clearly Tom is an orphan His parents are unknown He grows up without wealth or social status His life is full of mistakes joys and sufferings which is typical of a picaresque hero nbsp Tom Jones as a Picaro Rogue Hero Tom Jones is not a perfect hero He is kind and generous but he is also careless and impulsive He helps poor people and feels sympathy for others For example he gives money to Black George s family even when he himself has little At the same time he gets involved with several women like Molly and Mrs Waters Mr Allworthy says that Tom is good at heart nbsp I am convinced my child that you have much goodness generosity and honour nbsp This mixture of virtue and fault is a main feature of a picaresque hero nbsp Journey and Adventures A major feature of a picaresque novel is travel Tom is forced to leave Paradise Hall and go on a long journey During this journey he faces many adventures He meets soldiers innkeepers beggars ladies thieves and gentlemen We see Tom s love with Sophia We see the selfish upper-class Lady Bellaston who wants to separate Sophia and Tom Each episode shows a different side of English society The novel moves like a chain of adventures rather than a single straight story nbsp Realistic Picture of Society Picaresque novels show society as it really is In Tom Jones Fielding presents all classes of society such as the rich and poor honest and corrupt We see hypocrisy greed kindness and love Characters like Blifil and Thwackum represent false morality Fielding shows that hypocrisy is more dangerous to religion and goodness than openly bad people As the narrator says nbsp Both religion and virtue have received more real discredit from hypocrites than infidels could ever cast upon them nbsp This social realism is a key feature of the picaresque tradition nbsp Episodic Structure Unlike tragic or heroic epics Tom Jones does not follow one serious plot It is divided into many episodes Each episode adds color and meaning to the story Tom s love affairs fights mistakes and growth form a loose but lively structure This episodic nature is typical of picaresque novels nbsp Moral Growth of the Hero Though Tom is a rogue at first he learns from his sufferings By the end of the novel he becomes more responsible and mature He learns to say no to wrong choices For example he refuses Lady Bellaston because he loves Sophia Fielding writes nbsp It is much easier to make good men wise than to make bad men good nbsp This shows Fielding s belief that good people like Tom can learn and grow While truly immoral people like Blifil are unlikely to change Tom s gradual moral growth through life experience is another strong picaresque element nbsp In conclusion Tom Jones is considered a picaresque novel because it follows the life of a low-born hero Tom He moves through society faces many adventures and learns from his mistakes The realistic social picture wandering journey and flawed but kind-hearted hero make it a perfect example of a picaresque novel