Moll Flanders By Defoe example essay topic

Among the twenty-eighth century critiques of Daniel Defoe, there are mixed feelings as to Defoe's intension in his structure and content in the famous and controversial novel Moll Flanders. While there is not much disagreement that Defoe aimed at exposing the late seventeenth and the early eighteenth century society; though Defoe himself claims his purpose to be inciting moral behavior, the divisions among the critics appear where the character of the story is concerned. On the one hand, critics such as Robert Alan Donovan hold the view Defoe in the structure of the story achieves his goal. Moll throughout the story had always had the power of choice, and as such chooses her destiny. However on the other hand, writers such as Ian Watt feels that though Moll had always have the wright to choose freely, in the end, Defoe had always blame society for choices she made. In doing this, Defoe had done it in a way so as to make a reader have much leniency to the character; thus, a reader may well never had grasped the moral lessons to be learnt for each scenario, but would have gained vast knowledge of the mal practices of the general society and be influence to condemn it (as the term indictment suggests).

Moll Flanders by Defoe was nothing more than an attack upon the norms of the society of his age, he frequently forgets the character he created to adds beliefs of his own while undermining any moral lessons to be learnt. Defoe's intension to critique society and its values is evident even from the name of the book. David Blew ette gave a vivid idea of what the book meant to the man of the eighteenth century. His findings are that the eighteenth century reader could have foretold the book based on its first name. Moll in the seventh and the eighteenth century was defined as a "prostitute female companion of a professional thief". Through the book, Defoe took caution to cover every aspect of the society.

During the seventh century, labor was cheap but heavily required and goods were expensive thus we find that thievery was widespread. This was brought out clearly by Defoe with the actions of the Governess as a pawnbroker. Though goods were secondhand, they still fetched good prices (when the governess bought a ladies watch that Moll had stole, she had to pay 20 guineas, enough to take care of Molls child for 4 years). The things Moll stole where also characterized by her last name, Flanders, which was a type of lace very expensive at the time. Even the idea of Moll lodging with the Governess was as aspect of the society that Defoe pointed out. Pregnant prostitutes were often chased from parish to parish since nobody wanted to entertain children who were to be born with venereal diseases.

Oftentimes the prostitutes would take refuge in these houses as they had governesses who had presumable bribe the parish so they wouldn't be a bother. With the onset of the industrialization, new challenges had arise that Defoe could not resist painting a picture of. Growth in the industry meant growth in the social nobility thus the gentry had swollen. Material values became an enormous issue and became the dominating theme within the society. One was now determined by the material values he or she posses, and people were now willing to partake in extremes to obtain social status.

It is also at this point that we see Defoe sidestepping his character, and an influx of his own views is added to the story. "As soon as we have become aware of the author's ulterior purpose, we can see all the apparent contradictions as indications of the coherent attitude underlying the whole work". Watt sees Defoe as a "Puritan" and claims Defoe strength to be the ability to gain a general demand for strict morals by attacking viciously the sins of others. The example was given of Molls actions after she had stolen the necklace from the child.

After Moll was through reasoning with her conscience, the only lesson to be learnt was for the parents of the child, for being so negligent so as to allow the child to travel by herself. Similarly, this is the case for most of the instances throughout the story. The society is always the one to be punished severely for Molls actions. Moll never really got a chance to express herself; Defoe's views had always taken over before she got a chance to.

Her remorse was never supported by any action, nor did she develop psychologically. Thus, Moll remained throughout the entire story blind to her own spiritual and mental dishonesty. She always lie about her financial position, the man at bath etc, and even when it appears that she had found true love (the gentleman who had played her own game upon her) she could never attest to going to extremes to be with that person without reassuring herself that she had enough to survive. "I reproached him in my thoughts a thousand times for leaving me, for I would have gone with him through the world, if I had begged my bread. I felt my pocket, and there I found ten guineas... ".

This approach however in revealing the intension of Defoe was subject to much criticism. Critic Robert Alan Donovan came up with a counter argument to what Watt had to say. Donovan feels that there was no attempt upon society, rather the character was always free to choose in the story and so created her own destiny. Moll is a product of the system and the novel was structured through intentional use of irony so that the decisions Moll made reflected clear moral lessons to be learnt. "Moll contemplates herself, not as the innocent covetous thing she is underneath her various disguises, but as the person she appears to be, gaining a few moments of wider and intenser life by accepting the image of herself that a temporary circumstance has offered". This was expressed by Defoe through irony as in the novel Moll sees the guilt of her life her own rather than the society which shaped her.

However, while it cannot be disputed that the use of irony was evident throughout the novel, one may well question the authenticity of its use. In this respect, I share the position taken by Ian Watt. Defoe's use of irony brought about two major predispositions. Firstly, guilty feelings were aroused, and were attached to economic gain as motive.

Secondly, it was shown that righteousness could coincide with economic interest. However this it is said, may well have evolved "as products of an unresolved and largely unconscious conflict in Defoe's own outlook, a conflict which is typical of the late Puritan disengagement of economic matters from religious and moral sanctions". The question that remains now is whether or not Defoe himself was conscious of his actions. It is important to remember that we of the twenty-eighth century can detect more easily the use of such prose, as in the eighteenth century writers were much less sensitive to the use of these literary tools.

According to Watt, life itself is an object for ironical conclusions. Thus Defoe's choice to present a first person narrator proceeded to create seems of reality that forced us to conform our attitudes to it. However throughout the structure, there is no real sense of anticipation that Defoe had expected the reader to draw a specific interpretation. The interpretations came more by accident rather that choice. It is quite clear that Defoe wrote with a clear and direct pattern of thoughts, rather than for a reader to draw ulterior interpretations.

Defoe for the most part dwelled greatly on the discrepancies he saw within his society. The character, created in his image was a mere pawn to lead a discussion on the lack of moral values that existed within the society. Moll merely brought different scenarios of discrepancies within the society for Defoe to attack. As such at every transition within the story the character appears to be by herself, accompanied however by the central theme of material values.

As a result of this being the basic shape of the story, the character Moll was never given a chance to effect any action for change. Though the story ended with the character repenting her sins, there was no real difference between she as the thief and she as a repented sinner. Defoe in his attack upon the morals of the society had always created and escape rout for Moll, she was never pressured to make decisions of any change, rather it was society that was blamed and this served to comfort her sins. This characteristic of the novel may well have been a deliberate action of Defoe. By doing this, he keeps his character in a constant state of immorality so as to further prove that society teaches no moral lessons, and could also point out the worst of unrighteous behaviors of the society in no particular order. This would have suited him well since the book is based on a collection of stories.

It would be unjust to accredit a man for something he had not intended and this is exactly the case in twenty-eighth century reviews of Defoe's writings. Moll Flanders undoubtedly is one of a classical use of irony, but how can a man use what he was unaware of? These ironies came solely through conflicts in Defoe's social, moral and religious world; and which inevitably, lead to discrepancies in Defoe's system of values. A perfect example of this is seen when Moll was transported to Virginia.

As soon as her son had given to her: and ultimately her husband dome essentials for farming: pigs etc; her partner, a ruthless criminal was immediately a changed man. Defoe was criticizing the society for its overemphasis on material morals, however even his own characters who he claimed were repented never got over these material values. Had Defoe been aware of the many ironies that he portrayed in the story, he would have never been so careless so as to let such obvious conclusions slip his thoughts. Defoe was too preoccupied with making room to condemn the society, to firmly establish any real moral lessons to a reader. Thought the choices made by the central character may have carried along with them some essence of right or wrong which would appeal to moral standards, it was generally the standards of the society rather than that of the character that was openly condemned.

Those instances where moral lessons were to be learnt form the actions of the character were dwelled little upon by Defoe, and oftentimes are ultimately forgotten he shifts the focus by blaming society. Thus, in reading the book rather than acquiring moral lessons, readers are overwhelmed with historical documentations of the moral discrepancies that were existent in the seventeenth and eighteenth century societies..