Moll Flanders

A detailed Summary of Moll Flanders

The Role of Motherhood in Moll Flanders

In Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe, there is no true development of maternal feelings over the course of the novel. At times throughout the story, what appear to be maternal feelings are really overshadowed by either guilt or a hidden motive. It is quite evident that Defoe is out to show that maternal feelings in Moll's orbit were not very strong, as can be seen in the many "mothers" that come into play throughout the novel. Moll's guilt and discomfort seem to be what save her children each time. We never see the "unconditional love" of a mother with child that many authors have shown in their novels. Instead, we see a conditional love, which is dependent on wealth and security.

Moll and Robin, Moll's first husband, were married for five years, until Robin's death; Moll had two children by him. She never really loved him, and never ceased longing for his older brother. However, she still had children with him. It seems that her lack of feelings for her husband were also similar to her feelings about the product between them (the children), because after her husband dies, the Mayor and his lady eventually "took the children off [Moll's] hands, leaving [her] a pretty widow with 1200

guineas." If Moll had any attachment to these children, she would have thought of ways to continue to raise them. She did have 1200 guineas, and it took only 5 guineas a year to support them. Instead, she took the easy way out and gave the children away, due to her lack of feelings for them and the fact that she was trying to be remarried. Moll passes over certain periods very quickly: the five years of her marriage take less than a page to describe, and the description of the situation with her children is only a few sentences. We never really hear about her children, or what childbirth was like, or anything domestic. Moll's lack of attachment to her children is rather striking: it appears that children are only an unwanted charge for an attractive widow with no steady income. She is, however, careful to find homes for them, which show that there are at least some basic human feelings of guilt.

The mother of Moll and her brother also seems to be more motivated by regard for conventions than anything else: she would actually prefer to have her children continue cohabiting, than risk the scandal of separation. Also, she shows no joy upon the discovery of her long lost daughter, which is very strange. Thus Moll is motivated by a sort of instinctive natural morality, her husband/brother by a more religious

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Approximate Word count = 2813
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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Moll Flanders

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