The shortest summary of Oliver Twist Story is about an innocent orphanage boy called Oliver who goes through a lot of rough moments in the hand of cruel caretakers until he finally finds peace as well as his inheritance.

The Birth of Oliver Twist and Background

Oliver Twist was born in a workhouse. Her mother died soon after his birth. He grew up in an orphanage and had a very miserable young life. He never knew his parents and this made others treat him like an outcast.

One day, he made a mistake by asking for more food at the orphanage which was a serious offence. They decided to give him away to anyone willing to teach him a trade.

Oliver’s Stay with the Sowerberries and his Escape to London

Oliver was given to Mr. Sowerberry but the Sowerberries treated him poorly especially Mrs Sowerberry and Noah Claypole.

One day, Noah said something terrible about Oliver’s mother which provoked Oliver to attack him. After this incident, Oliver was beaten severely

He decided to run away to London and leave his miserable life behind him. On his way to London, he met a boy known as “the artful dodger” who introduced him to a criminal called Fagin.

Oliver’s Stay with Fagin and the Other Pick Pockets.

Little did Oliver know that Fagin earned a living by training children to become pickpockets. Fagin did everything possible to train Oliver to become a pick pocket but the boy was too innocent for such an adventure.

One day, Oliver was wrongly arrested for pickpocketing while the main culprits, the Dodger and Charley Bates escaped. He was later set free when he was defended by a noble man called Mr Brownlow.

Fagin was devastated and wanted Oliver back because he feared Oliver might reveal his secret to the police.

Oliver’s Stay with Mr. Brownlow

Mr Brownlow sympathised with Oliver and even allowed him to stay in his house. As time went on, he developed a liking for the boy.

Oliver was happy to have a new home but his joy was short-lived when he was captured again by Fagin’s gang with the help of Nancy, a former pickpocket of Fagin.

The Robbery at Chertsey

Soon after Oliver was captured, he was forced to partake in a robbery alongside Bill Sikes and Toby Crackit who are part of Fagin’s gang.

When they arrived at the target house, they forced Oliver to pass through the window and open the gate to the house.

The robbery was unsuccessful because people in the house were alerted which ended in the exchange of gunshots. Unfortunately, Oliver was shot in the process which led to the gang running and leaving him behind.

Oliver’s Time with the Maylies

Luckily, Oliver was saved by the same people he was asked to rob. After Oliver had told them his sad story, they sympathised with him and even allowed him to stay with them. They nursed him back to health in no time with the help Dr. Losborne. Mrs Maylie and her niece Rose Maylie were especially very kind to him.

During Oliver’s stay with the Maylies, he encountered a strange man who seemed to hate him with passion but he never knew this man. The name of this man was Monks.

The Relationship Between Monks and Oliver

Throughout the story, Monks had been behind the scenes trying to destroy Oliver Twist.

The secret was that, Monks was Oliver’s half brother and wanted to get rid of Oliver so that he could take all the inheritance of their father for himself. He was also willing to do anything to soil Oliver’s name keep his relationship to him a secret.

Monks was also a friend of Fagin and his gangs. He had been planning with Fagin to either get Oliver arrested or turn him into a pickpocket.

Bill Sikes kills Nancy

One day, Nancy overheard their plan to destroy Oliver. To keep this from happening, Nancy felt obligated to reveal their plans to Rose secretly. Noah Claypole, Fagin’s new recruit was made to follow Nancy and report what he saw. After Noah had informed the gang about Nancy’s actions, Bill Sikes got furious and murdered Nancy.

The Relationship Between Mr Brownlow and Monks’ Father

Ever since Oliver was kidnapped by Fagin, Mr Brownlow had been looking for him. Fortunately, with the help of Dr Losborne, Oliver was reunited with Mr Brownlow at last.

When Mr Brownlow learnt about the plan of Monks, he arranged for a meeting with Monks. Monks was surprised to know that Mr. Brownlow was an old friend of Monks’ father and also knew more about the background of Monks.

Realising that he could no longer hide the truth, Monks revealed important details about his background and his plan to destroy Oliver and take his inheritance.

Later, Mr Brownlow made sure the inheritance was shared between Monks and Oliver Twist but Monks squandered his and went back to his criminal ways.

The Death of Bill Sikes

After murdering Nancy, he made a decision to flee. He died by accidentally hanging himself with a rope he had tied around a chimney to help him descend from the top a building.

What Happened to Some Important Characters

Oliver Twist: Mr Brownlow adopted him and once in his life he was finally at peace.

Monks: He died in prison.

Charley Bates: He lived a good life and became a respectable citizen.

Fagin: He was finally arrested by the police.

Author: Charles Dickens

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