Treatment to orphan in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist and in Islamic teaching

ABSTRACT

This research discusses the treatment to orphan reflected in the novel of Charles Dickens Oliver Twist and in Islamic teaching of Ibnu Katsir interpretation.

The purpose of this analysis is to answer the problems of the treatment to orphan in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, and finding the differences and similarities of the treatment to orphan in the novel and in Islamic teaching of Ibnu Katsir interpretation.

In this study, the researcher uses comparative literature as the theory of analysis. The function of this method is to show a new discourse of the treatment to orphan in the novel contrasted in Islamic teaching in order to find the differences and similarities. Comparative literature is the study of literature dealing with comparison between literary work and another study in relevance; it seems a study of literature outside across country and about the relation between literature with another field of study and also another belief.

Based on the interpretation and explanation of the analysis, the researcher finds that the treatment to orphan in the novel reflected by Oliver Twist is unloved and abused but finally he finds a rich relation who looks after him. The treatment to orphan in Ibnu Katsir interpretation is reflected from some verses in Al Qur’an which contains an order to honor an orphan, in which the reflection of kindness, piety, and faithful perfectly are when Muslim gives them the necessity of life in order to cover their necessity and deficiency.

The comparison of the treatment to orphan in Charles Dickens Oliver Twist contrasted by the treatment to orphan in Islamic teaching of Ibnu Katsir interpretation are found some differences and similarities which is reflecting the culture background between the novel and Islamic teaching, in which its differences are reflected in the workhouse and in Fagin’s group which tends to treat the orphan in harsh treatment but in Islamic teaching must be love and honor to him. And its similarities are reflected by Mr. Brownlow; the adopter who kindly treats him, it is the kindness of Mr. Brownlow who has a lot of money but he still cares to the orphan’s life such Oliver. The kindness of Mr. Brownlow seems the behavior of Abdul Muthalib and Abu Thalib who looks after the orphan Prophet Muhammad since his childhood up to his youth.