... innocent. He put many stressed tests on him in the course of the book. Dickens comes close to endangering Oliver's idealized virtue, though; in the great temptation scene in Chapter 18 (Scott-Kilvert, 49). This is where the child is being carefully brainwashed, ... carolling perpetually. Such changes appear absurd; but they are not so unnatural as they would seem at first sight. The transitions in real life from well-spread boards to death-beds, and from mourning weeds to holiday garments, are not ... the poor but virtuous are prosecuted by the rich and corrupt (Gerould, 287). The mot...

• Word Count: 1649
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School