars of Oliver’s Stay at Mr. Brownlow’s, with the Remarkable Prediction Which One Mr. Grimwig Uttered Concerning Him, When He Went Out on an Errand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xiv-comprising-further-particulars-of-oliver-s-stay-at-mr-brownlow-s-with-the-remarkable-prediction-which-one-mr-grimwig-uttered-concerning-him-when-he-went-out-on-an-errand) Recovering from illness, enjoying the peaceful life at Mr. Brownlow's, and sent on an errand to return books. ### [XV: Showing How Very Fond of Oliver Twist the Merry Old Jew and Miss Nancy Were](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xv-showing-how-very-fond-of-oliver-twist-the-merry-old-jew-and-miss-nancy-were) Oliver, on his way to a bookstall, is stopped by Nancy's false embrace and then seized by Sikes, struck, and dragged through dark courts back to Fagin's den, despite his struggles and cries for help. ### [XVI: Relates What Became of Oliver Twist, After He Had Been Claimed by Nancy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xvi-relates-what-became-of-oliver-twist-after-he-had-been-claimed-by-nancy) Oliver is forcibly taken by Sikes and Nancy, and later begs for the return of Mr. Brownlow's books and money, fearing he will be thought a thief. ### [How Oliver Passed His Time in the Improving Society of His Reputable Friends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xviii-how-oliver-passed-his-time-in-the-improving-society-of-his-reputable-friends) Oliver is imprisoned in Fagin's house, subjected to threats and isolation, and begins to help the Dodger with his boots. ### [XIX: In Which a Notable Plan Is Discussed and Determined On](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xix-in-which-a-notable-plan-is-discussed-and-determined-on) Asleep in Fagin's den, pale and anxious, unaware of the plot being hatched against him. ### [XX: Wherein Oliver Is Delivered Over to Mr. William Sikes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xx-wherein-oliver-is-delivered-over-to-mr-william-sikes) Delivered to Sikes by Nancy; frightened but compliant. ### [XXI: The Expedition](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxi-the-expedition) Forced to accompany Sikes on a long, frightening journey; exhausted and fearful. ### [The Burglary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxii-the-burglary) Forced to participate in a burglary, terrified and pleading for mercy, shot and wounded. ### [Treats on a Very Poor Subject. But Is a Short One, and May Be Found of Importance in This History](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxiv-treats-on-a-very-poor-subject-but-is-a-short-one-and-may-be-found-of-importance-in-this-history) Mentioned by name as the baby born to the young mother who died in the workhouse. ### [Chapter XXVII: Atones for the Unpoliteness of a Former Chapter; Which Deserted a Lady, Most Unceremoniously](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxvii-atones-for-the-unpoliteness-of-a-former-chapter-which-deserted-a-lady-most-unceremoniously) Mentioned at the end of the chapter as the narrative prepares to check on his fate after being left in a ditch by Toby Crackit. ### [XXVIII: Looks After Oliver, and Proceeds with His Adventures](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxviii-looks-after-oliver-and-proceeds-with-his-adventures) Wounded and delirious, Oliver returns to the house that was robbed and collapses at the door. ### [XXX: Relates What Oliver's New Visitors Thought of Him](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxx-relates-what-oliver-s-new-visitors-thought-of-him) Lying wounded and asleep, later awakens to tell his story. ### [Involves a Critical Position](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxxi-involves-a-critical-position) Recovering from his wound, looked after by Mrs. Maylie, Rose, and Mr. Losberne; questioned by the officers but too feverish to understand. ### [Of the Happy Life Oliver Began to Lead with His Kind Friends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxxii-of-the-happy-life-oliver-began-to-lead-with-his-kind-friends) Recovering from illness and injury, deeply grateful to the Maylies, and heartbroken by Mr. Brownlow's departure. ### [Wherein the Happiness of Oliver and His Friends Experiences a Sudden Check](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxxiii-wherein-the-happiness-of-oliver-and-his-friends-experiences-a-sudden-check) Oliver is now healthy and devoted to Rose and Mrs. Maylie; he runs an urgent errand to fetch the doctor. ### [XXXIV: Contains Some Introductory Particulars Relative to a Young Gentleman Who Now Arrives Upon the Scene; and a New Adventure Which Happened to Oliver](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxxiv-contains-some-introductory-particulars-relative-to-a-young-gentleman-who-now-arrives-upon-the-scene-and-a-new-adventure-which-happened-to-oliver) Overjoyed by Rose's recovery, he gathers flowers for her and later encounters Harry Maylie. While studying, he falls asleep and has a terrifying vision, only to wake and see Fagin and another man at his window. ### [XXXV: Containing the Unsatisfactory Result of Oliver’s Adventure; and a Conversation of Some Importance Between Harry Maylie and Rose](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxxv-containing-the-unsatisfactory-result-of-oliver-s-adventure-and-a-conversation-of-some-importance-between-harry-maylie-and-rose) Oliver sees Fagin and another man outside the cottage and raises the alarm, but the search yields no trace. ### [Chapter XXXVI: Is a Very Short One, and May Appear of No Great Importance in Its Place, but It Should Be Read Notwithstanding, as a Sequel to the Last, and a Key to One That Will Follow When Its Time Arrives](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxxvi-is-a-very-short-one-and-may-appear-of-no-great-importance-in-its-place-but-it-should-be-read-notwithstanding-as-a-sequel-to-the-last-and-a-key-to-one-that-will-follow-when-its-time-arrives) Pleased to be entrusted with writing to Harry and promises secrecy. ### [XXXVII: In Which the Reader May Perceive a Contrast, Not Uncommon in Matrimonial Cases](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxxvii-in-which-the-reader-may-perceive-a-contrast-not-uncommon-in-matrimonial-cases) Referenced by Monks and Bumble as the boy born in the workhouse and apprenticed to a coffin-maker, though not present in the chapter. ### [A Strange Interview, Which Is a Sequel to the Last Chapter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xl-a-strange-interview-which-is-a-sequel-to-the-last-chapter) The subject of Monks' plot, revealed to be Monks' younger brother. ### [XLI: Containing Fresh Discoveries, and Showing That Surprises, Like Misfortunes, Seldom Come Alone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xli-containing-fresh-discoveries-and-showing-that-surprises-like-misfortunes-seldom-come-alone) Oliver joyfully spots Mr. Brownlow and is reunited with him and Mrs. Bedwin, confirming his truthful account of his past. ### [Monks and Mr. Brownlow at Length Meet. Their Conversation, and the Intelligence That Interrupts It](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xlix-monks-and-mr-brownlow-at-length-meet-their-conversation-and-the-intelligence-that-interrupts-it) Referred to as the rescued child and the brother of Monks. ### [Affording an Explanation of More Mysteries Than One, and Comprehending a Proposal of Marriage with No Word of Settlement or Pin-Money](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/li-affording-an-explanation-of-more-mysteries-than-one-and-comprehending-a-proposal-of-marriage-with-no-word-of-settlement-or-pin-money) Travels to his birthplace, overwhelmed with emotion and memories; learns the truth about his parentage. ### [Fagin's Last Night Alive](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/lii-fagin-s-last-night-alive) Oliver visits Fagin in his cell, showing compassion by urging him to pray, but is horrified by Fagin's desperate state. ### [LIII: And Last](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/liii-and-last) Adopted by Mr. Brownlow, lives happily near the Maylies. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/oliver_twist - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters