35
4.1.2 Poverty
The poverty during industrial revolution was caused by urbanization which became uncontrollable so that there were many villagers that moved to city and
England population exploded and city could not take in those many villagers. Poverty is also the element of society, based on this novel, poverty during industrial
revolution was characterized by low income earnings, food shortage, poor living conditions and poor health.
Many villagers that moved to city work as laborers during industrial revolution. They are paid by low wages as the consequence of factory policy in order
to take in any people that wanted to work. As the consequence of the low wages that they received, they have to suffer financial problem.
“It’s all bought up as fast as it can be made,’ said the fellow. ‘There are fourteen water-mills, six steam-engines, and a galvanic battery
always a-working upon it; and they can’t make it fast enough, though the men work so hard that they die off, and the widow is pensioned
directly, with twenty pound a year for each of the children, and a premium of fifty for twins.” Dickens, 1838: 316
Just like the previous quotations in term of poverty, the problem faced by the poor is similar. Despite of working in factory, those paupers that did not work in factory
choose to become vagrant or conducting crime. “This was a vagrant of sixty-five, who was going to prison for not
playing the flute; or, in other words, for begging in the streets, and doing nothing for his livelihood.” Dickens, 1838: 82
Due to financial problem, they have to suffer food shortage. In order to solve this problem, the board tries to overcome the food shortage of those paupers by
giving and limiting the food for those paupers each day because they are not allowed to be overfed.
36 “With this view, they contracted with the water-works to lay on an
unlimited supply of water; and with a corn-factor to supply periodically small quantities of oatmeal; and issued three meals of thin
gruel a day, with an onion twice a week.” Dickens, 1838: 11
Obviously, the food limitation has made them suffer extreme famine. Most of paupers do not feel contented with food limitation which was done by the board
because the portion of the food is very small and not enough to satisfy their hunger. “We have given away, Mr. Corney, we have given away a matter of
twenty quarters loarves, and a cheese and a half, this very blessed afternoon; and yet them paupers are not contented.” Dickens, 1838:
147
Besides, the board also limits the kind of food that could be given to the paupers. Those paupers also cannot be overfed because the food had been limited. The food
which was prohibited by the board is meat because meat can make those paupers have much energy and spirit in which would lead to rebellion.
‘Meat, ma’am, meat,’ Replied Bumble, with stern emphasis. ‘You’ve overfed him, ma’am. You’ve raised a artificial soul and spirit in him,
ma’am, unbecoming a person of his condition; as the board, Mrs. Sowerberry, who are practical philosophers, will tell you. What have
paupers to do with soul or spirit? It’s quite enough that we let ‘em have live bodies. If you had kept them on gruel ma’am, this would
never have happened.” Dickens: 1838: 43
The condition of paupers is quite miserable. The lack of food has affected their physical appearance. They become very pale which indicated that they did not eat
properly. The man’s face was thin and very pale; his hair and beard were
grizzly; his eyes were bloodshot. The old woman’s face was wrinkled; her two remaining teeth protruded over her under lip; and her eyes
were bright and piercing. Oliver was afriad to look at either her or the man. They seemed so like the rats he had seen outside. Dickens,
1838: 33
37 Due to this kind of treatment, many paupers die because of starving. It looks like the
board starves those paupers to death on purpose. The rate of mortality which was caused by starving was quite high during industrial revolution
“When I came back, she was dying; and all the blood in my hearts has dried up, for they starved her to death. I swear it before the God that
saw it. They starved her’ He twined his hands in his hair, and with a loud scream, rolled groveling upon the floor, his eyed fixed, and the
foam gushing from his lips.” Dickens, 1838: 34
Despite of extreme famine, many paupers also suffer poor housing. They have to live in house which could not protect them from any kind of weather. It can
be said that their house are not proper to be lived by. Many paupers during industrial revolution era lived in slum area. They should live in slum area in which the air and
water are polluted; the place was really dirty and there were many rats surround the place. Their houses were stuck together and resided in narrow and dirty alleys.
“A dirtier or more wretched place he had ever seen. The street was very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy
odors. There were a many small shops; but the only stock in trade appeared t be heaps of children, who, even at that time of night, were
crawling in and out at the doors, or screaming from the inside.” Dickens, 1838: 50-51
The houses in slum area almost like the people who are tottering and crazy, supporting themselves on canes. Actually the inmates of the houses realize that the
houses that they lived in are not good to be inhabited at all, but they have no other places to go.
Some houses which had become insecure from age and decay, were prevented from falling into the street, by huge beams of wood reared
against the walls, and firmly planted in the road; ... Dickens, 1838: 33
They have to live in some aged houses which can fall into the street any time. In order to prevent those houses from falling, the inmate should put “huge beams of
38 wood” behind the walls and plant them in the road
. Despite of living in slum area,
some of those paupers that had no place to live must live on the side road. They have to struggle with the cold air and starving all day long.
“Bleak, dark, and piercing, cold, it was a night for the well housed and fed to draw round the bright fire and thank God they were at home;
and for the homeless starving wretch to lay him down and die. Many hunger-worn outcasts close their eyes in our bare streets, at such
times, who, let their crimes have been what they may can hardly open them in a more bitter world.” Dickens, 1838: 144
When the night comes, they have to spend their time sleeping in a bare street and let themselves to get cold and stiff until the morning lights come to warm their body.
Being homeless is caused by poverty, because they have no means or money to supply their basic needs.
Because of poor housing and limited financial, many paupers were vulnerable to illness during industrial revolution. Paupers that lived in slum area cannot take
care of their own health. Paupers that lived in slum area are living with polluted air and water and live in improper house. Illness accounted for many deaths during
industrial revolution era. With a chronic lack of sanitary care and no knowledge as to what caused illness. Illness was also a social problem which was hard to be solved
during industrial revolution era. Most of paupers die because of fever and tuberculosis become the greatest killer in slum area.
“She was sinking under a painful and incurable disease, and wished to recover him before she died. Inquiries were set foot, and strict
searches made. They were unavailing for a long time, but ultimately successful; he went back with her to France.” Dickens, 1838: 343
Although it was certainly true that urban conditions during the industrial revolution were appalling, the improvement in mortality rates indicated that conditions were not
bad enough to grievously affect the health of the city dwellers.
39 “Surely there is no danger of anything so dreadful,’ said Oliver. ‘Two
hours ago she was quite well.’ ‘She is very ill now,’ Rejoined Mrs. Maylie; ‘And will be worse, I am
sure. My dear, dear Rose Oh, what should I do without her?” Dickens, 1838: 213
Due to all the social problems associated with industrial poverty, the government tried to pass new Poor Laws that were intended to help the poor. Sadly,
the Poor Laws have made the impoverished suffer even more. The Poor Law created the institution of the workhouse. The workhouse was designed so parishes would no
longer have to support the poor for free. If the poor need support, they have to live at the workhouse and work with limited food and basic shelter.
“…the parish authorities magnanimously and humanely resolved, that Oliver should be ‘farmed,’ or, in other words, that he should be
dispatched to a branch workhouse some three miles off, where twenty or thirty other juvenile offenders against the poor-laws, rolled about
the floor all day, without the inconvenience of too much food or too much clothing, under the parental superintendence of an elderly
female, who received the culprits at and for the consideration of sevenpence-halfpenny per small head per week” Dickens, 1838: 5
Besides, the treatment of society and parishes official toward paupers during industrial revolution was quite terrible. Many laborers die in the work place due to
over exhaustion or accident. Most of those laborers are paupers. Nonetheless, factory owner tends to pay no attention to laborer’s death because they just worker. There
are many people that wanted to work in factory so that if a laborer died, they can be replaced with a new laborer.
“Oh, come in with you’ said Mrs. Corney, sharply. ‘Some of the old women dying, I suppose. They always die when I’m at meals. Don’t
stand there letting the cold air in, don’t. What’s amiss now, eh?” Dickens, 1838: 146
40 Dickens tried to show his protest against factory owner that labored their laborer all
day long which made them had no time to rest a while or even sleep during industrial revolution.
“For combination of both these blessings in the one simple process of picking oakum, Oliver bowed low by the direction of the beadle, and
was then hurried away to a large ward, where, on a rough hard bed, he sobbed himself to sleep. What a noble illustration of the tender laws of
England They let the paupers go to sleep” Dickens, 1838: 11
The quote above was a satire of the author of this novel toward his society surrounded him at that time. “What a noble illustration of the tender laws of
England They let the paupers go to sleep” described that laborers or paupers could not go to sleep at that time because they had to work all day long. It happened
because the demands of some goods kept increasing so that those laborers should work hard to fulfill the demand. With that kind of life style, obviously there were
many deaths that occurred among paupers during industrial revolution. Poverty had also created social class that was very significant between
citizens in England at that time. The social class has created the unfair treatment of upper class toward lower class.
“He may have worse, I say,’ repeated Mr. Grimwig. ‘Where does he come from Who is he? What is he? He has had a fever. What of that?
Fevers are not peculiar to good people; are they? Bad people have fevers sometimes; haven’t they, eh? I knew a man who was hung in
Jamaica for murdering his master. He had had a fever six times; he wasn’t recommended to mercy on that account. Pooh nonsense”
Dickens, 1838: 89
It shows that the upper class does not accept someone without knowing where he comes from, what kind of person he is, and the like. They relate “bad people” with
“fever”. It means that the bad thing must be come along with the bad people. They also think that lower class always has bad intention. They think that lower class will
41 do anything to get money. Sometimes they willingly ditch them or even accuse them
for something that they were not even done. “No,’ he said, smiting the table with his fist, ‘I do not. The boy has a
new suit of clothes on his back, a set of valuable books under his arm, and a five-pound note in his pocket. He’ll join his old friends the
thieves, and laugh at you. If ever that boy returns to this house, sir, I’ll eat my head.” Dickens, 1838: 91
Industrial revolution also created more socioeconomic mobility, and increasingly people began to view poverty as a condition resulting from personal
failure rather than an inescapable state. For Christians who supposedly treat others with fairness, kindness, and altruism, parish sacrificed their duty of providing the
basic necessities of life to constantly seeking the least expensive relief method. Many beadles and other parish use religious rhetoric to justify their treatment to the
paupers. “You’re going by coach, sir?’ I thought it always usual to send them
paupers in carts.’ ‘That’s when they’re ill, Mrs. Mann,’ said the beadle. ‘We put the sick
paupers into open carts in the rainy weather, to prevent their taking cold,’
‘Oh’ said Mrs. Mann. ‘The opposition coach contracts for those two, and takes them cheap,’
said Mr. Bumble. ‘They are both in a very low state, and we find it would come two pound cheaper to move ‘em than to bury ‘em – that
is if we can throw ‘em upon another parish, which I think we shall be able to do, if they don’t die upon the road to spite us. Ha ha ha”
Dickens, 1838: 108
Because of poverty and financial problem that paupers had to face, it had made them use children to help them in solving their financial problem because
children was also an object which can be used to earn more money so that there were many children had to suffer the worst negative impact of industrial revolution.
42
4.2 The Effect of Those Negative Impacts of Industrial Revolution on Children in Oliver Twist
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