Episode 4
Synopsis
Mr Bumble has come to London on parochial business. In a local paper he discovers an advertisement asking for any information regarding the whereabouts of one Oliver Twist - and Bumble hurries to the address given…Mr Brownlow's house.
Bumble tells Mr Brownlow about Oliver's running away from Mr Sowerberry…and Mr Brownlow declares he never wants to hear of Oliver again.
Meanwhile Fagin and Sikes meet to plan a burglary. It is agreed that the robbery is possible if a small child can be brought along to go through a window and Fagin offers Oliver's services for the job.
Oliver is dragged through the night to a house in Chertsey. Sikes places Oliver through the window…but the inhabitants are roused and shots are fired. Oliver is pulled back through the window, his arm bleeding.
Back at the workhouse Mrs Corney is summoned to hear the dying words of one of the aged paupers. Old Sally was the nurse on the night that Oliver's mother gave birth in the workhouse and died. She reveals the existence of certain artifacts that she stole from Oliver's mother that night - items that confirm the connection between Oliver and the dead woman. Old Sally dies before she can reveal the exact nature of the items.
Meanwhile, in Chertsey, Oliver lies lifeless - abandoned by Sikes and left for dead.
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Ideas for use in the classroom
Understanding, interpreting and responding to texts:
Why did Sikes and Crackit abandon Oliver? (They were trying to escape the pursuit, and believed him to be near death).
Why is Fagin anxious about Sikes and the boy? (Not clear initially, but we learn that the boy’s presence is of value to him, in connection with Monks, who wants Fagin to turn him into a criminal).
What does Nancy mean when she says, about Oliver, “the sight of him turns me against myself”? (She is guilty about her own roleabout Oliver having been drawn into crime).
Why do you think the door seems to shut itself when Fagin and Monks try to shut themselves away for a private conversation? (It is likely because Nancy has followed them).
What does Fagin mean when he says, of Oliver – “Send him out with the Dodger and Charley? We had enough of that the first time,my dear; I trembled for us all” (When Oliver was caught for the theft from Brownlow, Fagin had been worried about the gang being betrayed).
What does Monks imagine that he sees? What did he actually see? (The shadow of a woman – in fact, the shadow of Nancy).
Why are Rose and Mrs Maylie surprised by how the supposed thief looks? (He is a child – they had expected a ruffian).
Why had Giles not told Rose and Mrs Maylie that the intruder was a child? (He had been happy to accept praise for his bravery – that the intruder was a child makes him seem less brave).
How does Dr Losberne manage to avoid Oliver being taken away by the police? (He manages to confuse Giles into saying that he is not sure that Oliver is the boy who he shot).
Why do Rose and Mrs Maylie want to look after Oliver? (They believe he must have been forced into crime).
Activities
Write a diary entry for Giles, the butler. How do you describe events, and why?
Write an alternative version of the episode, in which the constable insists that Oliver is taking into custody. How do the Maylies react, and what happens next?
Write the report that the constable later might have made to his superior officers about the boy at the Maylie residence
Information on each episode and follow-up activities
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More from this series
Episode 4. audio
Oliver is compelled by Sikes and Fagin to take part in a robbery and is wounded.
Episode 6. audio
Rose falls ill... Oliver is discovered... and Mr Bumble passes information to Monks.
Episode 7. audio
Nancy discovers the full extent of the danger Oliver is in and hurries to tell Rose.
