Oliver Twist

白玉杰

One of my favorite classical works is Oliver Twist， from which I can learn numerous profound lessons. I appreciate the author so much， for he let me know more about our character and lives， which he explains clearly by describing the complexity of our character， the fragility of our lives， and the potentiality of our courage.

First of all， the author makes it clear the complexity of our character by creating typical characters， especially Fagin and Nancy. On the one hand， Fagin is a bad person from the laws aspect. He is the head of an evil gang； he misleads innocent children to steal； he is harmful to society. On the other hand， he is a helper in a sense. He takes care of homeless children； he plays the role of a father in their life； he provides a relatively warm home for them. He is the combination of evil and goodness； however， he is typical of a real human being. All of us， just like Fagin， are likely to make wrong choices and do bad things. Nobody is perfect. None of us can do everything right. As to Nancy， she is an experienced criminal； she helps Bill and Fagin do plenty of harmful things； she brings Oliver back to that dark gang. Nevertheless， she sympathizes with Oliver， and eventually it is Nancy that does him a favor at the risk of losing her life. In reality， we can also go through similar experiences. If we stood in Nancys shoes， I think most of us would make the same decision as Nancy to be a thief because we have no choice， but kindness in our hearts would inspire us to take action to help Oliver. Our lives are always filled with wrong choices and right impulses to do good things.

I regarded some people as totally bad people or good people before because I judged them just from one perspective. The author has changed my mind； he has taught me look at a person or a thing from different viewpoints； he let me understand the complexity of human beings. Nobody is completely bad or good. Nobody can never make mistakes. Our character has two sides like a coin： one side is evil； the other is goodness. Its complex. Having realized it， I dont evaluate an individual from one single view anymore. As for people whom I dont like， I have been trying to see their merits， which makes me unexpectedly find their preciousness. It creates the friendship between us. I become grateful to them.

In addition， the author vividly portrays the fragility of our lives. Oliver almost loses his life owing to Bills mistake. A bullet can easily take a life within several seconds. The author shows the nature of life by describing this detail and clarifies its fragility. If Oliver hadnt been taken to Fagins house， he would have been dead. When I read it， I could sense his feeling when the author was creating the story. I suppose the author was anxious to show us the fragility of life. He hoped we could realize it and treasure our lives. Our lives are so fragile that we have no reason not to enjoy and cherish them. Its impossible for us to forecast incoming things， so we may as well live everyday as our last day， which will impel us to live a more meaningful life.

Besides， the potentiality of our courage is also mentioned in the book. Oliver is treated badly by Mrs.Sowerberry and bullied by Noah， but he bears it without complaint. On the contrary， little Oliver bravely fights with Noah when Noah taunts his mother. Although he is much weaker than Noah， he has enough courage to struggle for his mother. For such a little child， “mother” is still sacred in his heart， so the feeling encourages him to fight against Noah. Moreover， we can feel Olivers bravery by his trying his best to protect Mr.Brownlows house from being robbed. In the danger of being shot， Oliver doesnt obey Bill and chooses another， different route， trying to wake up Mr.Brownlow and Mrs.Bedwin. Only if a person has great courage can he take the action. Its surprising that a little boy is so strong.

It makes me find the courage hidden in all of us. In many cases， we fail to achieve our goals not because we lack courage， but because we think we have no courage. In fact， our courage is not obvious， which requires us to explore it. We can regain courage which has been lost after we take it seriously. At that time， we can find actually what we have lost is not courage but the confidence and determination to make it. Not knowing our potential is one of our commonest weaknesses. Realizing the weakness is beneficial to make better ourselves.

All in all， the author makes our character clear by showing us our complex character， our fragile lives， and our potential courage. Socrates once said， “Know yourself.” Oliver Twist can help us better know about ourselves； it can help us get rid of ignorance； it can help us reflect on ourselves. Only if we know more about our lives and character， can we be sensible of our weaknesses， correct them， and become better individuals.