Charles Dickens Research Paper

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Within the writings of Charles Dickens, the author brought to life the plight of children and the poor in England during the Industrial Revolution. Unmentioned in our textbook, Dickens revealed to the public the atrocious working conditions which were prevalent in the workhouses that drove the economy in what was the most technologically advanced society in the world. In this essay, three books will be used as examples of Dickens' experiences that he would draw upon to create his semi-autobiographical works: David Copperfield, Great Expectations, and Oliver Twist. The first novel demonstrates institutions such as debtors prisons and workhouses that would allow for injustices that left a great impression on Dickens as a child. He would animate these experiences in …show more content…
Early in the novel, we find our protagonist working for the measly salary of six pence a week at the age of ten. This is an excellent example of the author using his own personal accounts as a laborer in a bottling factory in London. Taken directly from the novel, Dickens conveys the atrocious working conditions as follows: "I became at ten years old, a little labouring hind in the service of Murdstone and Grinby's warehouse...literally overrun with rats, decaying floor and staircase, the dirt and rottenness of the place.". Paralleling his early life in London, Dickens also portrays the institutions of the debtors prison that he resided in for the period of one whole year. Destitute and unemployed, the writers' father suffered with his son in the prison leaving an indelible mark on the future author and serving as a source for the character, Mr. Micawber. The titular character remained the favorite of Dickens throughout his career and proved to be an excellent vehicle to express the struggles faced by so many Londoners during the

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