es his good nature and says:
“I am convinced, my child, that you have much goodness, generosity, and honour, in your temper.”
However, Tom is also full of youthful mischief. He follows his passion and gets involved with many women, like Molly and Mrs. Waters. This causes him a lot of trouble. Tom learns from his mistakes slowly.
Another lifelike character is Mr. Square Allworthy. He is kind and generous. He gives shelter to infant Tom when he finds him on his bed. However, he makes mistakes because of his blind trust in people like Blifil and Thwackum. He banishes Tom. This shows that even good people can be wrong. Fielding’s lifelike characters make this novel relatable and enjoyable.
Hypocrites and Villains: Fielding skillfully shows hypocrites who pretend to be good but are selfish and cunning. Blifil pretends to be obedient and religious. But he is actually greedy, jealous, and deceitful. He lies to Squire Allworthy to make Tom appear bad. Thwackum, Tom’s tutor, pretends to teach religion but uses religion to punish Tom and support Blifil. Through these characters, Fielding shows that hypocrisy is more dangerous to religion and goodness than openly bad people. As the narrator says:
“Both religion and virtue have received more real discredit from hypocrites than… infidels could ever cast upon them.”
Fashionable Class: Fielding gives us a clear picture of the 18th-century fashionable upper-class society through his characterization of Lady Bellaston. Lady Bellaston is a clever, selfish, rich London lady. She desires Tom and tries to separate Sophia from Tom. So, she distracts Sophia by taking her to fashionable parties. She even introduces Sophia to Lord Fellamar. She sets up Lord Fellamar to sexually assault Sophia. The narrator says:
“She [Lady Bellaston] resolved to get rid of her [Sophia] by some means or other.”
Lady Bellaston’s character gives us an idea about how cruel upper-class people can be, to take what they want.
Comic Characters: Fielding uses humour in his characters to lighten serious moments. Squire Western, Sophia’s father, is loud and stubborn. He hunts, always shouts, and drinks. He is obsessed with forcing Sophia to marry whom he wants. His actions create comic moments. Partridge, Tom’s loyal companion, is another comic character. He is talkative, fearful, and superstitious. These comic characters make the novel enjoyable.
Grow and Change: Another remarkable thing about Fielding’s characters is that they grow and change throughout the story. This makes them realistic and human. Tom Jones starts as a careless and pleasure-seeking youth. But he learns carefulness and control over his desires. He learns to say no to wrong choices. For example, he refuses Lady Bellaston because he loves Sophia. The narrator says:
"It is much easier to make good men wise, than to make bad men good."
This shows Fielding’s belief that good people, like Tom, can learn and grow. While truly immoral people, like Blifil, are unlikely to change.
In conclusion, Henry Fielding’s art of characterization makes the novel relatable and enjoyable. His characters laugh, cry, make mistakes, and grow. They teach us about human nature, society, and morality. Fielding’s art of characterization makes “Tom Jones” one of the best in English literature.
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