The Life of Charles Dickens Dickens was born in London, England on February 7, When he was 12, his father was jailed for not being able to pay his debts. What did that mean in 1824?

A debtors' prison is a prison for people who cannot pay their debts. They stay there until the debt is paid. Does that make sense? What happens today when people cannot pay their debts? Charles Dickens' father, mother and his two younger brothers went to Marshalea Prison.

Marshalea Prison

But what about Charles? Charles quit school and went to work in a factory that made shoe polish. Charles worked ten hours a day, six days a week for very little money.

Charles joined many other children in the workforce. Children worked in dangerous factories, hazardous coal mines, on farms, and in soot- covered chimneys.

Charles Dickens experienced life in a crowded London slum. Dickens saw: - hungry people. - people who froze in the winter. - people dressed in rags. Dickens saw misery everywhere— including in his own life. He did not forget!

How did this affect Charles Dickens? Charles used his books to show English society the horrors of child labor and the desperate poverty of the lower classes. Many of his characters were based on the real people he met during the time he worked in the shoe polish factory. Let’s look at two examples.

In his book Oliver Twist, the main character and orphan Oliver asks for more food. What was Dickens trying to teach his readers?

In A Christmas Carol, Bob Cratchit is a man employed by the main character, Scrooge. Tiny Tim is the youngest member of the Cratchit family. He is crippled. Bob Cratchit does not earn enough money to pay for the medical care needed for his son. The Ghost of Christmas Future shows Scrooge that Tiny Tim will die unless Scrooge helps the family. What was Dickens trying to teach his readers?

In summary, Dickens’ terrible childhood experiences influenced him greatly! In his books he tackles themes of child labor, poverty, debtors prisons, the lack of quality education for children as well as other evils he saw. His success as a writer drew attention to the social conditions which did lead to change.