Charles Dickens

Throughout Charles Dickens novels it has become apparent that his works most noticeably focus on class structure, poverty, and the treatment of the especially underprivileged. One could only believe that Dickens wrote about this during one of the most frivolous changes in England, the industrial revolution. England was going through a tough time adjusting from old agricultural and industrial methods to newer methods that included the child labor force, and an influx of unemployment. For the most part the rich got richer during this period. In London, England class structure was right in front of ones eyes. “London was the largest, most spectacular city in the world. While Britain was experiencing the Industrial Revolution, its capital was both reaping the benefits and suffering the consequences”( FNpg1). In London the poor were forced to live with the Rich right in front of there eyes. This brought a lot of filth to London as the economy switched from skilled to unskilled workers, also including prostitution and beggars which could explain why most of Dickens novels focused on the social class structure.

One would think that the Dickens most famous novel and children’s book Oliver Twist was clearly based off London in the middle 19th century. The theme of poverty is very apparent in a Tale of Two Cities. “Although the novel dedicates much time to describing the atrocities committed both by the aristocracy and by the outraged peasants, it ultimately expresses the belief that this violence will give way to a new and better society.”

The class structure Dickens had been compiled of two elements; the rich and the poor. One of Dickens Key Characters portrayed in this was Oliver Twist. Twist was an orphan born into poverty. Twist was also shown the division