A primary theme in Moll Flanders is the bold presentation of the ‘evil woman’ as the focal character through whom the narrative is filtered. However, this impression is largely created by the preface which tells us to perceive Moll as a potentially immoral woman. Thus, the reading of the book is overshadowed by tension between the apparent ‘evil’ nature of Moll Flanders and the empathy that Moll creates between the reader and herself through her portrayal of herself and her telling of her story in the 1st person. A brief recap of events so far:
The First Marriage
Moll begins her life honestly through her living with and working for her adoptive nurse mother. Even upon her adoption by one of the ladies of the town, Moll is grateful for her security and attempts to handle herself with grace. It is due to her adoptive brother Robert’s slow beguilement of her that she is lured into the promises of his love and soon begins to love him back. This relationship is possibly where Moll learns to love men who present their affections to her under the guise of gentlemanly behavior and seduce her into sexual relationships. She is preyed upon by Robert as an innocent girl, and he exploits her desire for financial security to his advantage. When Robin, Robert’s younger brother, too professes his love for her, Moll declares to Robert she will not be “whore to one brother and a wife to the other”, thus demonstrating a semblance of a moral code but, upon realizing Robert will not marry her, she is pressed by Robert into marrying Robin whom she does not love. After Robin dies, Moll chiefly concerns herself with securing herself husbands that may she live provided for instead of in poverty as she has no other means of making a living. The Second MarriageMoll’s second marriage is brief and short-lived. After her first husband dies, she marries a shopkeeper who bankrupts the two of them within two years and flees to France to escape his debts, leaving Moll behind. The chief importance of this event is that the two are never divorced, therefore Moll is technically still a married woman throughout the forthcoming marriages she repeatedly commits herself to. The Third MarriageThe most notable event in the novel until this point is Moll’s accidental marriage to her half-brother. Yet by her ignorance of not knowing him to be her brother, Moll initially seems to absolve herself of sin. It is her choice to continue in the relationship and say nothing once she discovers her husband to be her brother that speaks volumes to her character and further enforces her chief motivation as desiring security. She thinks to put off having sex with her husband/brother to put her conscience more at ease for she knows if she speaks the truth, she will lose her husband. Her fear of finding herself more or less homeless keeps her from revealing her secret until her guilt and her efforts to resist her husband lead to conflict that forces the story out of her. It is unclear if she and her brother/husband are officially divorced. The First Affair
Upon returning to England, Moll moves to Bath and again it is her need for money that leads to her becoming mistress to her married gentleman lover. The man is apparently content to make her gifts of money in exchange for her company, to press her to buy herself nicer clothes and to keep a maid at his expense, and advances himself slowly over two years, claiming “he could lie naked in the bed with [her] and not offer [her] the least injury.” Moll is taken aback by this thinking she understands the whims of men but finds him to be true to his word when he does lie in bed with her. It is Moll, however, drunk on wine one night, who releases him from his word and thus becomes his whore. Moll admits “It is true, and I have confessed it before, that from the first hour I began to converse with him, I resolved to let him lie with me, if he offered it; but it was because I wanted his help and assistance, and I knew no other way of securing him than that.” Once settled as his mistress and whore and mother to his son, Moll writes, “I had the terrible prospect of poverty and starving, which lay on me as a frightful spectre, so that there was no looking behind me. But as poverty brought me into it, so fear of poverty kept me in it.” Moll’s Primary MotivationsThus, it is a constant need for financial security that prompts Moll to repeatedly give herself over into the hands of men and, as her situation becomes more and more desperate, so too is she willing to compromise her morals. However, more than anything, she is at the whims of a patriarchal society that does not enable women to make good their own living. She operates within a structured society that places women at the mercy of men and though her behavior might be deemed immoral, reprehensible, and beyond the realm of decent, her chief crime is making a living for herself through the only outlets available to her as a woman. Further Thoughts on the PrefaceFinally, the preface continues to shape Moll’s character by calling into question whether Moll’s motivations and monologue are true at all. By offering explanations of her choices, Moll seeks to create empathy between herself and the reader in the same manner she uses her storytelling skills to hide her poverty from the men she sees as providing her with financial security. She is skilled at using charm and deceit to her own advantage, though it often comes at her own expense, and this begs the final question of whether Moll’s own narrative is representative of herself or not. You're currently a free subscriber to Letters By Layla. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
|
Saturday, 7 February 2026
Moll Flanders: Heroine or Villainess?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Book Review: Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter
A charming historical fantasy for fans of cats and shadow lords ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ...
-
Rex Sikes posted: " Take this quote of William Atkinson Walker's to heart. Understand it and apply it in your life. ...
No comments:
Post a Comment