Tom Jones 437over how to punish Sophia for refusing to marry
Blifil. Her father believes he has the right to lock his
daughter up, but her aunt thinks no woman deserves
such harsh treatment.
At times during the narrator’s frequent addresses
to the readers he discusses how confusing justice
may be to them. When Tom lets the highwayman go
and gives him money to help his family, the narrator
tell us, “Our readers will probably be divided in their
opinions concerning this action; some may applaud
it perhaps as an act of extraordinary humanity, while
those of a more saturnine temper will consider it
as a want of regard to that justice which every man
owes his country.” The narrator’s occasional appeals
make the readers question their own assumptions
about justice.
Overall, however, it becomes clear that the
world of Tom Jones is one where a merciful and
personal justice is the best choice, one that con-
siders the circumstances and the humanity of the
wrongdoer over what religion, philosophy, or
the law may say. Several characters who commit a
crime are shown mercy, and as a direct result, they
improve themselves. George’s crime of keeping the
£500 he finds is forgiven, and he ends up trying to
return the money. Though Allworthy tries to argue
with Tom for being too sympathetic with George,
saying “ ‘[s]uch mistaken mercy is not only weak-
ness, but borders on injustice,’ ” Tom still releases
him. Another man who receives merciful justice,
the highwayman, reforms himself and starts provid-
ing for his family. When Tom is told how well the
highwayman’s family is doing he can’t help think-
ing of the “dreadful consequences which must have
attended them, had he listened rather to the voice of
strict justice than to that of mercy.”
Finally, Tom’s own crimes of imprudence and
acting impulsively are completely excused by the
two most noble and charitable characters, Allwor-
thy and Sophia. Allworthy ultimately forgives Tom
everything and bequeaths all his fortune to him.
Similarly, Sophia, though upset at Tom’s past indis-
cretions with other women, forgives him everything
and marries him. Instead of concentrating on Tom’s
weaknesses and punishing him for his mistakes,
both treat him with love and charity. The happi-
ness all three experience in the end—living together
in peace and comfort—reinforces this notion of
a merciful justice. Ultimately, Fielding suggests
that justice requires weighing the whole of a man’s
circumstances, character, and motives, not merely
adhering to a prescribed system of justice.
Cynthia HendersonnationaliSm in Tom Jones
Henry Fielding’s writing of The History of Tom
Jones was interrupted by the 1745 Jacobite Rebel-
lion, which pitted the supporters of the ruling
Hanoverian royal family against supporters of the
ousted Stuart family. The Jacobites, as they were
known, were marshaled by Charles Edward Stuart,
the grandson of James II, also called the “Young
Pretender,” who had been deposed in 1688 in the
Glorious Revolution, which was as much about
James’s Catholicism as about the role of Parliament
and hereditary right. The two major political parties
fell within similar lines: the Whigs, who believed
in the contractual role of Parliament with the
Hanoverian throne, and the Tories, who supported
the monarchial view and the Stuart claim. Fol-
lowing an aborted French invasion of England in
1744, Charles Edward landed in Scotland, raised an
army of mostly Scottish Highlanders, and marched
toward London, hoping to meet up with another
French force coming from the south. The rebels
achieved some military success and reached as far
south as Derby before being routed at the Battle
of Culloden in 1746, which ended the rebellion
and any real hope for the return of a Stuart king.
Although Jacobite influence declined precipitously
following Culloden, their popularity remained in
parts of the country and their questioning of the
legitimacy of the Hanover family marked a signifi-
cant moment in conflicting notions of nationalism
in 18th-century England, asking who was the right-
ful ruler.
Most accounts characterize Fielding as a Whig,
citing the anti-Stuart sentiments expressed in his
political journalism, including The True Patriot and
the satiric Jacobite’s Journal. However, his novel Tom
Jones, which is set during the ‘45 Rebellion, sug-
gests a more complex engagement with the issue.
Fielding populates his novel with both Tories and
Whigs, Hanoverians and Jacobites. A Tory Jacobite