Orphans of the Mist is a realistic novel published by the British writer Dickens in 1838. Set in london, the misty capital of the whole work, the whole work tells the story of an orphan, Oliver, who was tortured since childhood, after a hard escape, a thief's den, and countless hardships, and finally with the help of a kind person, he found out his life and achieved a happy life. The book depicts the struggle between good and evil, beauty and ugliness, good and evil, praises the integrity and goodness of human nature, and also exposes the hypocrisy of the British charity at that time and the arbitrariness of the security police.
Oliver was born in a workhouse and grew up starving and bullied. Unable to bear the abuse of the Parish deacons Bumble and his wife, he fled to London alone. Hungry and cold, Oliver is tricked into falling into a den of thieves. The leader of the gang of thieves, the Jew Fagin, tried everything to train Oliver as a pickpocket to drive him. Oliver follows his fellow thieves to the streets in an unknown condition, but is arrested by Mr. Brownlow for a thief and later proved innocent, but is seriously ill and unconscious, and Mr. Brownlow takes him in his home for medical treatment. Fearing that Oliver would leak secrets, Fagin's gang sent Sykes and Nancy to re-enter the thief's den while Oliver was out to return the book. But thanks to Nancy's protection, Oliver avoided punishment and beatings. Later, oliver was forced to participate in a burglary when he was unfortunately shot and fainted in the doorway. The kind master, Mrs. Mellie, and her adopted daughter, Miss Rose, took him in and sheltered him. However, Oliver's half-brother Munch, in order to swallow the inheritance alone, bought Fagin and abducted Oliver back again, demanding that he turn Oliver into an incorrigible criminal. When Nancy heard about the plot, she risked sneaking it to Miss Rose. When Sykes learned of Nancy's betrayal, he brutally killed her. Nancy's death brought the Fagin gang to the brink. Fagin was arrested and imprisoned and eventually died on the gallows; Sykes was strangled by a rope while on the run; and Munchs was held hostage by Mr. Bronlow and forced to confess everything. When the truth of the matter came out, Mr. Brownlow recognized Oliver as his righteous son, and Miss Rose turned out to be Oliver's aunt. Since then, Oliver has ended his tragic childhood and lived a happy life.
Orphans of the Mist is Dickens's first great social novel and one of the world's literary masterpieces that Chinese readers are most familiar with. By creating the image of little Oliver, the author reflects the life of the lowest level of British society that has just passed the "Poor Law", exposes various ugly faces and cruel social realities, and also shows valuable ideas of benevolence. Dickens was hailed by later generations as "a beacon calling people back to laughter and love." This work has been adapted and filmed many times into a film and television screening, and its influence is far-reaching.