Oliver Twist

Women are frequently silenced or brushed off in Dickens’s Oliver Twist. While it would be easy to read this as a sign of the times, it is interesting to note that Dickens’s tone is often mocking when he describes the men who refuse to listen to women. While Dickens’s portrayal of gender is a rather traditional one, there does appear to be something more nuanced about his female characters and their relationship with voice and agency.

The characters of Mr. Bumble and Mr. Sowerberry are both meant to be despised. They are each married to women who neither fear to speak their minds or tell their husbands what to do. Though Mr. Bumble does insist that it is “the prerogative of a man is to command” and the prerogative of a woman is “to obey,” this statement is immediately mocked and ridiculed by Dickens (420). Mr. Bumble is not only not able to command, he also follows Mrs. Bumble’s every instruction, which results in their dealings with Monks and their ultimate downfall. Likewise, Mr. Sowerberry initially does not wish to punish Oliver, but once Mrs. Sowerberry begins crying, he feels himself compelled to do so. Tom Chitling, an eighteen-year-old member of Fagin’s gang, is also sent to jail after he follows Betsy’s orders. It seems then that Dickens does portray men who follow women not only as weak, but also as something deserving mockery. Further, Dickens has these men reach negative outcomes because of their following the suggestions of a woman.

Despite the fact that Mrs. Maylie is head of the household and Rose is the main individual who seeks to help Oliver, the men in the periphery of these women are the true ones with agency and deciding power. Upon any change of plan or scenario, Mr. Losberne, Mr. Brownlow, Mr. Grimwig, and later Harry Maylie are primarily responsible in making decisions and executing them. The women often make a show of deferring to the other men. However, Dickens also freely satirizes men like Mr. Giles and Brittles, who feign bravado despite their terror. When a housemaid tells the two men that she would have been terrified had she witnessed the break-in, Mr. Giles responds, “from a woman, nothing else was to be expected” (324). A few short paragraphs prior to this, however, Dickens very clearly demonstrates the frozen fear and panic that is felt by the two men.

There does appear to be a spectrum of agency that Dickens allows his female characters. He condemns and punishes men who defer to women while also mocking those who believe themselves superior to women. Dickens clearly romanticizes and idealizes Harry and Rose Maylie’s relationship; it is evident that Dickens emphasizes the importance of a collaborative and loving partnership. Harry Maylie respects Rose’s decisions and initially promises that he will not raise the issue again or try to get Rose to change her mind about their proposal. However, while Harry does indeed say this, he spends the year severing his political and high societal ties, without considering that Rose may feel indebted or obligated to marry him after he has done so.

While the illusion of choice is there for Rose, the subtle undercurrent of her ultimate submission to Harry’s will persists. This speaks to the ways in which Dickens viewed women and their roles in society.