PROBLEMS OF MORAL EDUCATION IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AND THEIR ARTISTIC REPRESENTATION

This paper examines the problems of moral education in Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, focusing on the failures of Victorian social institutions in shaping ethical behavior among impoverished children. The novel portrays workhouses, charitable organizations, and the criminal underworld as environments that distort moral development through cruelty, neglect, and hypocrisy. By contrasting punishment-based systems with the innate moral integrity of the protagonist, Dickens challenges contemporary beliefs about discipline and reform. The study argues that Dickens presents compassion, empathy, and social responsibility as essential foundations for effective moral education. Ultimately, Oliver Twist serves as a powerful critique of Victorian society and a call for humane approaches to moral and social reform.