The Upbringing Of Orphans By Charles Dickens And Jane Eyre

Shane Irani ENG 101 04/09/15 The upbringing of Orphans in a time of social injustice. The 19th century Victorian era contrasted of different social classes; the wealthy, the working and the poor classes, which led to the forms of social order in society. It also encompassed some of the most famous literary works that till today impact the lives of many, and leads readers to wonder about the injustices of the conditions of the orphans. The novels Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 1838 and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 1847 depicted much of the 19th century working class and illustrated the treatment of orphans with different socio-economic perspectives. The role of the two orphans in the novels (Oliver and Jane) leads the reader through a maze of experiences, encountering life s threats and grasping its opportunities. The novels show an insight of the two characters with a common childhood who were often treated with disdain and distrust due to the fact that they were born into a poor class, and left within the society that does not seem them fit to be part of their cal iber. Being born as orphans they became victims of the classic Victorian era whereby an orphan is above all a character out of place, forced to make his or her own home in the world. The abandoned children Jane Eyre and Oliver Twist were society’s scapegoat- without a past, without connections, without status. â€Å"The novel itself grew up as a genre representing the efforts of an ordinary individual to