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4.1.1 Urbanization
Industrial revolution had industrialized many cities in England which attracted villagers to move to city. This kind of phenomena is called urbanization.
Industrial revolution led to urbanization by creating economic growth and there were many job opportunities that draw villagers moved to city. Industrialized city is like a
pillar of light which attracted moths to come closer to the light. Many villagers believe that by living in city, their life will be better because everything has become
more advanced. Those advancement and job opportunities have attracted villagers move to city.
“The name awakened a new train of ideas in the boy’s mind. London - that great place - nobody, not even Mr. Bumble, could ever find him
there. He had often heard the old men in the workhouse, too, say that no lad spirit need want in London; and that there were ways of living
in the vast city which those who had been bred up in country parts had no idea of. It was the very place for a homeless boy, who must die in
the streets unless some one helped him. As these things passed through his thoughts, he jumped upon his feet, and again walked
forward.” Dickens, 1838: 46
Despite of attracted by living an easy life, villagers are also attracted by the lights of city. During industrial revolution, electricity only existed in city while village had
not been flown by electricity so that they move to city in order to know how great living in city with its advancement.
“Much farther Yes as good as there,’ said the long-legged tramper, pointing out before him. ‘Look there Those are the lights of London.’
‘They’re a good two mile off, at least,’ said the woman despondingly. Dickens, 1838: 275-276
There are many villagers that moved to city. Sometimes, the city dwellers can recognize if villagers have just moved to city. It shows that there are different
appearances between city dwellers and villagers.
33 “A pleasant night, sir, but cool for the time of year,’ said Fagin,
rubbing his hands. ‘From the country, I see, sir?’ ‘How do yer see that?’ asked Noah Claypole.
‘We have not so much dust as that in London,’ replied Fagin, pointing from Noah’s shoes to those of his companion, and from them to the
two bundles” Dickens, 1838: 279
Once a city is industrialized, the process of urbanization continues on for a much longer period of time until the city goes through economic and social reform.
City becomes more developed because of urbanization. The emergence of new entrepreneurs, shop and many others, new houses have been built so that city
becomes more crowded and make trading process easier. “It was market-morning. The ground was covered, nearly ankle-deep,
with filth and mire; and thick steam, perpetually rising from the reeking bodies of the cattle, and mingling with the fog, which seemed
to rest upon the chimney-tops, hung heavily above.” Dickens, 1838: 135
Urbanization is always characterized by the large-scale migration of people from the rural areas to the urban areas in which led to a sudden, and often unexpected,
increase in the urban population so that city becomes crowded and loaded. “Countrymen, butchers, drovers, hawkers, boys, thieves, idlers, and
vagabonds, every low, were mingled together in a dense mass. The whistling of drovers, the barking of dogs, the barking of dogs, the
bellowing and plunging of oxen, the bleating of sheep, the grunting and squeaking of pigs; the cries of hawkers, the shouts, oaths, and
quarrelling on all sides; the ringing of bells and the roar of voices that issued from every public-house; the crowding, pushing, driving,
beating, whooping, and yelling; the hideous and discordant din that resounded from every corner of the market; and the unwashed,
unshaven, squalid, and dirty figures constantly running to and fro, and bursting in and out of the throng, rendered it a stunning and
bewildering sense, which quite confounded the sense.” Dickens, 1838: 135
Despite of the fact that the growth of urban centers leads to the creation of more job opportunities for the people, it must be noted that urbanization is almost always
34 perceived as a negative trend
.
The rise in population of the cities has created many problems like air and water pollution that became the major issues.
“Near to that part of the Thames on which the church at Rotherhithe abuts, where the buildings on the banks are dirtiest and the vessels on
the river blackest with the dust of colliers and the smoke of close-built low-roofed houses, there exists, at the present day, the filthiest, the
strangest, the most extraordinary of the many localities that are hidden in London, wholly unknown, even by my name, to the great mass of
its inhabitants.” Dickens, 1838: 329
Besides, the number of villagers that moved to city cannot be matched by the square measure of the city. Villagers and demand for housing keep increasing but city
cannot provide enough houses for those villagers so that it creates slum area. During industrial revolution in England, slum area had become one of major problems. The
rate of slum area in England was quite high because England could not accommodate those villagers. The condition of slum area in England at that time was quite
miserable. “The sole places that seemed to prosper, amid the general blight of
the place, were the public-houses; and in them the lowest orders of Irish were wrangling with might and main. Covered ways and yards,
which here and there diverged from the main street, disclosed little knots of houses, where drunken men and women were positively
wallowing in the filth; and from several of the doorways great ill- looking fellows were cautiously emerging, bound, to all appearance,
on no very well-disposed or harmless errands.” Dickens, 1838: 51
The increasing population caused to fight over jobs. In order to solve the problem, factory owners decided to pay their laborers by low wages so that factories
could take in all villagers that wanted to get a job in city. Most of people that lived in slum were work as laborer so that their life became more miserable. That condition
had created poverty during industrial revolution.
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4.1.2 Poverty
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