The Portrayal of Children in the Dickens Novels "Oliver Twist" and "David Copperfield"

This paper deals with the portrayal of children, their treatment, and their difficulties in the books of Charles Dickens. It was found that Dickens wrote his children in such a way as to draw the attention of Victorian society to their abuse. Furthermore, Dickens criticised the institutional systems of the Victorian age by describing them negatively through the eyes of the children and by putting the children through traumatic times aggravated by the corresponding systems. By means of his criticism the English novelist illustrated his passionate advocacy for the welfare of children and the importance of proper parenting.