Clerkenwell Green

Clerkenwell Green is a small open square in London, which the narrator notes is "yet called, by some strange perversion of terms, 'The Green.'" It is the site of the bookstall where the respectable gentleman Mr. Brownlow is reading when the Artful Dodger picks his pocket, an act that Oliver witnesses and that leads to his own wrongful pursuit and arrest. This event is the crucial turning point that separates Oliver from Fagin's gang and brings him under the protection of Mr. Brownlow for the first time.

Location and Character

Clerkenwell Green is situated near the crowded and dirty streets of the area around Saffron Hill and Field Lane, which Oliver traverses when first brought to London by the Artful Dodger. The narrator describes the surrounding neighborhood as a place where "a dirtier or more wretched place he had never seen," with narrow, muddy streets and air "impregnated with filthy odours." The Green itself, however, is a more open space, and it is here that a bookstall is set up, attracting a respectable clientele. The contrast between the squalor of the thieves' dens and the relative respectability of the bookstall underscores the social boundary that Oliver briefly crosses.

The Pickpocketing Incident

The most significant event at Clerkenwell Green is the pickpocketing of Mr. Brownlow. The Artful Dodger spots the old gentleman at the bookstall and declares, "He'll do," to which Charley Bates responds, "A prime plant." The two boys stealthily approach Mr. Brownlow, who is deeply absorbed in reading a book, and the Dodger plunges his hand into the gentleman's pocket, drawing out a handkerchief. Oliver, watching from a few paces off, is horrified and, in his confusion and terror, begins to run. This action leads the crowd to believe he is the thief, and the cry of "Stop thief!" is raised, resulting in Oliver's capture and his subsequent appearance before the magistrate Mr. Fang.

Narrative Significance

Clerkenwell Green functions as a liminal space where the criminal underworld of Fagin's gang intersects with the respectable world of Mr. Brownlow. It is the site of Oliver's first direct exposure to the gang's criminal activities, which he had only dimly understood before. The location also serves as the catalyst for Oliver's temporary rescue, as Mr. Brownlow, despite the confusion, is struck by the boy's face and later takes him into his home. The bookstall keeper, who witnesses the true theft, later comes forward to clear Oliver's name, further cementing the Green's role as a place where justice, however imperfectly, can be served. The area's name, "the Green," is itself a "strange perversion of terms," as the narrator notes, highlighting the ironic contrast between the pastoral connotations of the name and the urban, often criminal, reality of the location.