436 Fielding, Henry
seem unsuitable to a hero, but it is interesting to
note that the women are the aggressors in each of
these scenarios. Molly Seagrim and Mrs. Waters
very deliberately seduce him, and Mrs. Bellaston
hounds him unmercifully. Tom’s passionate, senti-
mental nature allows him to fall for these women,
but he also feels sorry for each of them and is afraid
to offend or hurt them.
These faults, while substantial, appear less so
when presented in contrast to other characters’
more serious faults. Tom comes by his impulsive-
ness and recklessness naturally. He almost cannot
help himself, most often acting without thinking.
This naturalness contrasts with characters like Blifil,
whose faults are more studied. Blifil is cruelly ambi-
tious. He sees opportunities to thwart Tom’s efforts
and purposely takes them. When Tom sells his Bible
to Blifil to raise money for Black George’s family,
Blifil makes sure to stroll frequently through the
house reading the Bible, showing it to his masters,
pointing out passages in it. Naturally, people notice
Tom’s name in the book, and Tom is punished.
Blifil’s lowest act, keeping Tom’s parentage secret,
negatively affects everyone’s lives around him. Blifil
is a hypocrite and a dissembler. Another character
who is contrasted with Tom is the companion on his
travels, Partridge. Partridge, though a good man at
heart and not a hypocrite, is fearful, suspicious, and
he has an agenda: He hopes to benefit monetarily
from reuniting Tom with Squire Allworthy. Though
he often acts as a true friend to Tom, he also acts
selfishly at times, keeping his hoped-for prize in
sight. The constant scrapes the two get into show
the contrast between the easy-going and coura-
geous Tom versus the fretful and weak Partridge.
One example is when a highwayman jumps them
and demands their money. Tom wrestles him to the
ground, while Partridge scrambles from his horse
and cowers in the bushes, all the while crying out
that he is dying. Heroism, in Tom’s case, is relative.
Ultimately, Fielding suggests that a hero does
not need to be perfect, that he can in fact be fal-
lible. While never excused, Tom’s weaknesses appear
unimportant compared to the weaknesses of others
and to his own virtues. He seems worthy of love
because his heart is open and loving. The two most
admirable and charitable characters, Squire Allwor-
thy and Sophia, end up accepting Tom’s faults and
embracing him. Here, the hero is not entirely excep-
tional, only relatively so.
Cynthia HendersonJuStice in Tom Jones
The plot of Tom Jones is set in motion by an injus-
tice. Tom Jones’s housemate, Blifil, lies to Squire
Allworthy about Tom’s actions, causing Allworthy
to reject his ward and banish him from his presence
forever. Tom must therefore go out into the world
and make his way with nothing. The injustice of
his situation is clear to the reader during all Tom’s
adventures, and the question of how or when All-
worthy will discover this injustice is felt throughout.
The parallel situation of Sophia running away from
her father because of his unjust treatment of her sets
up the two lovers for the many challenges they must
face before they can be reconciled.
One way the idea of justice is explored is through
the character of Squire Allworthy. As a squire, he
has the responsibility of determining how his
dependents must be punished for their crimes. His
word, literally, is law. We see early in the story how
he punishes Jenny Jones for abandoning her child.
Many around him tell him Jenny should be judged
harshly; however, Allworthy decides to be kind to
her. Indeed, he is grateful to have Tom in his life, and
he lets that emotion guide his treatment. Therefore,
he sends her away rather than putting her in prison.
He deals similarly with the child’s father, as well
as showing mercy in his dealings with Tom, Blifil,
Black George, and Dowling.
What constitutes justice is openly debated sev-
eral times in the novel: When an offense or crime
occurs, two characters debate what would be a just
punishment. We see this when Square and Thwac-
kum repeatedly quarrel about how to discipline
Tom when he is a child: Thwackum always argues
men should answer to religious law, and Square
argues for guidance from the ancient philosophers.
Another instance is when Tom and Partridge take
positions on how to deal with the highwayman
who jumps them near London. Partridge wants
him executed, but Jones ultimately lets him go free
because he sympathizes with the highwayman’s sad
circumstances. Finally, there is the ongoing debate