Controlled Childhood and the Moulding of the Children's Characters; Critical Analysis of Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Hard Times, and Great Expectations

Abstract

This study reads Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Hard Times, and Great Expectations as "condition of England novels" by applying realism and naturalism theories, which focus on "parole". The term referred to by Ferdinand de Saussure in language acquisition to mean "performance". This paper addresses how Charles Dickens uses the term "parole" to refer to children's performance under social influences. Through his works, Dickens shows that the environment plays an elementary role in building children's characters as they grasp knowledge from their surroundings. They interact with the social environment, which fosters or hinders their development. Childhood is a crucial stage in the development of societies. Through the portrayal of children in Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Hard Times, and Great Expectations, Dickens highlights the ordeals and suffering of children in the nineteenth century and shows the plight of the Industrial Revolution as it damaged the essential block of Victorian society. Accordingly, schools, factories, streets, workhouses, teachers, masters, and parents all of these take part in the formation of the child’s character. Children during that time faced different types of social pressures that affected their characters and future lives. This study investigates Dickens’ embedded message, showing how childhood is not only a stage of playing but is also important and influential in the performance and shaping of the child’s character.