Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, often known simply as Tom Jones , is a comic novel by the English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding . The novel is both a Bildungsroman and a picaresque novel . First published on 28 February 1749 in London, Tom Jones is among the earliest English prose works describable as a novel.

In the begining of the novel description of Squire Allworthy is given. They are rich. while returning he founds a baby there. After search they conclude that it must be child of  Jenny Jones - a servant of a schoolmaster and his wife. child is named Tom Jones

.

Tom - protagonist and title character is a unheroic hero. The kind of background in which he brought up,,we cant expect good behaviour from him. He had affairs with so many girls, lives a wondering life. But the turns and twists in the novel are interesting

Tom grows into a vigorous and lusty, yet honest and kind-hearted, youth. His first love is Molly, gamekeeper Black George's second daughter and a local beauty. She throws herself at Tom; he gets her pregnant and then feels obliged to offer her his protection. After some time, however, Tom finds out that Molly is somewhat promiscuous. He then falls in love with a neighbouring squire's lovely daughter, Sophia Western. Tom's status as a bastard causes Sophia's father and Allworthy to oppose their love; this criticism of class friction in society acted as a biting social commentary. The inclusion of prostitution and sexual promiscuity in the plot was also original for its time. Sophia's father, Squire Western, is intent on making Sophia marry the hypocritical Master Blifil, but she refuses, and tries to escape from her father's influence. Tom, on the other hand, is expelled from Allworthy's estate for his many misdemeanours, and starts his adventures across Britain, eventually ending up in London. Amongst other things, he joins the army for a brief duration, finds a servant in a barber- surgeon named Partridge (who habitually spouts Latin non sequiturs), beds two older women (Mrs Waters and Lady Bellaston), and very nearly kills a man in a duel, for which he is arrested. Eventually the secret of Tom's birth is revealed, after a short scare that Mrs Waters (who is really Jenny Jones) is his birth mother, and that he has committed incest . Tom's real mother is Bridget, who conceived him after an affair with a schoolmaster — hence he is the true nephew of Squire Allworthy himself. After finding out about Tom's half-brother Master Blifil's intrigues, Allworthy decides to bestow the majority of his inheritance to Tom. Tom and Sophia Western marry, after this revelation of his true parentage, as Squire Western no longer harbours any misgivings over Tom marrying his daughter. Sophia bears Tom a son and a daughter, and the couple live on happily with the blessings of Squire Western and Squire Allworthy.

Tom was in love with Sophia Western. But her father dont like it because he is a bastard, and plans marriage with cunning Blifil. In between many incidents takes place. But both are united at hand.