Tom Jones Novel Essay

Tom Jones is a fiction story that begins with Mr. Allworthy arriving from London and finds a baby in his bed. Allworthy stays with his sister Bridget who is unmarried and has a maidservant known as Mrs. Deborah. Allworthy undertakes to uncover the parents of the baby and finds Jenny Jones and partridge guilty. He sends Jenny away from the county and takes the responsibility of taking care of the baby contrary to the criticisms that he gets from the parish members.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Imagery has been used in the literature to explore the themes and the characters in the novel. Firstly, when the baby is found at Allworthy's bed imagery is used to describe his sleep and clothing. The narrator says the boy has been wrapped in coarse linen and he is in sweet sleep.it gives a sense of touch and intensity of sleep. Secondly, the color of the clothes is also a depiction of imagery where they are described as clothed in lively colors. Similarly, Mrs. Deborah describes the baby as "misbegotten wretch" who stinks badly.

Dialogue is also a critical tool in the literature because it has been used to describe the character's mind and actions. For instance through the Dialogue of Mr. Allworthy and Mrs. Deborah one is able to read their minds. Deborah is not pleased with the idea of taking care of the baby for the night and she complains that the owner of the bay should be sought and she goes ahead to say that they could be a neighbor. Deborah expresses her disappointment by saying "...faugh! How it stinks!.... (line 57) besides she tells him that the baby should be taken to his mother. Similarly, through dialogue, Mr. Allworthy's complaints and intention to pursue the owner of the bay can be known. It is coupled with his maidservant's disappointment that makes her request the master to find the owner. Through dialogue one is able to read Deborah's mischief and comic character when she comments that if given chance to make a decision the maidservant would keep the baby warm and abandon it at the door of a worshipping place.

Satire and comedy have also been used to depict moral decay and neglect in the society. Mrs. Deborah makes satirical comments that clearly show how people have abandoned their responsibility in taking care of their children. She states "...if I might be so bold to give my advice I would have put it in a basket and sent out and laid in the churchwarden's door.It is a good night only a little rainy and windy." (line 59 & 60). Deborah uses this statement to satirize the community that abandons children by dumping them silently in places they can be picked by well-wishers. It is a comic statement because she utters it boldly in front of her master and with frowned face although with feigning seriousness. The lines depict a society that is full of moral decadence to the extent that people abandon the responsibility of taking care of their children. It also portrays the reasoning of many who are caught up in a situation and instead of handling it in the right manner they take shortcuts to cover up for their issues. It is important to note that satire and comedy are critical in revealing what seems hard to unearth.