Oliver Asks for More

Character Sketch

Find the character sketches from the short story ‘Oliver Asks For More’ from ICSE Class 9, Treasure Chest (A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories) book.

Oliver

Oliver is portrayed as an innocent, gentle, and polite boy who suffers from extreme hardship from the moment he is born. Orphaned at birth and raised in a cruel workhouse, Oliver is pale, and thin. Despite his miserable surroundings, he maintains a quiet strength and sense of decency. When he politely asks for more food, a basic human need, it shocks the adults, revealing how unusual even small acts of courage were in such oppressive conditions. His request, "Please sir, I want some more," shows not arrogance, but quiet desperation and childlike honesty.

Mr. Bumble

Mr. Bumble is a beadle in the workhouse and represents the harsh, self-important, and often hypocritical authority figures of Victorian England. He is proud of his position and enjoys exerting power over others, especially the helpless children under his care. Mr. Bumble shows no compassion when Oliver asks for more food; instead, he reacts with exaggerated shock and cruelty. His inflated ego and lack of empathy reveal the flaws in the system that prioritizes control over care.

Detailed Summary of the Story

Child labour is an age-old societal problem. The life of the poor living in workhouses was deplorable during the 17th to 19th centuries . Oliver Twist, the protagonist, was born in a workhouse. One day his mother, a young woman, lay sick in bed. She was being looked after by a doctor and an old lady. She lifted her head from the pillow and requested to see her baby one last time before she died. The doctor said that she must not talk about dying. Even the old lady said that she was too young to die. The doctor put the child’s cold white lips onto the woman’s face and she held the child one last time in her arms before passing away.

‘She is dead,’ said the doctor.

‘Yes, poor dear,’ said the old woman, as she took the child away from its dead mother. ‘Poor dear.’

The doctor declared that the woman was dead. The old woman too was sorry as she took the child away from the dead mother. The doctor put on his hat and gloves and said the girl who died had been good looking. He asked where she had come from. The old woman said she was lying somewhere in the street and had been brought there last night. She had walked a lot and her shoes were in bad shape with holes. There was nobody who knew where the woman had come from and where she was going. The doctor lifted the woman’s left hand and noticed that she had no ring. He said her story was common. She was not married either.

He wished them, ‘Good night’ and then went home to have his dinner. Meanwhile, the old lady sat down on a chair in front of the fire. She was preparing to dress the baby. He was now an orphan and the world would have no pity or love for him. She dressed him up in very old clothes usually reserved for babies born in the workhouse. No one knew who the baby’s father was. Mr Bumble, an important officer in the town, decided to call him Oliver Twist.

We name the new babies here in order from A to Z.’ he explained when people asked. ‘I named the last one Swubble. This one is Twist. The next one will be Unwin.

At the age of nine, Oliver was a pale, thin child. He and the other workhouse boys were always underfed and without warm clothes. They were given just three meals of thin soup everyday and a small piece of bread on Sundays.

There was a large hall with a big pot where soup was served by a master. Each boy could have one small bowl.

One day Oliver and the other boys decided that one of them would get up and ask the master for some more soup. Oliver was chosen. When evening time came, all sat down on the table. They were served soup by the master. The boys finished it very quickly. They whispered to each other and signaled to Oliver. He got up and went to the master with the bowl and spoon in his hand.

‘Please sir’, he said, ‘I want some more.’

The master was a fat, healthy man but he went very pale. He looked with surprise at the small boy.

Oliver got up and went towards the master. He told him politely that he wanted some more. The master was surprised. He was a fat and healthy man. He asked Oliver what happened. Oliver once again said politely that he wanted some more of the soup.

The master hit Oliver with his spoon! He seized him and cried for help. Mr Bumble came rushing and the master told him what Oliver had said. Mr Bumble also acted shocked as if the boy had committed a very grave error. According to Mr Bumble, the boy would be hanged one day.

Oliver was taken away and shut in a dark room. They posted a notice on the workhouse gate saying that if anyone wanted the boy, they could take him. That person would be given five pounds.

Oliver was taken as a prisoner and kept in a cold and dark room for one whole week. They took him outside for a wash daily and beat him. They also beat him in the large hall where he used to eat soup with the other boys. He used to cry during the day, and at night, it was too lonely and cold to sleep. He was frightened.

But one day, outside the high workouse gate, Mr Bumble met Mr. Sowerberry. Mr. Sowerberry was a tall, thin man who wore black clothes and made coffins.

One day, Mr Bumble met Mr Sowerberry who was standing outside the high workhouse gate. Mr Sowerberry was a tall, thin man who usually dressed in black and made coffins. A lot of his coffins were for the poor people who died in the workhouse. He told Mr. Bumble that the coffins for the two women who died last night were ready.

Good, said Mr Bumble. You will be rich one day, Mr Sowerberry.

Do you know anybody who wants a boy? And five pounds?’ He raised his stick and pointed to the notice on the gate.

The story ends with Mr. Bumble asking Mr. Sowerberry if anyone wants a boy. The workhouse was willing to offer five pounds. He raised his stick to point to the notice on the gate.

The author uses Imagery and figures of speech like Hyperbole. Hyperbole is the exaggeration of something. For example the following sentence is an example of hyperbole.

‘He asked for more? I cannot believe it. One day, they will hang the boy.’

Detailed Analysis and Themes in ‘Oliver Asks for More’

Oliver Asks for More is an extract from Charles Dickens’ famous novel Oliver Twist, highlighting the harsh realities of life in a Victorian workhouse. This extract is a powerful critique of the poor treatment of orphans and the underprivileged during the Victorian era. Dickens uses Oliver's innocence and suffering to expose the corruption and lack of empathy within the institutions meant to protect the vulnerable.

Child Exploitation and Institutional Cruelty

One of the central themes in this extract is the exploitation and mistreatment of children within institutional systems. Oliver and the other boys are starved, beaten, and deprived of basic care, despite living in a facility supposedly meant to help them.

When Oliver politely asks for more soup, instead of being treated with understanding, he is punished severely. This theme reflects the real conditions of workhouses during the Victorian era, where poor children were viewed as burdens rather than individuals in need. Dickens strongly criticizes the institutions that fail to protect the innocent and instead worsen their suffering.

About the Author

• Charles Dickens was a famous British author best known for his fiction writing.
• Born: 7th February, 1812
• Died: 8th June, 1870
• Place of Birth: Landport, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
• Major Works: David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, The Pickwick Papers.
• Best Known For: He is renowned for writing about the lives of poor and underprivileged people in England during the Victorian era.