ry follows Tom Jones’s adventures, from a foundling raised by Mr. Allworthy to his involvement with many romantic affairs and social classes. Through Tom’s journey, Fielding shows the themes of human nature, social class, morality, sexuality, and hypocrisy. Let us take a closer look at the themes below. 

Theme of Morality: For Fielding, true morality is someone’s kindness, generosity, and honesty, even if they occasionally make mistakes. Tom Jones is an example of a moral character. Tom is a kind-hearted young man. He helps others, like when he gives money to poor Black George’s family. He also makes mistakes, like having affairs with many women. But he learns from his mistakes and grows. Mr. Allworthy sees Tom’s good nature and says:

“I am convinced, my child, that you have much goodness, generosity, and honour, in your temper.”

Fielding shows that goodness is about having a kind heart and learning from mistakes.

Theme of Hypocrisy: Fielding strongly criticises hypocrisy in society. 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.”

Theme of Love and Sexuality: Fielding treats love and sexuality as natural parts of human life. He does not blame sexual desires outright. However, Fielding also warns about the dangers of uncontrolled passion and the chaos it can cause. Tom’s relationships with women, like Molly, Mrs. Waters, and Lady Bellaston, often lead him into trouble. These relationships show that sexual desire without genuine love can create problems. For example, Lady Bellaston desires Tom and tries to harm Sophia to separate her from Tom.

“She [Lady Bellaston] resolved to get rid of her [Sophia] by some means or other.”

However, Tom’s love for Sophia is true and pure. Sophia is beautiful, intelligent, and virtuous. As Tom matures, he realises that true love should be based on respect and commitment, not just physical attraction. This theme shows that sexuality must be guided by love and responsibility.

Theme of Class and Society: Fielding shows the different classes of 18th-century English society in this novel. At the beginning of the novel, Tom is found as an infant in Mr. Allworthy’s bedroom, with no clue of his parents. So, the society treats him as a “bastard,” although he is good-hearted. Characters like Mr. Allworthy represent the noble, kind upper class who care for others. While characters like Lady Bellaston represent the fashionable upper class who are selfish and cunning. Fielding criticises class prejudice by showing that goodness does not depend on birth or social class.

Theme of Fate and Fortune: The novel also explores how fate controls human life. Tom’s life changes due to luck and accidents, like when Mr. Allworthy finds him as a baby on his bed. Fielding shows that while fate is important, personal choices and goodness shape one’s destiny.

In fine, Fielding’s “Tom Jones” entertains us and points us to important themes. Fielding believes that true morality is about kindness, good intentions, and learning from mistakes. Love and sexuality are natural, but they must be guided by respect and responsibility. Hypocrisy should be criticised, and society should not judge people by their birth. Fielding’s realistic and humorous approach to these themes makes the novel one of the all-time favourites.