ICSE Class 9 English notes on ‘Oliver Asks for More‘ from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens offer a detailed summary, character sketches, word meanings, and analysis of key lines and phrases. These notes are perfect for students looking for clear, simple, and engaging study resources that are student-friendly, exam-focused, and ideal for quick revision to excel in exams.
Notes on ‘Oliver Asks for More’ for ICSE Class 9 English book ‘Treasure Chest’
Notes on Oliver Asks for More, include a summary, character sketches, word meanings, and analysis of key lines/phrases. Perfect for exam preparation and understanding Charles Dickens’ classic!”
Summary of Oliver Asks for More:
The story “Oliver Asks for More” is an excerpt from Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist. It tells the story of Oliver, an orphan born in a workhouse. His mother dies right after giving birth to him, and nobody knows who his parents are. Oliver grows up in miserable conditions with very little food and clothing. The boys in the workhouse are always hungry because they are given only thin soup three times a day. One day, the boys decide that Oliver should ask for more soup. When Oliver courageously asks the master for more, the master is shocked and angry. Mr Bumble punishes Oliver by locking him in a dark room and beating him. Later, a notice is put up, offering five pounds to anyone who will take Oliver away. Finally, Mr Bumble meets Mr Sowerberry, an undertaker who makes coffins for poor people, and talks to him about taking Oliver.
Summary in Hindi:
“Oliver Asks for More” चार्ल्स डिकेंस के उपन्यास Oliver Twist का एक अंश है। यह कहानी ओलिवर की है, जो एक वर्कहाउस में जन्मा एक अनाथ बच्चा है। जन्म के तुरंत बाद उसकी माँ की मृत्यु हो जाती है और किसी को उसके माता-पिता के बारे में कुछ पता नहीं होता। ओलिवर बहुत बुरी परिस्थितियों में बड़ा होता है, जहाँ उसे बहुत कम खाना और कपड़े मिलते हैं। वर्कहाउस के लड़कों को रोज़ सिर्फ पतला सूप दिया जाता है, जिससे वे हमेशा भूखे रहते हैं। एक दिन लड़के तय करते हैं कि ओलिवर मास्टर से और सूप मांगेगा। जब ओलिवर हिम्मत करके मास्टर से और सूप मांगता है, तो मास्टर हैरान और गुस्सा हो जाता है। मिस्टर बम्बल ओलिवर को सज़ा देते हैं, उसे अंधेरे कमरे में बंद कर देते हैं और मारते-पीटते हैं। बाद में, वर्कहाउस के फाटक पर एक नोटिस लगाया जाता है कि जो कोई ओलिवर को ले जाएगा, उसे पाँच पाउंड मिलेंगे। अंत में मिस्टर बम्बल की मुलाकात मिस्टर सॉवरबेरी से होती है, जो गरीब लोगों के लिए ताबूत बनाता है, और वे उससे ओलिवर को लेने की बात करते हैं।
Vocabulary (Word Meanings):
- Workhouse: A place where poor people were given shelter and made to work in exchange for food and accommodation. (एक ऐसी जगह जहाँ गरीब लोगों को आश्रय दिया जाता था और खाने व रहने के बदले उनसे काम करवाया जाता था।)
- A pale, thin child: A child who looks weak and unhealthy, with little color in the face and a very slim body. (एक ऐसा बच्चा जो कमजोर और अस्वस्थ दिखता है, जिसके चेहरे पर रंग नहीं होता और शरीर बहुत दुबला होता है।)
Character Sketch
Oliver Twist
Oliver is a poor orphan born in a workhouse. He is pale, thin, and weak due to neglect. Despite his suffering, he shows courage by asking for more food, which reflects his innocence and desperation.
- Key traits: Orphan, Innocent, Courageous, Helpless, Miserable
- Role: The protagonist. Despite being mistreated and underfed, Oliver remains gentle and hopeful.
- Significance: His simple request for more food is an act of courage and a symbol of resistance against injustice. He represents the suffering of the poor and the need for compassion.
Oliver’s Mother
- Key traits: Young, Weak, Unfortunate, Caring
- A young and poor woman who dies soon after childbirth. She shows love for her child by asking to see him before dying.
Mr Bumble
- A workhouse officer who enjoys power and treats the poor harshly. He punishes Oliver brutally and shows no compassion.
- Key traits: Cruel, Arrogant, Selfish, Authoritative
- Role: A minor official in charge of the workhouse.
- Significance: Represents the oppressive and uncaring bureaucracy of the time. He believes in strict rules and has no empathy for the orphans.
The Master
The workhouse master, surprised when Oliver asks for more. Instead of kindness, he beats Oliver and humiliates him.
- Key traits: Fat, Healthy, Shocked, Harsh, Easily angered
- Role: In charge of serving food to the children.
- Significance: Reacts violently to Oliver’s request, showing how even small acts of defiance are crushed in the system.
Mr Sowerberry
- Key traits: Tall, Thin, Undertaker, Practical
- An undertaker who makes coffins for poor people. He is practical and business-minded, willing to take Oliver for money.
The Old Woman
- Key traits: Helpful, Kind, Poor
- She assists during Oliver’s birth and dresses him. Though poor, she shows some sympathy toward Oliver and his mother.
Literary Analysis of Oliver Asks for More
- Theme
- Poverty and Social Injustice: The story highlights the harsh life of orphans in Victorian England, where poor children were ill-treated and starved.
- Cruelty vs. Innocence: The cruelty of the workhouse officials contrasts with Oliver’s innocence and helplessness.
- Power and Oppression: The powerful exploit the weak, showing society’s lack of compassion for the poor.
- Setting
- The workhouse is depicted as cold, dark, and loveless, symbolizing the inhuman conditions in which orphans lived.
- Characters
- Dickens uses contrasting characters – Oliver (innocence) and Mr Bumble/The Master (cruelty) – to highlight moral differences in society.
- Narrative Style
- Simple and descriptive language makes the story easy to follow.
- Dickens uses satire and irony to criticize social institutions that claim to help the poor but actually exploit them.
- Symbolism
- Soup: Symbolizes the basic needs denied to the poor.
- Dark Room: Represents punishment, fear, and society’s cruelty.
- Moral
- The story teaches that speaking up against injustice requires courage, even if society punishes the weak for doing so.
- It also shows the need for compassion and humanity toward the underprivileged.
Literary Devices – Oliver asks for More
| Figure of Speech | Examples | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Irony | “Please, sir, I want some more” leads to punishment. | Highlights the absurdity of punishing someone for asking for basic needs. |
| Satire | Mocking the workhouse system and officials. | Exposes the flaws in society and government policies. |
| Contrast | Fat master vs. starving children. | Emphasizes inequality and injustice. |
| Imagery | Description of thin gruel and hungry boys. | Creates a vivid picture of suffering. |
| Symbolism | The empty bowl = hunger, neglect, and hope. | Represents the emotional and physical starvation of the poor. |
A Short Bio of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was one of the greatest English novelists of the Victorian era. Born in Portsmouth, England, Dickens experienced poverty in his childhood when his father was imprisoned for debt. These early hardships deeply influenced his writings.
He began his career as a journalist but gained fame with novels like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations.
Dickens is known for his vivid characters, social criticism, and portrayal of poverty and injustice in 19th-century England.
His works often highlight child labor, class inequality, and the need for social reform. Dickens combined humor, pathos, and satire, making his stories both entertaining and thought-provoking.
He died in 1870, leaving behind a legacy as a champion of the poor and a master storyteller.
Key Lines/Phrases and their Analyses – Oliver Asks for More
1. “born into a world which had no love or pity for him.” वह ऐसे संसार में पैदा हुआ जहाँ उसके लिए न तो कोई प्यार था और न ही दया।
- Meaning: Oliver was born in a society that was harsh and uncaring toward the poor. Highlights the cruelty and lack of compassion in Victorian society towards orphans and the underprivileged.
- Device: Hyperbole & Imagery
- Hyperbole in “no love or pity” emphasizes total emotional abandonment.
- Evocative imagery paints the workhouse world as harsh and uncaring.
- Effect: Instantly casts Oliver as vulnerable and isolated, setting a tone of social injustice.
2. “The bowls never needed washing, because the boys cleaned them with their spoons until they shone.” कटोरों को धोने की ज़रूरत नहीं पड़ती थी, क्योंकि लड़के उन्हें अपने चम्मच से इतना चाटते थे कि वे चमकने लगते थे। (ये एक व्यंग्य है)
- Meaning: The boys were so hungry that they scraped every bit of food, leaving the bowls spotless. Emphasizes extreme hunger and poor living conditions of the children in the workhouse.
- Device: Irony & Metonymy
- Irony in “never needed washing” highlights extreme poverty—spoons standing in for proper cleaning tools.
- Metonymy: “spoons” represent both utensil and the boys’ desperate resourcefulness.
- Effect: Conveys the boys’ ingenuity and the grim reality that even their spoons serve as cleaning implements.
3 . “Please, sir, I want some more.” (कृपया,मुझे थोड़ा ओर दे दीजिए ना )
Meaning: Oliver’s simple, polite request for more food.
Analysis: This line is revolutionary in the context of the workhouse. It is not just about hunger—it is an act of defiance against a system that treats children as burdens. The politeness contrasts with the violent reaction it provokes, highlighting the cruelty of the authorities.
4. “…but he went very pale.” …लेकिन वह बहुत पीला पड़ गया (यानि वो ओलिवर की हिम्मत देख गुस्से से दंग ओर हैरान रह गया )।
- Meaning: The master was shocked and frightened when Oliver asked for more food. Shows how unexpected and bold Oliver’s request seemed in such a cruel environment.
- Device: Physical Reaction / Visual Imagery
- “Went very pale” shows visceral, involuntary shock.
- Effect: Underlines the master’s astonishment and social taboo at a child’s bold request.
- Analysis: The contrast between the well-fed master and the starving children is stark. His paleness shows shock and fear—not at the injustice, but at the challenge to his authority. This reveals the insecurity behind power.
5. “One day they will hang the boy.” एक दिन वे इस लड़के को फाँसी पर लटका देंगे।
- Meaning: Mr Bumble exaggerates Oliver’s act as a crime and predicts he will be punished by death. Shows the heartless and unjust attitude of the authorities toward poor children.
- Device: Foreshadowing & Hyperbole
- Hyperbole in the extreme punishment prediction heightens the cruelty of the workhouse regime.
- Foreshadowing of harsher suffering to come.
- Effect: Amplifies the stakes of Oliver’s small act of defiance—speaking up could have fatal consequences.
6. “Five pounds were offered to anybody who would take Oliver Twist.” जो कोई ओलिवर ट्विस्ट को ले जाएगा, उसे पाँच पाउंड दिए जाएंगे। अमानवीय सोच की त्रासदी दिखाता है ये)
- Meaning: Oliver is treated like an object to be given away with money as a reward. (
- Device: Symbolism & Social Commentary:
The money symbolizes Oliver’s perceived value as commodity rather than human. - Effect: Depicts dehumanization of orphans and society’s cruelty, where a child’s life is reduced to money – children become bargains rather than cared-for souls.
- Analysis: The authorities treat Oliver like a burden to be disposed of. The five-pound reward shows how little they value human life. It also foreshadows Oliver’s future struggles.
