Survival of the
fittest and if necessity be the way of
life oh well! there goes Moll Flanders. Defoe sketches out Moll Flanders effortlessly, pinioning her from one adulterous relationship to another. Moll did not have a choice, if being immoral was a way of sustaining her self so be it. Moll’s principal, if somebody has plenty what would he lose if I were to take a little of what he has. So Moll proceeded on marrying one person after another, totaling five husbands in all and to top it all ended up marrying her own half brother.
Moll Flanders falls into the
picaresque novel tradition which is a tale presenting the adventures of a light hearted
rogue, picaro-rogue. The episodic structure, arranged in the form of a journey focuses on a character that has to deal with tyrannical masters and jinxed fate, but overcomes and escapes all difficult and miserable situations using her wit. This type of novel writing emerged with Don Quixote by Cervantes which was a superb rendition for example the 16
th century.
A profligate or daughter of the prison, for, Moll’s mother had her belly full with Moll during her stay in the Newgate prison, it isn’t surprising that young Moll would grew up as one of them. Justifying her every action in the face of debauchery Moll boldly carries on. Defoe himself a Newgate prisoner penned his thoughts bringing in Moll as his protagonist and so called capitalism, where money was Molls mate and the whole worlds.
Moll ended up being penitent in the end, spending her old age with her Lancashire husband who took it all in his stride when a sad and penitent Moll poured out her story of having married her half brother. Possibly a reminder of Chaucer’s ‘Wife of Bath’, who had five husbands way back in the 14th century! Every generation has a story to tell!
When viewed from a historical point of view Moll Flanders is valuable for its information on the life, punishment, and habits of the criminal world. In addition to being one of the few detailed descriptions of life in The Mint, it also brings to light the life in Newgate the punishments of prostitution (and a common prostitute''s tale), and America in the early 18th century. The novel is itself seems to hint at a bit of pro-immigration propaganda, in that it portrays America as a place of peace, religious tolerance and opportunity. Moll Flanders has a high value for cultural history.
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