Oliver Twist, A Poor, Innocent Orphan Boy, Stands Out In This Story As

Oliver Twist, a poor, innocent orphan boy, stands out in this story as the main character but it is the supporting characters that allow this novel of much content to develop a much more satisfying and believable theme. With "Good V.S. Evil" as one of the major conflicts, in such categories are the secondary characters found as well. Three main auxiliary characters of Oliver Twist aid the elaboration of the story; these significant characters are Mr. Brownlow representing purity, integrity and goodness, Nancy as partially righteous, partially villain and lastly on the other extreme of the scale: Fagin, the symbol of evil, corruption and manipulation. Throughout the story we are introduced to each of these characters through an omniscient point of view, and are able to categorize them according to their personalities, thoughts and actions. With their differing levels of honesty and social status, each of them play a crucial role in the development of the story's theme. As most of the author's characters, Mr. Brownlow too, is brought out with an indirect presentation but it is not long after introducing him that his wholesome goodness is revealed to us. Though at first he accuses Oliver of thieving, his concern over Oliver's welfare on the street is a direct hint of his innocence which successfully helps him convince Oliver to board at his house. A generous and trusting man he was, perhaps too good a man to be true; but with all the malicious characters in the story, a heroic and pure persona was needed to ensure a happy ending. With honesty and great wealth as his prime qualities, he assists Oliver in his times of need and demonstrates to society with an exemplary touch, the attributes of a perfect citizen. As the positive extreme in both social status and benevolence, Mr. Brownlow is a definite aid in the development of the theme throughout the novel. Nancy, for us, must be the weakest character. Trapped between wanting to help Oliver evade Fagin' s exploitation and her dedicated love for Sikes; she fails to survive to the end as she is convicted and ironically murdered by her own husband : Sikes, a brutal and abusive man. But there is a great need for this secondary character in the story, she serves not only as a tie between the scenes at the different house holds but as well she is the only hope of salvation for Oliver. Without her, Oliver may have never had the chance to grow up in a loving home and learn to be proper in his actions and pure in the soul. Even though her ununderstandable love for Sikes is honest most of the time, her own soul held an even greater devotion to Oliver, for she gets her own husband drunk and comes to Oliver's rescue. Nancy sees in Oliver the innocence of her own childhood being robbed by Fagin's deceiving malpractice. Nancy provides the story with a second chance for Oliver into a proper, honest world. It costs her, her life, but she prospers in helping Oliver as well as doing a lot of justice for society. Able to save Oliver from evil and putting evil itself in prison, Nancy triumphs above all her devilish acquaintances and is the pivoting point of Oliver's return to safety. Not only as a way to introduce new plots in the tale, but as well as the theme's greatest support, she is a genial character that could have only been created after much planning and thought. Fagin was a jew described by the author in such a manner that one may think Dickens were racist to some extent. His beliefs of Jew's were that a Jew seldom thieves, but is worse than a thief when he encourages others to thieve. In his opinion, "In every town there is a Jew, resident or tramping;... if a robbery is effected, the property is hid till a Jew is found, and a bargain is then made." Fagin is described in such a style in this tale that one is almost forced to dislike his character. Old, ugly and a "Jew", Fagin is associated with principal atmospheric devices that give the novel unique power. Not only

Slavery and Chains in the Middle Ages

Slavery and Chains in the Middle Ages When the Western Roman Empire fell in the 15th century, slavery, which had been such an integral part of the empires economy, began to be replaced by serfdom (an integral part of a feudal economy). Much attention is focused on the serf. His plight was not much better than the slaves had been, as he was bound to the land instead of to an individual owner, and could not be sold to another estate. However, slavery didnt go away. How Slaves Were Captured and Sold In the earliest part of the Middle Ages, slaves could be found in many societies, among them the Cymry in Wales and the Anglo-Saxons in England. The Slavs of central Europe were often captured and sold into slavery, usually by rival Slavonic tribes. Moors were known to keep slaves and believed that setting a slave free was an act of great piety. Christians also owned, bought, and sold slaves, as evidenced by the following: When the Bishop of Le Mans transferred a large estate to the Abbey of St. Vincent in 572, 10 slaves went with it.In the seventh century, the wealthy Saint Eloi bought British and Saxon slaves in batches of 50 and 100 so that he could set them free.A transaction between Ermedruda of Milan, and a gentleman by the name of Totone, recorded the price of 12 new gold solidi for a slave boy (referred to as it in the record). Twelve solidi were much less than the cost of a horse.In the early 9th century, the Abbey of St. Germain des Prà ©s listed 25 of their 278 householders as slaves.In the turmoil at the end of the Avignon Papacy, the Florentines engaged in insurrection against the pope. Gregory XI excommunicated the Florentines and ordered them enslaved wherever taken.In 1488, King Ferdinand sent 100 Moorish slaves to Pope Innocent VIII, who presented them as gifts to his cardinals and other court notables.Women slaves taken after the fall of Capua in 1501 were put up for sale in Rome. Motivations Behind Slavery in the Middle Ages The ethics of the Catholic Church concerning slavery throughout the Middle Ages seem difficult to comprehend today. While the Church succeeded in protecting the rights and well-being of slaves, no attempt was made to outlaw the institution. One reason is economic. Slavery had been the basis of a sound economy for centuries in Rome, and it declined as serfdom slowly rose. However, it rose again when the Black Death swept Europe, dramatically reducing the population of serfs and creating a need for more forced labor. Another reason is that slavery had been a fact of life for centuries, as well. Abolishing something so deeply entrenched in all of the society would be about as likely as abolishing the use of horses for transportation. Christianity and the Ethics of Slavery Christianity had spread like wildfire partly because it offered life after death in paradise with a heavenly Father. The philosophy was that life was terrible, injustice was everywhere, disease killed indiscriminately, and the good died young while the evil thrived. Life on earth simply wasnt fair, but life after death was ultimately fair: the good were rewarded in Heaven and the evil were punished in Hell. This philosophy could sometimes lead to a laissez-faire attitude toward social injustice, although, as in the case of good Saint Eloi, certainly not always. Christianity had an ameliorating effect on slavery. Western Civilization and Being Born Into a Class Perhaps the world-view of the medieval mind can explain a great deal. Freedom and liberty are fundamental rights in 21st-century Western civilization. Upward mobility is a possibility for everyone in America today. These rights were only won after years of struggle, bloodshed, and outright war. They were foreign concepts to medieval Europeans, who were accustomed to their highly-structured society. Each individual was born into a particular class and that class, whether powerful nobility or largely impotent peasantry, offered limited options and strongly-ingrained duties. Men could become knights, farmers, or craftsmen like their fathers or join the Church as monks or priests. Women could marry and become the property of their husbands, instead of the property of their fathers, or they could become nuns. There was a certain amount of flexibility in each class and some personal choice. Occasionally, an accident of birth or an extraordinary will would help someone deviate from the course medieval society had set. Most medieval people would not see this situation as restrictive as we do today. Source Slavery and Serfdom in the Middle Ages by Marc Bloch; translated by W.R. BeerSlavery in Germanic Society During the Middle Ages by Agnes Mathilde WergelandLife in Medieval Times by Marjorie RowlingThe Encyclopedia AmericanaThe History Medren, Melissa Snell, 1998-2017