The stories of Oliver Twist and Slumdog Millionaire are somewhat similar. Both feature young, poor boys on a long journey out of poverty who are tricked by unsavory characters along the way, though there are key differences. Jamal seems to be in slightly better circumstances. He is, at least at a young age, afforded the comfort of his brother, Salim, and his friend, Latika. Oliver is constantly alone and has no truly trustworthy companion. In regard to the "big ticket" theme, there are a few similarities. Both Jamal and Oliver are brought out of their sad states by a large sum of money coming to them at once, and both suffer planned attempts to be robbed of it. Jamal competes on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and is swept away to a brutal police interrogation when they suspect him of cheating. Oliver is the benefactor of an inheritance about which he knows nothing, and he suffers attempts on the part of his half-brother to completely corrupt him and rob him of it. Truth wins out in the end for both of these characters, and they use the money to get themselves to better circumstances.
The protagonists of both Slumdog Millionaire and Oliver Twist have similar backgrounds. Jamal in Slumdog Millionaire comes from an impoverished neighborhood, a "slum," in a developing country. Oliver Twist lived in a low-class section of London during the Victorian era. Both characters experienced adventures and "misadventures" throughout their respective stories, and make up a bulk of the narratives. Jamal and Oliver Twist are a product of their respective environments, and become involved with unsavory characters who come from such socioeconomic conditions.
The difference between the two characters—who both eventually attain what they wanted—is that Jamal was motivated by love whereas Oliver Twist simply wanted to escape poverty and crime. Interestingly, both stories are set during their respective countries' push towards economic and industrial progress. Slumdog Millionaire is set at a time when contemporary India was on a trajectory towards becoming a major economic power, whilst the Victorian era of Oliver Twist marked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in England.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/SlumdogMillionaire
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