雾都孤儿的社会意义.docx

1、雾都孤儿的社会意义毕业论文题目：雾都孤儿的社会意义Title: The Social Significance of the Olive Twist2009年5月25日AcknowledgementsI express my whole-hearted thanks to my dear and respected supervisor Professor Zeng Qingqiang for his care and enlightening and valuable advices given to me through these years studies and certainly

2、when I develop the thesis from a mere idea to a full paper. Without his help, what I have done would have been completely impossible.And I am also indebted to all the professors who have given me the inspiring lessons, which are very helpful to my study.Finally I would like to take this opportunity

3、to express my gratitude to my families for their dearest love and persistent support. It is my pleasure to dedicate this thesis to all my beloved ones.AbstractThis essay attacks English society of Dickens time through the personalities and fates of characters in Oliver Twist. Novels, as products of

4、its age, naturally reflect the realities of the society. The creation of characters, as one of the fundamental elements in novels, also reflects the social reality. In this book Oliver Twist, Dickens creates many vivid figures. They are not described in the same pattern, but in different poses and w

5、ith different personalities. Also, Dickens bitterly attacks the defects of existing institutions - the law, penal system and mercilessly exposes the injustice and wretchedness inflicted by them. The first is a brief introduction to the social background of Dickens creative features used in Oliver Tw

6、ist; in the first chapter, characters were divided into three categories and their sources of creation were also analyzed; The second chapter is to analyze the criticism of Dickens towards English society through the angles of the law and the penal system. the third chapter is focused on the influen

7、ces by Oliver Twist. Keyword: character; fate; Dickens; society; criticism摘 要本文通过雾都孤儿中人物的性格和命运抨击了当时的英国社会。小说作为时代的产物，理所当然的反映了当时的社会现实，而人物作为小说的基本要素之一，也不例外。在这本书中，狄更斯塑造了许多生动的人物形象。他们造型不同，性格迥异。同时，狄更斯严厉的抨击了英国现存国家机构，无情地揭露了在这些机构下产生的不公平和不幸的事情。在前言中介绍了雾都孤儿的社会背景和狄更斯的创作特点；第一章人物被分为了三类并对其创作来源进行了分析；第二章从法律和审判制度两个角度分析了狄

8、更斯对英国社会的批判.第三章着重于雾都孤儿的影响。关键词：人物；命运；狄更斯；社会；批判Key words: figures; ContentsIntroduction.1 . Characters and Sources of Creation.31.1. Three categories of main figures.31.2. Sources of Dickens creation.6. The Social Reality of That Time.8 2.1. The poor Law .82.2 . The workhouse.9 2.3. The criminal justic

9、e system.11. Appreciations and limits of Charles Dickens.133.1. Appreciations of Charles Dickens .133.2The limits of Charles Dickens.14Conclusion.16Notes.18Bibliography.19Introduction At the beginning of 19th century, England was rapidly undergoing a transformation from agricultural, rural economy t

10、o an industrial, urban nation. The economy of this country was developing rapidly; the gap between the rich and the poor was bigger and bigger. A new class middle-class emerged. In the stratified English class structure, the highest social class belonged to the “gentlemen,” an aristocrat who did not

11、 have to work for his living. The middle class was the class who had to work. In order to alleviate the stigma attached to the wealthy middle class, they promoted work as a moral virtue. Because the middle class felt insecurity about their own social legitimacy and many of them were anxious to be di

12、fferentiated from the lower class, the poor was suffered the cruel treatment and was stigmatized as a class which was lazy and good-for-nothings. Earned wealth was a sign of moral virtue in the eyes of middle class; the condition of poverty was a sign of the weakness of the poor individual. The sent

13、iment behind the Poor Law of 1834 reflected these beliefs mentioned above. The Law allowed the poor to receive public assistance only if they lived and worked in established workhouses. Begging carried the punishment of imprisonment. For the conditions of the workhouses were deliberately made to be

14、as miserable as possible. The poor would rather die quickly than being starved by a gradual process in the house. Therefore many poor people were starved in the streets. Charles Dickens, the greatest representative of English critical realism, was born in 1812.At that time, England was engaged in th

15、e turbulent events on the continent of Europe. As a result, a great many corrupt organizations and a lot of injustice appeared. Charles Dickens was not satisfied with the society and attacked the social reality with his pen. Oliver Twist is the second novel of Charles Dickens, and also hismasterpiec

16、e, and Dickens himself loved it very much. Oliver Twist, This book famous for exposing the dark sides of people lived out that time. It exposed the hypocritical and cruelty of parish workhouse through depicting the little orphan boy Oliver Twists childhood in it. He gave realistic pictures of the ho

17、rrible existence in workhouse. One of the important characteristics of Oliver Twist was the real and specific description of people who lived in the bottom of society. Their miserable lives, including all the details, gave the readers a real feeling: these were fictions. Also, it was the first time

18、that many small potatoes appeared in English literature. As one of the greatest representatives of English critical realism, Charles Dickens successfully presents a picture of the 19th century English bourgeois society in detail of different social status and people; as a master of story telling and

19、 characterization, he holds the readers attention with his vivid plot, horrible or comic characters, and sensational ups and downs in his vivid and intimate style and language. With the successful use of exaggeration, Dickens gives the figures peculiarities in their physical appearances or in their

20、manners of speech or in some habitual actions or other, and it is this peculiarity that lights up their individual traits and makes them vivid and lively. This novel reveals a dark corrupt society. In this thesis, I will focus on critical realism represented in this novel by analyzing some character

21、s in this novel and attack the defects of existing institutions the law, penal system and mercilessly expose the injustice and wretchedness inflicted by them.I. Three Categories of Main Characters in Oliver Twist and Their Sources of CreationCharacter-portrayal is one of the most distinguished featu

22、res of Dickens works; one of his standing points in character-portrayal is moral. Therefore, he usually divided his characters into three categories: positive character, negative character, and middle character. Positive characters mostly possess ideal moral features, negative characters do not most

23、ly possess these features, while middle characters possess both kind of features but the dividing line is usually quite clear, and this kind of characters lack the dual nature of both good and evil and, the obscurity which is difficult to distinguish the good from the evil. This feature in Dickens c

24、haracter-portrayal is fully reflected in Oliver Twist. Three categories of main characters in Oliver Twist111 Kind-hearted and virtuous characterOliver is an innocent and brave orphan boy. He worked at the workhouse as a younger boy and suffered a lot. Dickens criticizes the upper class and the auth

25、orities who treat the labour, poor and low class very badly. From the words, we can know clearly. He rose from the table;and advancing to the master, basin And spoon in hand, and said: somewhat alarmed at his own temerity; Please, Sir, I want some more. What! said the master at length, in a faint vo

26、ice. Please, Sir, replied Oliver, I want some more. The master aimed a blow at Olivers head with The ladle; pinioned him in his arms; and shrieked aloud for the beadle. For more! said Mr.Limbkins. Compose yourself, Bumble, and answer me distinctly Do I understand that he asked for more, after he had

27、 Eaten the supper allotted by the dietary? (Charles Dickens, 1997:10)Oliver, who knows what should be done and what should not be done refuses to be a thief. Oliver is thrown into a world full of poverty and crime. Though suffering enormous pain, such as hunger, thirst, beating and abuse , he never

28、loses his good nature, being kind and gentle to everyone. Even when he learns what he has suffered is arranged by Monks, he still agrees to share the will with Monks. In this way, people are impressed deeply by the image of a poor but kind orphan and can not help tenderly loving this child.Oliver ta

29、lks less but observes and perceives more. He shows his helpless when he is unjustly punished and denied his rights. However, when tested by the force of circumstances, he displays an inner strengthen to protect himself. Even when evil forces surround him, he remains unaffected, and his natural goodn

30、ess and instinct for survival help him to overcome the odds of life. Thus he establishes himself in the world of respectable people who cherish the values of honesty and integrity.In a word, Oliver does not present a complex picture of a person torn between good and evil instead, he is goodness incarnate. 112 Cold-hearted, horrible and grotesque Fagin is a criminal and a corrupter of young children; he is a Jewish immigrant. The laws of this country at that time refused to allow Jews to hold property, so often the way they make a living was either through loans or