Oliver Twist: Vol 1 of (3) (Volume-1)

This is the first volume of a three-volume work. The narrative begins in a workhouse in an unnamed town, where Oliver Twist is born. The opening chapter describes the circumstances of his birth and early survival. Oliver enters the world with difficulty, struggling to breathe. Had he been attended by experienced family members and medical professionals, he likely would not have survived. Instead, only a parish surgeon and an elderly pauper woman—intoxicated on an unusual allowance of beer—are present. After initial struggles, Oliver begins to breathe and cry, announcing his arrival to the workhouse. As Oliver cries, a young woman in the bed stirs and weakly asks to see the child before she dies. The surgeon responds with unexpected kindness, discouraging such talk. The nurse interjects, offering her own perspective based on her long experience as a mother of thirteen children.