The following excerpt from the novel shows one of Dickens's many satirical remarks criticizing the attitudes of the rich:
The board, in imitation of so wise and salutary an example, took counsel together on the expediency of shipping off Oliver Twist, in some small trading vessel bound to a good unhealthy port. This suggested itself as the very best thing that could possibly be done with him: the probability being, that the skipper would flog him to death, in a playful mood, some day after dinner, or would knock his brains out with an iron bar; both pastimes being, as is pretty generally known, very favourite and common recreations among gentleman of that class.
In this excerpt, the board at the workhouse decides that the best course of action for young Oliver is to send him on board a ship as a cabin boy. They are well aware of the harsh and deadly possibilities that may befall a young child on a ship; in fact, they seem to look forward to it. This excerpt is a sarcastic criticism of two aspects of society. It primarily highlights the low value society placed on a poor person’s life, even someone as young as Oliver. It also alludes to the kind of hazardous jobs that young children were forced to do during Dickens’s time. The writer employs an overly obvious and very pointed satire in this excerpt, using the words wise and salutary to describe the board members. In reality, they are meeting to decide something that is obviously absurd and destructive. Even when describing the harsh practices of seamen, the writer satirically describes their cruel actions as being “common recreations,” increasing the reader's horror.
