Oliver Twist

The inescapability of identity is a central theme in Oliver Twist. Dickens explores this theme as he critiques the social stratification of 19th-century England. Identity is a fluid yet inescapable thing in the novel, altered by newly-discovered bloodlines and friends while it also seems to be a permanent fate destined by one’s roots. This is vaguely reminiscent of Michel Foucault’s theory on identity. While Foucault rejects the notion that identity is a permanent essence of a person’s being, he does believe that selfhood is composed of a multitude of constantly-shifting relationships with other people and society. This can be seen in the attention Dickens pays to Oliver’s name. Oliver’s name is capriciously chosen for him by Mr. Bumble and it means nothing and everything at the same time. The titular character of the novel has no real connection with his name and yet the signifier of Oliver’s identity (and the novel’s) becomes irreplaceable, despite the later reveal of his parents’ identities. Names—something that one is born into and have no control over—thus also symbolize the vital yet arbitrary nature of social roles and class designations.

Dickens portrays both the inescapability of identity and the eternal-evolving nature of it.