Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below-bulleted outlines. Throughout your work, cite details from the novel that serve as examples and support.

1. Consider Oliver’s innate goodness—the fact that he is seemingly immune to the corrupting influence of Fagin and Sikes.

• Why does Dickens choose such a perfect child for his protagonist? (topic sentence)
• How does Oliver’s moral character highlight (or detract from) Dickens’s critique of the workhouses and poverty in general? Discuss at least three moments when Oliver’s goodness contrasts with his surroundings, using details from the text to support your ideas.
• Finally, discuss in your concluding sentence or sentences the relationship between humanity’s basic goodness and institutional corruption in the novel.

2. Consider the title of the novel and the many names and nicknames Oliver receives throughout the story (Work’us, Nolly, Leeford, etc.).

• How do names relate to identity in Oliver Twist? (topic sentence)
• What are three ways that Oliver’s identity changes over the course of the novel? Cite evidence from the text to support your claims.
• Finally, describe in your concluding sentence or sentences how the novel’s title reflects its depiction of identity.