Characters analysis of "Tom Jones"

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                                                           Tom Jones


                                                    
              CHARACTER ANALYSIS OF TOM JONES

            Department of English (M.K.B.U.) 
Parmar Dipali K. 
Roll No: 30 
M.A. Sem. 1 
Batch: 2015-’17 
Email Id: dipaliparmar247@gmail.com


                     Character List
1. Squire Allworthy:

Respected gentleman, "the favourite of both Nature and Fortune," and Tom's guardian. He supports Tom as his own, though believing he is a foundling. Brother of Bridget Allworthy.

2. Bridget Allworthy:

Sister of Squire Allworthy, she is unmarried at the beginning of the story, but becomes Mrs. Blifil when she marries Captain Blifil. She is an unattractive woman alleged to have been immortalized by Hogarth in his sketch "Winter's Morning." Bridget is the mother of Master Blifil and, after her death, is revealed to be Tom Jones's mother.

3. Mrs. Wilkins:

Servant to Miss Bridget Allworthy. A shrewish woman "universally hated and dreaded," she is given the task of finding Tom's mother.

4. Tom Jones:

The eponymous hero. He is believed to be an illegitimate child of low birth, but is brought up as a gentleman. He is handsome, generous, popular and passionate. The novel charts his progress to adulthood and his pursuit of Miss Sophia Western.

5. Jenny Jones:

A bright young woman, Jenny is "as good a scholar as most of the young men of quality of the age." Jenny Jones is initially believed to be Tom Jones' mother. She is in the employ of the Partridges and is dismissed by the jealous Mrs. Partridge. Squire Allworthy provides for her in another parish in a bid for her to mend her wanton ways.

It is later revealed that Jenny was paid to confess to being the mother of the child to protect the honor of Miss Bridget Allworthy.

6. Dr. Blifil:

A friend of Allworthy's. A bright man trapped in the wrong vocation. He falls in love with Bridget Allworthy but, as he is already married, he convinces his brother, Captain Blifil, to court her. He is cut out of the friendship and dies of a broken heart.

 7. Captain Blifil:
A half-pay officer, Captain Blifil is brought to Allworthy's estate to court Bridget Allworthy. He is an unattractive man, but he and Bridget fall for each other. Captain Blifil is keen to inherit Allworthy's property through his wife, and dies of an apoplexy while imagining his fortune. Though he and his wife hate each other, she erects a monument to his memory. He is the father of Master Blifil.

8. Partridge:

Originally a schoolteacher, Mr. Partridge is cast out by the community after allegedly beating his wife and fathering Jenny Jones' child - neither of which he is responsible for.

He later meets up with Tom as Little Benjamin and accompanies him on his travels, in the hope of winning Allworthy's favor again. Partridge remains a loyal and devoted friend to Tom, even though he is something of a bumbler.

9. Mrs. Partridge:

A bitter and jealous woman, Mrs Partridge attacks her husband when she thinks he is the father of Jenny Jones's child. She then accuses him of beating her, which helps to ruin his reputation.

10. Square:

Mr. Square is a philosopher. He resides at the Allworthy household as a friend but also as an advisor to Tom Jones and Master Blifil. He believes that vice is a "deviation from nature." His philosophy is juxtaposed with that of Thwackum.

His elevated position is ridiculed when he is found hiding in Molly Seagrim's bedroom. Square reveals Tom's great loyalty to Allworthy in a letter sent from his deathbed.

11. Thwackum:

Thwackum is a teacher employed to educate Master Blifil and Tom Jones. He is a fierce advocate that the human mind is "nothing but a sink of iniquity till purified and redeemed by grace." He is an enthusiastic advocate of corporal punishment and regularly thrashes Jones. He remains hypocritical till the end, and his philosophy is juxtaposed with that of Square.

 12. Black George
A gamekeeper friend of Tom's, and also the father of Molly Seagrim. Tom lies and steals to support George, and George later assists by passing communications to Sophia. He also, however, takes money which Tom misplaces, an act which is examined by the narrator through the various eyes of the audience. Also goes by George Seagrim.

13. Blifil

Son of Captain Blifil and Bridget Blifil. Master Blifil is favored by Allworthy when the man realizes he is not as appreciated by his mother as Tom is.

Master Blifil is sneaky and underhanded. He often seeks to put Tom in a bad light. Mrs. Western believes that Sophia Western is in love with him, and a marriage is planned by the two families. In reality, Sophia hates Master Blifil.

14. Sophia

Daughter of Squire Western, Mrs. Sophia Western is the heroine of the novel. She is based upon Fielding's much-loved first wife, Charlotte Cradock.

Sophia is an intelligent and beautiful young woman - "Her mind was every way equal to her person; nay the latter borrowed some charms from the former."

Sophia is drawn to Tom's gentlemanly ways, though she believes him low-born. She is willful, as she shows when she runs away from the arranged marriage with Master Blifil, but also wants to make others happy.

15. Squire Western

A neighbour of Squire Allworthy, and father of Sophia. He is a keen hunter and is fond of Tom until he hears of the affection between him and Sophia. Squire Western locks his daughter away in a bid to force her to marry Blifil, and pursues her when she flees. He is a boorish drunk.

16. Molly Seagrim

Daughter of Black George, Molly is the first girl to whom Tom is attracted. She is a beautiful and passionate girl who has little modesty or virtue. When she becomes pregnant, Tom admits to being the father and she is happy to sustain this pretense even though it is untrue.

17. Mrs. Seagrim

Molly's mother. She colludes with her daughter in her many liaisons for money, and helps to cover her daughter's pregnancy with a dress given by Sophia. Goes by Goody Seagrim.

18. Parson Supple

Local curate. He is present when Squire Western asserts that Tom is the father of Molly Seagrim's child, and when Tom is found with Molly in the woods. He later travels with Squire Western in the latter's hunt for Sophia.

19. Northerton

Ensign Northerton is an unsavoury and uneducated soldier who attacks Tom in an inn and causes a severe head injury. He escapes custody but is later found assaulting a lady, Mrs Waters, whom Tom rescues.

20. King of the Gypsies

Tom has an interesting conversation with the king of the gypsies regarding absolute monarchy. He also deals wisely with an attempt to con Partridge.

21. Lady Bellaston

London-based lady whom Sophia turns to when she flees her home. Lady Bellaston falls for Tom herself, and tries to keep him and Sophia apart. A vicious flirt, and entirely cruel.

22. Mrs. Miller

Kind and benevolent lady with whom Tom and Partridge take rooms in London. Mother of Nancy Miller and cousin of Mr Anderson, the failed highwayman. Mrs. Miller's support of Tom is crucial towards his success. Also owes Allworthy for having helped her earlier in life.

23. Mr. Anderson

A poor man with a large family, Anderson tries half-heartedly to rob Tom when they meet on the road. Tom gives him money instead. He is later revealed to be the cousin of Mrs. Miller. Tom's kindness to Mr. Anderson ultimately pays off by helping him earn Mrs. Miller's support.

24. Nightingale

A young gentleman who takes to Tom when they live together with Mrs. Miller. Nightingale becomes a devoted and true friend to Tom Jones. He ultimately marries Nancy Miller, partially through Tom's help.

25. Mr. Dowling

A lawyer who has dealings with Allworthy and Blifil. He engages in dubious activities at Blifil's behest, and keeps Bridget Allworthy's secret.

26. Lord Fellamar

A gentleman who falls for Sophia Western and attempts to rape her in order to win her hand. He is prompted to cruelty by Lady Bellaston, and later favored as a match by Mrs. Western.

27. Mrs. Arabella Hunt

A young and wealthy widow who asks for Tom to become her new husband. Tom gallantly refuses her request.

28. Captain Egglane

A military man recruited By Lord Fellamar to have Tom Jones press ganged and sent to sea.

29. Mrs. Honour

Sophia's loyal servant. Honour loves her mistress and organizes her own dismissal to stay with her lady. She is sometimes indiscreet but is well meaning. She sometimes affects air and graces to seem above her station. Ultimately ends up working for Lady Bellaston. Goes by Mrs. Abigal Honour.

30. Mrs. Waters

Jenny Jones, by another name. Tom rescues her later in the story, and they have a brief affair. The affair later appears to be incestuous, until the truth of Tom's parentage is brought up.

 31. Little Benjamin
Another name for Partridge, and the one he uses when Tom first meets up with him on the road.

32. Elder Nightingale

Nightingale's father. He engineers a match for his son that keeps Nightingale from pursuing Nancy Miller, until his mind is changed by Allworthy and by circumstance.

33. Nancy Miller

Mrs. Miller's daughter. A sweet girl who falls in love with Nightingale, and has his baby. They ultimately marry.



Primary Characters of Tom Jones

1. Tom Jones:

Jones’s character is presented in the novel as a youngster up until he marries Sophia. The reader is able to seen Jones’s maturation throughout the story. Tom shows as if he is only capable of thinking what he is doing at the moment and not what might be in the future. His actions are a backed up by his impulses at the time rather than by analysis. A perfect example of these impulses is when he without hesitation goes to bed with Molly Seagrim, Mrs. Waters, and Lady Bellaston while being deeply in love with Sophie. Jones’s line of thought is very unpredictable because he can go from deciding to join the army or go to sea as the solution to his problems and suddenly change his plans from one moment to the next.                                                                 

          Jones’s direct line of thought and concern for the welfare of other brings out the characteristic that the reader should mostly admire about Tom. He never thought that why he should help the person. He just impulsively helps everyone, this being at the cost of his own welfare.                                             

It is Tom’s own carelessness and naïve attitude that brings him all of the problems he faces through the novel. His constant concern for the present does not let him see the consequences of his immediate actions. Though he brings on himself his own misery. He eventually recognizes that his actions especially his affairs with two middle-aged women and one that might even his mother lead him to realize that what he was doing was wrong and from there on he decides to stop this behavior. From this point, the reader sees how Tom is able to acknowledge the importance of analyzing his actions before doing them.

2. Blifil:

Blifil, the antagonist of Tom Jones, is a foil to his uncle Allworthy. In contrast to Allworthy, whose altruism is almost excessive, Blifil not only acts vilely, but coats his evil with sugary hypocrisy. When Allworthy and Tom confront Blifil with his crimes, Blifil weeps not out of remorse, but rather out of terror. He does not reform his ways, but merely his religion, expediently converting to Methodism in order to marry a rich woman. As the static villain, Blifil stands opposite the consistent goodness of Allworthy. Fielding uses Blifil's lack of passion to condone Tom's abundance of "animal spirits" and to sharpen his definition of love. The reader does not admire Blifil's chastity, since it stems from an excessive interest in Sophia's fortune and in a desire to eclipse Tom. Fielding's claim that physical pleasure is a necessary part of true love is further validated when Tom's philandering is contrasted with Blifil's bitter chastity.

3. Squire Allworthy:

Allworthy is supposed to be correct all the time hence his last name but his actions as the novel progresses questions his decision making process and his better judgment of what is right and what is wrong. He makes his conclusions on Jones’s actions not by reasoning and analyzing the situation at hand but instead makes his decisions following what he understands what is right and wrong. Allworthy at the end of the novel admits that his decisions to reason the way he did and judge Jones the way he did were wrong.

4. Sophia:

Sophia Western, according to critic Martin Battestin, is an allegorical figure, meant to represent the feminine ideal and therefore kept as anonymous as possible. For example, the narrator does not provide concrete details of Sophia's appearance and character when he introduces her at the beginning of the novel, and by the end of the novel, we do not know much more. Although Sophia's decision to run away from her violent father Squire Western signals her courage and bravery—which the narrator says is becoming in a woman—she actually does very little in the novel. As a woman and obedient daughter, Sophia must allow herself to be acted upon, and even though she falls in love with Tom Jones before he falls in love with her, she cannot, in all decency, say anything. Similarly, Sophia puts up little resistance to her father's violence toward her.     

Sophia becomes the spokeswoman for male chastity at the end of the novel—ironically, through her lecture to Jones, she provides the final obstacle to their marriage and thus to the fulfillment of the comic plot. Through her generosity and genuine courtesy, Sophia becomes a representative, along with Jones and Allworthy of Fielding's vision of Virtue. She combines the best of the country and the city, since she has manners, unlike her country father, but they are genuine, unlike those of her courtly aunt, Mrs. Western. Similarly, Sophia combines the merits of the novel’s two other heroes without any of their faults—she is kind like Tom, but also remains chaste, and is generous toward others, like Allworthy, without being blind to their faults.

5. Squire Western:

Western like Tom is a very energetic and lively character. He does not analyze things too much just simply does what he feels like doing. It seems as if Western enjoys every moment because of his friendly and jovial attitude. Western though is also a very closed and stubborn man, once he believes in one idea there is no one who can change his mind.

6. Thwackum and Square:

Both these characters teach and live in Allworthy’s estate for the economic advantages. Their intentions are clear because they favor Blifil over Tom. Even though they are both religious men money come before their beliefs.



Secondary Characters of Tom Jones



1. Bridget Allworthy:

Bridget is the wife of Captain Blifil. She is the mother of both Blifil and Jones. Throughout the novel she cares for both her sons equally but before she dies she prefers Tom because of good deeds and kindness he always should to her.

2. Jenny Jones:

At the beginning of the novel she is accused of being Jones mother and is forced to leave the town. Later on Jones saves her from a robber. She changed her name to Mrs. Waters and is successful in seducing Jones. At the end she marries Parson Supple a friend of Squire Western.

3. Lady Bellaston:

Lady Bellaston is a single woman who lives in London and is a relative of the Westerns. She is a very selfish and greedy person. Due to her selfishness and envy she felt towards Tom and Sophia she ends up fighting them at the end of the novel.

4. Harriet Fitzpatrick:

Sophia’s cousin and wife of Mr. Fitzpatrick. Her true intentions were to get close to Sophia so she can improve her status with the Westerns.

5. Mrs Western:

Mrs Western is like her brother in that she is very energetic and lively. She concentrates her energies on gaining knowledge of the political world. She has had some connections with life in court. She is a nagging and incurable adviser, even when her advice is no wanted. What she wants is to be able to control a significant amount of the Westerns estate and have some authority over Squire Western. She does whatever is needed to reach her goal regardless of the welfare of others.

6. Mr. Partridge:

The schoolmaster; he a quiet person with a demanding wife. After he is falsely accused of being Tom's father he is asked to leave the town. Tom later in the novel meets him except he changed his name to Little Benjamin. After they discover each other's identity, Partridge decides to accompany Tom. Like the other characters in the novel Partridge decides to follow Tom with the hope of being able to return to the village and be hired by Allworthy. In some ways Partridge can resemble Sancho Panza in Cervantes novel Don Quijote because of the way he decides to accompany Jones in his pursuit of Sophie.


                                               Conclusion

Fielding wrote this novel to explain very clearly and lets the reader know what exactly was the situation at that moment in time in England. Jones’s problems and the attitudes of the other characters towards each other and the community can be interpreted and represented in today’s society. Fielding offers an example of how a man can overcome adversity and his vices to eventually become a man of prudence. For these reasons is why Tom Jones is one of the hundred best novels in English literature and should be read by anyone who considers themselves a student of the literary arts. 


                                    Reference: 
                               www. sparknotes.com
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