A Double Standard For Men And Women
In Tom Jones Essay, Research Paper
A DOUBLE STANDARD FOR MEN AND WOMEN IN TOM JONES
For this undertaking, I will be sum uping three different articles that pertain to the statement that there is an evident dual criterion for what is acceptable behaviour in work forces versus adult females in Tom Jones. In add-on to sum uping these articles, I will besides be adding my ain positions and remarks throughout this paper.
The first article is by April London, entitled Controling the Text: Womans in Tom Jones. London begins by saying that Fielding uses a metaphor between belongings and adult females throughout the text in Tom Jones. She states that & # 8220 ; Fielding plays with the multiple significances of belongings, underselling the equation of female and weakness, to offer versions of power unconstrained by gender which are. . . contradicted by. . . Sophia & # 8217 ; s subordination [ at ] the novel & # 8217 ; s happy stoping & # 8221 ; ( 323 ) . London argues that although Fielding seems to set aside the gender prejudice, he really enforces it by the manner his character Sophia alterations at the terminal of the novel. I think this is an interesting observation that has some virtue. London does a good occupation of supplying illustrations to reenforce her statement.
London claims that throughout the fresh Sophia stairss over the bounds of authorization in order to keep her ain unity, something instead uncommon for adult females to make back in the eighteenth century. The most straight-out illustration of this, of class, is when Sophia refuses to get married Blifil and runs off after her male parent locks her in her room, meaning to maintain her there until the twenty-four hours of the nuptials. London says that & # 8220 ; the construction of authorization. . . arose from belongings & # 8221 ; ( 325 ) and that Sophia is proving her male parent & # 8217 ; s power of acquisition of that belongings. Because she decides to put herself in her aunt & # 8217 ; s attention, Sophia takes control of her ain life.
Harmonizing to London, throughout most of this novel, the female characters kind of control the secret plan and class of action, which is truly unusual for its clip. Furthermore, a few of them, Lady Bellaston in peculiar, really demonstrate assertiveness and finding, which is once more, unusual for the clip period. London states that & # 8220 ; female power, although most richly evoked in negative footings as an look of prurience, besides has its positive incarnation in the individual of Sophia & # 8221 ; ( 329 ) .
This looking rise of feminine power Michigans suddenly, nevertheless, with Sophia & # 8217 ; s grant and matrimony to Tom. Harmonizing to London, & # 8220 ; Sophia. . . is correspondingly diminished as she becomes portion of the belongings dealingss that now define her hubby & # 8221 ; ( 331 ) . She goes on to state that this development brings the eighteenth century values refering land ( and adult females through the usage of the belongings metaphor ) back into line: symmetricalness, stableness, and continuity. London coatings by saying that in all of Fielding & # 8217 ; s novels, including Joseph Andrews, Amelia and Tom Jones, adult females are given power merely so that they can subsequently give it up through the cession of their belongings to their male opposite numbers once the work forces have & # 8220 ; revealed themselves as prudential & # 8221 ; ( 331 ) . She argues that & # 8220 ; Releasing the possibilities of character, they are absorbed into the ethic of belongings dealingss, going metaphoric properties of the constitutional order Fielding defends & # 8221 ; ( 331-2 ) .
It is evident that while Fielding does impute a certain power to the adult females of this novel, he finishes by adhering to the traditional positions of the clip and about implies that Sophia was truly a agency to an terminal: she finally cedes her belongings and wealth to Tom, which allows Tom to set up himself and his place in society.
The Mitigated Truth: Tom Jones & # 8217 ; s Double Heroism by Peter J. Carlton is the 2nd article. Carlton argues that Tom gets off with a assortment of actions, particularly illicit sex, with really small penalty and even less guilt. Tom & # 8217 ; s actions are ever minimized by the actions of other characters, really frequently female characters, every bit good as by the convenient environing fortunes. For illustration, Tom is involved with Molly Seagrim, but his engagement I
s minimized by a character study of Molly that Sophia’s maid Honour forms when she states that Molly was ever a forward, willing dame and that when dames are so approaching, work forces are non so much to be blamed, for it’s merely natural to move on this bumptiousness ( 398 ) . This dual criterion is really stated and “justified” by another adult female, which accurately highlights the manner of thought in the eighteenth century that Fielding obviously recognized.
Subsequently, when Molly is found to be pregnant, Allworthy lectures Tom much in the same manner he lectured Jenny Jones old ages ago, but harmonizing to Carlton, Fielding & # 8220 ; minimizes its impact in Tom & # 8217 ; s instance & # 8221 ; ( 399 ) . These two cases are a few of many illustrations of this dual criterion for work forces and adult females. Carlton sums up the position of adult females when he states,
Fielding relies on. . . the traditional position of adult females, implicit in the fact that it is ever the adult female who is the attacker in Tom & # 8217 ; s personal businesss. . . adult females are perceived as either & # 8220 ; purer & # 8221 ; than they are or more sexually famished than they are ( the familiar & # 8216 ; virgin/whore & # 8217 ; polarisation ) , but ne’er merely as they are. At one extreme, they are seen as semidivine existences. . . at the other, adult females are portrayed as insatiate sinks of lecherousness ( 399-400 ) .
Sophia and Lady Bellaston seem to stand for these two extremes exactly. Sophia is frequently referred to with heavenly and godly illations, while Lady Bellaston is the provoker of an ongoing matter with Tom. Tom is viewed as an guiltless bystander who falls victim to & # 8216 ; an evil enchantress & # 8217 ; of kinds.
Carlton tells us that another critic, Battestin, comments that & # 8220 ; at a clip when the dual criterion was widely accepted, Fielding strove to specify the morality of sexual relationships for work forces every bit good as adult females & # 8221 ; ( 402 ) . Carlton refutes this, nevertheless, by stating that instead than seeking to do an ideal judgement about sexual behaviours of work forces and adult females, Fielding merely compares Tom & # 8217 ; s actions to those of Nightingale and Will Barnes and demonstrates that Jones & # 8217 ; s behaviour is non as loose in ethical motives as is his equals ( 402 ) .
Carlton goes on to discourse the word picture of gallantry in Tom, most of which does non use in the range of this paper. However, he does reason that one aspect of Tom & # 8217 ; s gallantry is a & # 8220 ; Cavalier gallantry, a darting blend of sexual and soldierly art & # 8221 ; ( 403 ) which seems to pardon Tom & # 8217 ; s promiscuous behaviour and even adds to his attractive force. While the adult females involved in these personal businesss are looked upon as immorality and tempting, Tom is really looked upon as a darting chevalier hero. This development speaks volumes about the dual standard apparent in Tom Jones.
To farther support these statements is a 3rd article by Gene S. Koppel entitled Sexual Education and Sexual Values in Tom Jones: Confusion at the Core? Most of this article talks about the sexual instruction and deficiency thereof in Tom, concentrating on incompatibilities throughout the novel. Again, most of this is non within the range of this paper, but Koppel does do one statement that wholly supports the dual criterion statement. He says, & # 8220 ; After all, it is rather obvious that Fielding accepted, at least partially, the traditional Western & # 8216 ; dual criterion, & # 8217 ; which considered males to be sexually & # 8216 ; grosser & # 8217 ; than females and allowed them ( on the side, at least ) more sexual freedom than it permitted adult females & # 8221 ; ( 7 ) .
Again, Fielding seems to keep a dual criterion for what is acceptable behaviour in work forces versus adult females. This is highlighted through eternal illustrations and state of affairss throughout the novel which would supply formidable statements for anyone who sought to reason otherwise.
Carlton, Peter J. & # 8220 ; The Mitigated Truth: Tom Jones & # 8217 ; s Double Heroism. & # 8221 ; Surveies in the Novel XIX, no. 4 ( Winter 1987 ) : 397-409.
Fielding, Henry. Tom Jones. New York: Bantam. 1997.
Koppel, Gene S. & # 8220 ; Sexual Education and Sexual Values in Tom Jones: Confusion at the Core? & # 8221 ; Surveies in the Novel XII, no. 1 ( Spring 1980 ) : 1-11.
London, April. & # 8220 ; Controling the Text: Womans in Tom Jones. & # 8221 ; Surveies in the Novel XIX, no. 3 ( Fall 1987 ) : 323-333.
