Oliver Asks for More

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Oliver Twist is a nine-year-old orphan boy born in a workhouse. He is gentle, well-mannered, and polite, and he becomes the central child protagonist of the novel.

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Oliver's birth shows the harshness of the workhouse world from the very beginning. His mother is unknown, found lying in the street with no ring on her finger, and dies moments after giving birth. Thi…

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Mr Bumble names abandoned children in alphabetical order. This shows cold bureaucratic behaviour, because the naming is based on routine rather than care or affection. Before Oliver, he had named chil…

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A workhouse was officially a place of refuge for poor people, but in practice it was a place of deliberate hardship. Life there was made harsh so that poor people would be discouraged from asking for …

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The boys were given three thin bowls of gruel each day. Gruel is a watery porridge. They were also given bread on Sundays. The food was so little that the boys were always hungry.

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The boys are so hungry that they lick their bowls and spoons clean and sometimes even lick their fingers. This shows extreme starvation and makes the reader feel sympathy for them.

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The boys draw lots to choose one boy who will ask for more food. The lot falls to Oliver, so he becomes the one who must make the dangerous request.

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Oliver politely says, "Please, sir, I want some more." The line is famous because it is simple, respectful, and brave, even though he is only asking for a little more food.