摘要

Oliver Twist, one of the masterpieces of Charles Dickens, published in 1838, is a famous novel reflecting the miserablelife of the laboring people and the poor people in Britain in the 18 th century. From the novel, the author revealed the hideous masksof the merciless criminals. In addition, it exposed the terror and violence hidden in the narrow and dirty streets in London. As thehero of the novel, Oliver Twist, an orphan, who was grown up in a world full of crime and indifference. Both his body and mind suf-fered great pains, such as constant hunger, thirst, even beating and abuse. But fortunately, he met many kind people, such as Mr.Brownlow, Nancy, Rose Maylie, who helped him a lot. With their help, it is clear that the devil was conquered by the goodness even-tually. To our relief, Oliver lived a happy life in the end. The thesis mainly analyzes the social background in Victorian era, thepure nature of Oliver and Nancy in this novel, and the social significance of Oliver Twist.