Character Sketch from ICSE Class 9 English Oliver Asks for More of Oliver Twist, Mr. Bumble, the Master and Oliver’s friends
A character sketch defines what the character is like and how he/she evolves or develops throughout the story. In this post you can find the Character Sketch of Oliver Twist, Mr. Bumble, the Master and Oliver’s friends from ICSE Class 9 English Short Story Oliver Asks for More from Treasure Chest book.
- Character Sketch of Oliver Twist
- Questions related to the Character of Oliver Twist
- Character Sketch of Mr. Bumble
- Questions related to the Character of Mr. Bumble
- Character Sketch of the Master
- Questions related to the Character of the Master
- Character Sketch of Oliver’s friends
- Questions related to the Character of Oliver’s friends
Related:
- Oliver Asks for More Summary, Explanation
- Oliver Asks for More Question Answers
- ICSE Class 9 English Lesson Notes
Character Sketch of Oliver Twist
The protagonist is a nine-year old orphan. He lost his mother at his birth. He was born into a world which had no love or pity for him. As nothing was known of either his father or mother, he was named by Mr. Bumble, an important officer in the town.
Oliver lived in a workhouse with other boys. They were all under-clothed and under-fed. He was fed a bowl of thin soup thrice a day. On Sundays, he and the other boys got a small piece of bread. Hunger drove the boys to try and ask for more food. They decided one of them must ask the master for more soup. Unfortunately, Oliver was chosen for this daring task.
When he asked for some more soup, the fat master went pale and could not believe his ears. Oliver had to repeat his request. The master hit him with a spoon, then seized him and cried for help. Mr. Bumble rushed in and was told what crime Oliver had committed. Mr. Bumble too was shocked at Oliver’s audacity. He believed that Oliver would grow up into a criminal and ‘One day they will hang the boy’.
As a punishment for his rebellion, Oliver was locked up in a cold and dark room for a week. A notice was put outside the house gate stating anyone who would take in Olive would get five pounds. Everyday he was severely beaten with a stick. This extreme punishment was to set an example so that others would not dare to ask for more food let alone rebel against the authority of the master or Mr. Bumble. Oliver cried the whole day but he could not sleep at night as he was cold, lonely and frightened.
Oliver is presented as a child in need, highlighting the cruel conditions of the workhouse system.
Questions related to the Character of Oliver Twist
Q1. Why was Oliver punished?
Q2. How was Oliver punished?
Character Sketch of Mr. Bumble
Mr. Bumble was an important official in the town. He named Oliver. He named babies in alphabetical order. Thus, giving Oliver the name Twist implying that there had been many babies who had lost their mothers at birth and nothing was known about their parents. He was a cruel autocrat. He was aware that the children were under-fed and under-clothed. He rushed in when the master cried for help and he suspected that the children had revolted. The harsh treatment given to Oliver was done as to set an example so that other would never dare to challenge his authority.
Mr. Bumble is also a smooth talker. He tells the coffin maker that he would soon become rich. He must be hinting to deaths at the workhouse or the five pound reward that would come with Oliver or both.
Questions related to the Character of Mr. Bumble
Q1. Describe the character of Mr Bumble.
Q2. What did Bumble do?
Character Sketch of the Master
The master was Mr. Bumble’s subordinate. He was opposite to Oliver Twist in appearance. He was fat while Oliver was pale and thin. However, he was so shocked at Oliver’s request to give him more soup that he turned very pale and started screaming.
Questions related to the Character of the Master
Q1. Describe Master’s appearance.
Q2. How did Master react to Oliver’s demand for more soup?
Character Sketch of Oliver’s friends
They are all boys living in the workhouse. These boys are cold because they are not clothed well and hungry because they are fed with a bowl of thin soup.
Questions related to the Character of Oliver’s friends
Q1. Describe the condition of the boys at the workhouse?
Q2. How do Oliver’s friends suffer?