Write a note on Dicken’s social criticism. What was Dickens’ attitude toward various social evils of the day?

In his times Dickens was considered a radical or social reformer. As a social reformer, he was considered more of conservative than a progressive or radical. He lacked a definite and clear theory of reform. There were many social evils of the day. Employment of child labour was a social evil of the day. These were dreadful conditions in prisons. The educational system of the day was improper. Abuses of the legal system and delay in meeting out justice were also criticised. Dickens showed a deep concern for social reform with improvement of human heart. In his novels he attacked the injustice of the poor law and delays in administration of justice. He attacked the cruelties of school masters and imprisonments for debts.

To Dickens the contemporary scene. is always important. Themes concerned with the problems of mid-nineteenth century society, its familiar scenes and people were the chosen subject of his fiction. Dickens’ social criticism is essentially moral criticism. ‘Oliver Twist’ is a criticism of the workhouses and their improper functioning in the days of Dickens. Children living in workhouses were not given proper food. They were not looked after properly. The officials and workers of the workhouses treated them worse than dogs. They were kept in semi-stavted and semi-naked conditions. Dickens attacked society which has no consideration for its orphans. He bitterly criticises the indifference of the parish authorities to the poor. He has exposed their weaknesses. The description of the slum and the funeral scenes are deeply touching.

Dickens has provided the criticism of the world of criminals. He has exposed the evil designs of the criminal gangs. He has exposed the working of the evil minded criminals like Fagin and Bill Sikes. They keep on cheating the members of the society. They misuse the unprotected, starved and beaten children. He has given pen-picture of the criminals. The hiring-Dodger, the reptile Fogin and the ferocious Bully Bill Sikes are monsters. Dickens has critised the legal system also. He has criticised the utmost politeness haughtiness and callousness of the insolvent magistrates.

Dickens has raised a social protest against some of the evils of the Victorian age. But he has failed to give any remedy to these ills and evils. He has not provided any complete and solid suggestion to root out these social evils from the society.

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