In Dickens\u2019s preface to Oliver Twist<\/u>, he describes one of his objectives to portray the outcasts of society in all their true form but also to show how Good can survive through adverse circumstances and ultimately triumph.\u00a0 How can this text be used as a lens in reading Collins\u2019s The Moonstone<\/u>?\u00a0 Dickins writes that he will spare none in describing details of the vilest outcasts of society.\u00a0 Collins\u2019s readers, rather, are exposed to villains as Dickins would describe like \u201cmeat, in delicate disguise.\u201d\u00a0 John Herncastle, would appear a gentleman though likely was a murderer in addition to being a thief.\u00a0 Godfrey Ablewhite, likewise a thief, is described in Betteredge\u2019s narrative as follows:\u00a0 \u201che had a beautiful red and white colour; a smooth round face, shaved as bare as your hand; and a head of lovely long flaxen hair, falling negligently over the poll of his neck\u2026He was a barrister by profession; a ladies\u2019 man by temperament; and a good Samaritan by choice.\u201d\u00a0 More contrasting descriptions of these villains with Sikes and Fagan in Oliver Twist<\/u> would be difficult to find.<\/p>\n
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But where this lens brings similarity and clarity are in two of their outcasts: Nancy and Ezra.\u00a0 Both are social outcasts and degraded.\u00a0 Both carry a heavy burden throughout their lives.\u00a0 Collins\u2019s description of Ezra repulses not only Betteridge but also the reader.\u00a0 After receiving a clear description of his appearance, his demeanor, we as readers, also turn our heads and look the other way. He tries to make himself invisible and we also would rather hide him from view.\u00a0 And yet, it is interesting to note that Ezra\u2019s profession is as someone who heals and who eases pain.\u00a0 Moreover he was the means of bringing about the healing of Dr. Candy as well as the riunion of Rachel and Franklin. Nancy, more than once, came to the aid of little Oliver and was fundamental in bringing about justice due him.<\/p>\n
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Both characters also loved and derived some alleviation from this. Dickins writes:\u00a0 \u201cIt is emphatically God\u2019s truth, for it is the truth He leaves in such depraved and miserable breasts, the hope yet lingering behind; the last fair drop of water at the bottom of the dried-up weed-choked well.\u201d\u00a0 Nancy clung to Sikes to her destruction.\u00a0 Ezra has been separated from his love but has worked tirelessly to provide for her.\u00a0 And in Ezra\u2019s final weeks he was permitted to see \u201cthe sunny side of human life\u201d and be reconciled with the world he was to leave. (p. 447). To that end, I think Dickins\u2019s goal of \u201cthe principle of Good surviving through every adverse circumstance, and triumphing at last\u201d can be confirmed by Ezra Jennings as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In Dickens\u2019s preface to Oliver Twist, he describes one of his objectives to portray the outcasts of society in all their true form but also to show how Good can survive through adverse circumstances and ultimately triumph.\u00a0 How can this text be used as a lens in reading Collins\u2019s The Moonstone?\u00a0 Dickins writes that he … Continue reading Society’s Outcasts<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4449,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[138877],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fall-2020"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/19thcennovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/19thcennovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/19thcennovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/19thcennovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4449"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/19thcennovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/19thcennovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/19thcennovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/19thcennovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/19thcennovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}