Defoe Moll Flanders Essay, Research Paper
J Johnson
English Novel to 1832
7/10/00
?Moll Flanders: Freedom or Fate?
In New Hampshire I had a Philosophy teacher that used to say, and I believe he was quoting another, ?People who believe in freewill are ignorant of the reasons of their actions?. This quote, in the context of Defoe?s Moll Flanders, brings about a multitude of questions and discussion. Was Flanders free or was she predetermined to live a wicked and improper life mired in years of penitence? Was the fact that her mother a whore before her enough to dismiss the question? It is, in fact, these questions that persuaded me to abandon my philosophy major and follow my love of literature, but that is a different story.
Certainly there is no question that Flanders was a criminal, that is to say she was a whore, a thief, and furthermore broke laws that are seen as truly heinous and immoral, namely incest. In regards to Flanders having sex with her own brother it would be difficult to argue that this was a predetermined event considering she truly did not know her husband was of her own flesh and blood. If, indeed, she was aware of the relation and then chose to proceed then one could discus it further in the context of freewill. As for being a whore there is no question that Flanders, especially later in her life, involved herself with such happenings, but for me it was the thievery that seemed to capture the essence of Flanders continual undoing and constant need for penitence. There is no better part of Defoe?s work to capture the feelings of utter despondency then when Moll is going to steal for the first time from the apothecary?s shop. Defoe prefaces the scene with a few paragraphs where Moll explains her absolute ?desolate state?. The crime is then set in what James Sutherland explains, ??Moll?s first theft he sets the scene with such careful attention to detail that he fixes it in our minds, and gives to it that air of authenticity which, for Defoe, is almost justification of fiction?. This is where Defoe?s journalistic stylings shine. The reader is indeed in the apothecary and sees Moll?s gaffe unfolding before him. We are free to judge whether or not we would take the bundle that so often becomes Moll?s pursuit in the future. It is at that instant that we can decide whether Moll was free to do so or controlled by something unavoidable, such as fate.
If Moll was acting on freewill it is arguable that she would not repeat the same crime in the future, in fact she would most likely avoid any such acts that resulted in the terrible feelings she experienced during and after the first offense. For she says herself, ?It is impossible to express the horror of my soul all the while I did it?. The truth is though; the crimes become much easier and done with much less regard to moral conviction after the first. Moll becomes ?hardened?. In fact she finds ways of justifying her crimes as they progress to an even more appalling standing. After Moll steals the necklace off the boy returning home from dance school she blames the parents for letting the ?poor lamb to come home by itself.? So is Moll fated to do such acts? Continually through the book Moll refers to the Devil, ?who laid the snare? as the main root of her misdeeds. She explains that she was a mere victim of circumstance and that there was little choice in her acts. Is this not more comforting for Moll and the reader? Yes Moll lives in constant penitence, that is when she is not committing crimes, but she also has a way of constructing the situation so it seems almost unavoidable. This is the way the human mind works. We are not completely at fault all the time for our wrongs, surely we would all go mad if this were the case. Humans are much like Moll Flanders. Sutherland says it best, ?Moll, it may be argued, is inconsistent because that is what she was, and what most people are.? I would be hard pressed to call it fate, but there certainly is a tinge of something in all of us that, if nurtured, will blossom and sometimes blossom into a not so pretty flower.
Bibliography
none available
Другие работы по теме:
My favorite writer
Topic: My favorite writer Anton Kondrashow form 8 B Minsk 2003 I'm fond of reading. Usually I borrow books from the library, but I have a lot of them at home, too. I like to read books about the history of our country, about famous people and the life of my contemporaries abroad. Literature means much in my life.
Robinson Crusoe Essay Research Paper Daniel Defoes
Robinson Crusoe Essay, Research Paper Daniel Defoe?s most famous novel was published in 1719 with the full title, The Life and strange and surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. It is based, in fact, upon the experiences of Alexander Selkirk who had run away to sea in 1704 and requested to be left on an uninhabited island to be rescued five years later.
How Contemporary Art Owes The Renaissance Essay
, Research Paper How Contemporary Art owes the Renaissance The following essay will discuss how the Contemporary World owes a debt to the Renaissance era. The word Renaissance means rebirth , a perfection of sorts, which is exactly what the contemporary world strives for each and every day. Many different advances began during the renaissance, and continue to develop today.
Robinson Crusoe Essay Research Paper By definition
Robinson Crusoe Essay, Research Paper By definition, a savage is an uncivilized person. Friday would not fit this description because he was civilized. He was a product of the civilization that surrounded him where he came from. His appearance, behaviors, and beliefs were that of all the others in what might be called his tribe.
Robinson Crusoe And Deneil Defoe Essay Research
Paper Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, led a rather dramatic life, just like the character described in his novel. He had played various roles throughout his life. He used to be a successful merchant, though went out of business later. He published The True-Born Englishman, which was awarded by William III, and he also the author of The Short Way With The Dissentions, because of which he was sent to the court since the article ridicule the policy the government had taken towards the national church.
Moll Flanders Sinner Or Saint Essay Research
Paper Moll Flanders: Sinner or Saint? There are many reasons why Daniel Defoe’s classic novel Moll Flanders is still studied today. One of the reasons that it is still so widely studied is that there are significant reasons to doubt the sincerity of Moll’s repentance at the end of the novel. Her conversion is attained rather easily, perhaps too easily.
Dont Forget Essay Research Paper It is
Dont Forget Essay, Research Paper It is not a thing of the past, rather a clear vivid image I remember, I remember as if it had happened yesterday. We were called to go fight, Go to Europe and liberate.
Moll Flanders Madame Bovary
, & The Joys Of Motherhood Essay, Research Paper Moll Flanders, Madame Bovary, & The Joys of Motherhood Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders, Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, and Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood are three novels that portray the life of woman in many different ways. They all depict the turmoils and strife’s that women, in many cultures and time periods, suffer from.
Saint Colette Essay Research Paper SAINT COLETTENicolette
Saint Colette Essay, Research Paper SAINT COLETTE Nicolette DeBoilet was delivered into the loving arms of her parents on January 13, 1381. They immediately began to affectionately call her Colette. Her father, Robert DeBoilet, was the carpenter of the famous Benedictine Abbey of Corbie; her mother’s name was Marguerite Moyon.
Plague Writers Essay Research Paper Europe has
Plague Writers Essay, Research Paper Europe has experience two great plagues throughout its history. The first came in 1347, it was known as the Black Death. The second hit Europe?s most famous city, London, in late 1664 or early 1665; residents called it the Great London Plague. During these two plagues, there arose two men willing to tell the world of the horrors these two plagues brought with them.
Morality And Religion In Defoe
’s Writing Essay, Research Paper MORALITY AND RELIGION IN DEFOE’S WRITING ( ROBINSON CRUSOE AND MOLL FLANDERS ) Daniel Defoe was born in 1660.Daniel received a very good education as his father hoped he would become a minister , but Daniel was not interested.His family were Dissenters, Presbyterians to be precise, and those sects were being persecuted a bit at this time so maybe Daniel had the right idea.He was always very tolerant of other’s religious ideas himself he was a good puritan at the same time.He’d pretty much against the ministry,though he wrote and spoke in favor of the Dissenters all his life.However being a religious man he sometimes critisized Christianty .Somehow he reflected his beliefs in his books,writings.
Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe c 16591731
) Essay, Research Paper An adventurous tale, The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, as Defoe titled his novel, is especially loved by children, although there is certainly enough to keep
Daniel Defoe Essay Research Paper Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe Essay, Research Paper Daniel Defoe’s acclaimed novel, Robinson Crusoe, is not only a great adventurous novel, but an amazing reflection of Defoe’s moral beliefs, personal experiences, and political battles with the English monarchy. Throughout the course of this novel, references to defoe’s own experiences come up again and again.
Robinsin Crusoe Essay Research Paper A book
Robinsin Crusoe Essay, Research Paper A book review of Daniel Defoe’s: Robinson Crusoe Robinson Crusoe is an imaginary story about a merchant-adventure marooned on a desert island off the northern coast of South America. Daniel Defoe wrote this novel in 1719.He based the story partly on the experiences of a Scottish sailor, Alexander Selkirk, but defoe’s realistic account of Crusoe’s like is much more interesting, and has become one of the most popular books in English.
Blind Man Essay Research Paper This story
Blind Man Essay, Research Paper This story The Blind Man is about a woman named Isabel, who has a husband named Maurice. The two of them had been married for 4 years, before there was a certain accident. This accident took place at Flanders, and resulted in the blinding of Maurice. The two continued to live together for the next year, and pretty much, all was well.
An Essay On Robinson Crusoe And Foe
Compairing Man Friday Essay, Research Paper inte‘To make the voice of Friday articulate would be to betray it sentimentally into… lligibility, for the comfort of the guilty self; but not to articulate its silencing would be an even worse treachery.’ Discuss the ways in which Defoe and Coetzee represent Friday.
Robinson Crusoe
& Friday Essay, Research Paper By definition, a savage is an uncivilized person. Friday would not fit this description because he was civilized. He was a product of the civilization that surrounded him where he came from. His appearance, behaviors, and beliefs were that of all the others in what might be called his tribe.
Moll Flanders By Daniel Defoe Essay Research
Paper Book Report Michelle Williams Moll Flanders by Daniel DeFoe CHARACTER SKETCH Moll Flanders: A woman in the 17th century who was born in Newgate ( a prison) and spent twelve years as a whore, twelve years as a thief, was married five times, committed incest, was sentenced to death, but given a reprieve, and was transported to Virginia were she finally prospered.
Moll Flanders Essay Research Paper The Role
Moll Flanders Essay, Research Paper The Role of Motherhood in Moll Flanders In Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe, there is no true development of maternal feelings over the course of the novel. At times throughout the story, what appear to be maternal feelings are really overshadowed by either guilt or a hidden motive.
Abortion Essay Research Paper Page 4 of
Abortion Essay, Research Paper Page 4 of 7 In the H.L. vs. Matheson case, an unmarried 15 year old girl living with her parents in Utah and dependent on them, became pregnant. She was advised by her doctor that an abortion would be in her best interest (Flanders, 85). Because a state law required a physician to notify the parents of a minor before performing an abortion or face criminal penalties, the doctor refused to proceed without first contacting the mother or father.
The Imperialistic Views Of Robinson Crusoe Essay
, Research Paper The Imperialistic Views of Robinson Crusoe In Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe illustrates the beliefs of a 18th century British citizen. Robinson Crusoe, stranded on an island, takes it upon himself to better those around him. He takes the time to educate Friday and teach him ?civil? ways.
War Poetry Essay Research Paper During a
War Poetry Essay, Research Paper During a war people do not understand the pain, sacrifice, and hardship that the soldiers endure. Many are just interested with the outcome. Many questions asked are, ?Are we winning?? as if it is a game they are watching. Propaganda is used to lure boys into the army and comfort family members.
Robinson Crusoe- Emergence Of The Modern Self
Essay, Research Paper In the novel Robinson Crusoe, Defoe illustrates the contradictions that drench the thoughts and actions of man as he strives to reach for God while also forced to face the realization that he must ensure his own safety in the world. Defoe uses Crusoe?s journey on the canoe to exemplify how Crusoe lives in a world where he longs to please and obey God but must also contend with his instinct, which looks to himself for his savior.
A Book Report Of Robinson Crusoe By
Daniel Defoe Essay, Research Paper A Book Report of Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe The Book Robinson Crusoe is an adventure story about a man named Robinson Crusoe who?s bad luck puts him alone on a desolate island. He has to survive through very tough conditions and keep his sanity. Throughout the book Crusoe question?s himself and his faith time and time again, “Why did god put me on this island all alone.” His faith in god fluctuates all through the story.
Robinson Crusoe Essay Essay Research Paper The
Robinson Crusoe Essay Essay, Research Paper The novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe shows the faith in a person to survive purely on determination and will. With no previous knowledge of tools, navigation, or even a belief in God, Robinson Crusoe learns to acquire these skills by himself when he is stranded on a deserted island.
Rupert Brooke Essay Research Paper Rupert Brooke
Rupert Brooke Essay, Research Paper Rupert Brooke was one of the early poets in the war. He felt privileged like many to fight for their country. He died of illness in 1915 before having seen
Moll Flanders And Society Essay Research Paper
written by umut altan MOLL FLANDERS One of the earliest social novels in English , Moll Flanders features one of the most lively , convincing , and delightful rogues in literature .In the novel , through the harsh life of a woman , Daniel Defoe shows the reader how life was in the 18th century England .
Moll Flanders A Brief Summary Essay Research
Paper Moll Flanders (a brief summary) novel by Daniel Defoe paper by Sara Slaughter Moll Flanders is a story about the fall and rise of a beautiful woman who was born in Newgate Prison. Her mother was saved from the gallows because “she pleaded her belly”, and soon after Moll was born, her mother was shipped to the clonies to work out her sentence.
Moll Flanders Themes Essay Research Paper Moll
Moll Flanders: Themes Essay, Research Paper Moll Flanders: Themes Three recurring themes in Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe are greed, vanity, and repentance. Theme is defined as an underlying or essential subject of
Love And Marriage In The 18Th Century
Essay, Research Paper Our aim in this paper will be to analyze and discuss the different ways in which love and marriage were dealt with during the eighteenth century and to what extent these two terms were linked together or considered as opposite. To accomplish this matter we are going to focus our attention on several works that are representative from this period and that reflect in an accurate way the social mores and more specifically, marriage conventions and romantic love.
Different Not Dirty Essay Research Paper The
Different Not Dirty Essay, Research Paper The issue of women s cross-dressing during the Renaissance was an issue of tradition and norms. Many assumptions were made about a person of this era who did not follow the standard way of life. Society did not accept people who were different and automatically assumed they were immoral people.