Moll Flanders

A detailed Summary of Moll Flanders

Moll Flanders was a product of her vanity and pride. She devoted her entire life to achieving some sort of wealth and social status. Her pride encompassed her entire life and affected all of her life decisions. Moll sacrificed many things, including love, religion, self-respect, and peace of mind, in order to attain a sort of affluence. Eventually, Moll achieves her desires and retires a gentlewoman in America, but her journey definitely took a serious toll on her life. In the end, one must ask the question of whether Moll's lifestyle and decisions were the right ones. Did the ends justify the means? Did Moll's chosen path lead to a life of satisfaction or did the pain, paranoia, and emotional trauma that came along the way extract a price that is much greater then the wealth that she eventually achieved? The answer is that the suffering that Moll experienced was not worth the final outcome. Although Moll reached her goals in the end, she would have had a more fulfilling and gratifying life had she suppressed her vanity and price and accepted her role in society and lived accordingly.

Moll began life in the low class. Not much nobility or status was expected of the orphan born in Newgate Prison, and in

Moll's problems began with her relationship with the eldest brother. Her vanity and egoism allowed her to be seduced thus creating a serious conflict when the youngest brother sought her hand in marriage. Moll soon faced the dilemma of marrying Robin or faring for herself. Opting for financial security, Moll married a man whom she did not love. After Robin's death, Moll once again sought to marry a well to do man. She did just that and lived extravagantly for a few years until her husband was imprisoned for his debts. Once again, Moll was placed in a position of faring for herself or marrying for money and once again the marriage did not work out when her husband turned out to be her brother. Moll's marital circumstances continued to be troublesome until she was finally reunited with a man, Jemmy, whom she truly loved, even though he had little money. Had Moll declined to marry Robin and accepted that she might have to provide for herself until she found a husband who she truly loved, she could have avoided the pain associated with: mates who she did not love, being married to two men at the same time, and mothering children with her brother. In the end, none of the marriages that were based on monetary things worked out and Moll seemed to be in a worse position after each marriage ended.

We have seen how Moll let her vanity and pride shape her life. She found what she wanted in the end, but it took a mighty toll. She suffered through numerous relationships, each one leaving her in a position worse off then before. She had to deal with the constant paranoia and fear that is associated with being a thief. Yet she couldn't give up that lifestyle. She even had to face down her own death when she was sentenced to the gallows because of her actions. Moll made it through a

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Approximate Word count = 1211
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: People