Oliver’s Freedom

Charles Dickens is an outstanding novelist of the realistic criticism. Oliver Twist is oneof his masterpieces, which centers on the struggling and growing of an orphan, revealing thehypocrisy of the social institutions, exposing the poverty and degradation of the lower class,and confirming as well the protagonist’s self-dependence, kindness and insistence. Jean-PaulSartre is a famous philosopher of the existentialism. In his work Being and Nothingness, hesets forth systematically his ideals of freedom, which consider man as the being-for-itself withfree consciousness to choose and which provide spiritual strength for man’s living andreconstruction after the Second World War. They live in different periods, write in differentgenres and assume different roles. But they are concerned with the same question: how shouldman live and grow on his own? And the answer is man’s freedom.According to Sartre’s ideals of freedom, man is free; man’s freedom is without doubt;and man is himself freedom. There is no God and no determinism in the world. Man shoulddepend on himself in his project of self-making and realize the posited end prefigured withintention. Human reality is the subject of consciousness, namely the being-for-itself, which isendowed with negativity, nihilation and transcendence. Man is always engaged in wrenchingaway from what he is, dissociating himself from his actual situation and separating himselffrom his given definition, toward his not-yet-existing future in the light of his end posited inrelation to his possibility. During the temporalization of the for-itself, man makes his freechoice, posits his end, figures out his cause, motive and mode for action, and then realizes hisvalue with freedom in his actual practice. There are no accidents in man’s life, and man has noexcuses either. He is absolutely responsible for himself.It is precisely Oliver’s freedom that makes it possible for him to go through the difficult and miserable situations, to realize his growing process and to hug his brilliant future. Hebecomes an orphan immediately after his birth, homeless and helpless. He struggles on hisown to breeze and he suffers more to preserve his life henceforth. So as to live, he, owing tohis being young and weak, chooses to bear the sufferings of hunger and constraint in theworkhouse and of insults and abuse in the undertaker’s house. But Oliver substitutes passiveresistance with active attacks after the accumulation of strength and courage. He wills notonly to live but also to improve his living conditions. He asks the workhouse for more food.He refuses his apprenticeship to the chimney-sweeper. He fights back violently against theinsulting treatment. He flees away decisively from the suffocating situation. However, he istrapped in another snare in London. But he also meets across many benevolent people. Hesurvives the fatal disease and the bullet wound. He insists to be a good child instead of beingone with the criminals. When everything around his identity is figured out and settled down,he eventually finds his family and his promising future.From one situation to another, Oliver exercises his freedom to the full extent to choosehimself and to make himself. In order to survive, he fights against death and bears abuses. Inorder to live better, he turns to brave rebellions. He chooses to take goodness in view andnever to deal with stealing. He has not only fulfilled his growing process, but also become arepresentation of his epoch. He erects an example for other orphans of his time. He alsoexpresses a way of behaving for other children in the same situation. Oliver’s growing processrenders self-making possible and meaningful, emphasizes the conquering efforts of freedomover situations, commends the volition to demand survival and improvement, and confirmsthe decision to pursue kindness and future.Based on the elaboration above, it follows that this thesis is divided into seven parts torelate its author’s understanding and opinions. In Introduction, there is a brief illustration ofthe novelist and his novel, the philosopher and his theory, and a literature review based on the collected information. Chapter One is a detailed explanation of Sartre’s ideals of freedom,including the for-itself and its immediate structures, temporality and transcendence, freedomand its constituent aspects such as choice, end, action, cause, motive and mode of action,situations, containing death, the place, the environment, the fellowman and the past, and theabsolute responsibility. Chapter Two is a thorough analysis of Oliver’s freedom against theterrible deaths for life. Oliver has fought with death for three times due to his birth, his fataldisease and his bullet wound respectively. Every time he tries his best to conquer the physicalfatigue and pain, and he does succeed in surviving. Chapter Three is about Oliver’s freedomagainst the miserable places and environments for better life. In the presence of the cruelcircumstances in the workhouse and the undertaker’s house, the young and weak Oliverchooses to suffer in the way of passive resistance. But in order to live better, he turns toopposition. He demands more food. He refuses his service with the chimney sweeper. Hefights against abuse and maltreatment. And he eventually escapes from the difficult situations.Chapter Four is about Oliver’s freedom against the criminal fellowmen for goodness. Faginwants to incriminate Oliver to change him into a money-making tool for him. But Oliverrefuses to commit himself to robbery. He chooses to be a good person. And with the help ofhis benefactors, he eventually gets out of the criminals’ control and confinement. Chapter Fiveis an integrated demonstration of Oliver’s freedom against the poor past for the future.Oliver’s past is full of misfortunes. But he is not depressed and defeated by these hardships.He chooses to live, to conquer the difficulties to live better and to be good. He is alwayspreparing himself toward his promising future. In Conclusion, there is a summary of Oliver’swhole process of growing，which stands as an example for others in the same epoch or in thesame situation.