Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Moll Flanders, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Poverty and Morality
Gender and Society
Identity
Sex and Money
Summary
Analysis
Moll’s real name is well known in the records at Newgate and Old-Baily—and some things of significance are still pending there—so she has concealed her identity. It is enough for the reader to know that some of Moll’s “worst Comrades” (who can no longer hurt her, as they have left the world “by the Steps and the String”), gave her the name Moll Flanders. This name will be used, Moll says, “till I dare own who I have been, as well as who I am.”
Newgate Prison and London’s courthouse sat at the corner of Newgate and Old-Baily Streets; thus, Newgate and Old-Baily are synonymous with crime and criminals. As Moll has concealed her identity over things pending there, it can again be inferred that Moll is a criminal, and perhaps a wanted one at that. Moll’s “worst Comrades” were obviously criminals, as they went out by “the Steps and the String,” which is to say they were hanged for their crimes. Moll’s comment as to who she was and who she is now suggests that identity evolves and changes over time, and she isn’t the same person she used to be. Furthermore, the name Moll Flanders is itself highly suggestive. “Moll” is English slang for a low-class woman of ill-repute, and “Flanders” carries connotations of sex and prostitution, as London’s most prominent prostitutes for years were Flemish women (that is, women from Flanders). As Moll’s name was given to her by people who knew her, it must have special significance, and this suggests that Moll is both a criminal and a prostitute.
Themes
In some European countries, when a criminal is ordered to prison, death, or transportation, any children they have are taken into the care of the government until the children are able to provide and care for themselves. Had this been the case in Moll’s country, had she not been left to fend for herself, perhaps her story would not entail “the swift Destruction both of Soul and Body.”
Defoe implies that England’s failure to care for orphaned children is directly to blame for the “destruction” of Moll’s “Soul and Body,” which indicates that Moll’s morals are destroyed, as well as her physical wellbeing. Defoe suggests here that Moll is more a victim than she is a criminal, and the fault lies with society.
Themes
Moll’s mother was a criminal, convicted of a felony for stealing three pieces of fabric, and she is sentenced to death. She “[pleads] her Belly,” however, and Moll is born seven months later. In the meantime, Mother’s sentence is commuted to transportation to the Plantations, and she leaves Moll at just six months old. Moll is taken in by family for a time, but she somehow ends up in the care of a wandering group of Egyptians. The Egyptians leave Moll in Colchester, where she is taken to the church. The church provides for Moll, but she is too young—only three years old—to do any work. The Magistrates place Moll under the care of a nurse, who makes her living keeping children for the church until they are old enough to “go to Service, or get their own Bread.”
Punishment was harsh in the 17th century, as evidenced by Moll’s mother’s death sentence for stealing fabric. Pregnant women were given a stay of execution if they “pleaded their Belly” (that is, asked to be treated gently due to their pregnancy,), or they were deported to the American colonies to be sold as servants. Moll is just an infant, and she is completely neglected and left uncared for, which reflects, as Defoe suggests, a major problem in English society. London churches often cared for orphans if the children were born into that parish, but Moll—born in a prison with no church affiliation—slips through the cracks. Women of the lower class are expected to “go to Service” when they come of age, which means they are expected to work as maids, cooks, or in other service positions, and this reflects the limited opportunities available to women during Moll’s time.
Themes
The nurse also operates a school, in which she teaches children “to Read and to Work.” The nurse, who comes from “good Fashion,” also teaches the children about art, and she takes a good deal of care in her work. She is a pious and “Mannerly” woman, and she brings the children up just as if they had been educated at a fancy school. When Moll is eight years old, the Magistrates order her into Service; however, Moll has no intention of ever going into Service, so she begs the nurse to keep her. Moll promises to work for the nurse, doing embroidery and sewing, and she swears she’ll work hard.
The nurse’s curriculum reflects society’s expectations of women. They are taught minimal academics—only reading—and otherwise, they are taught to work, likely at domestic work such as needlepoint and embroidery. The nurse’s “good Fashion” and “Mannerly” ways suggest she comes from high society, and she is committed to turning girls like Moll into women who fit society’s expectations: well-mannered, modest, and pious.
Themes
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All day long, Moll works and weeps, until the nurse asks her why she is crying. Moll explains that she doesn’t want to go to Service, where the other maids will surely beat her and make her do difficult work. The nurse convinces the mayor not to send Moll to Service until she is older, but for Moll, this isn’t enough. She never wants to go to Service. “What,” asks the nurse, “would you be a Gentlewoman?” Moll explains she will; she will make three-pence for embroidery and four pennies for sewing. The nurse assures Moll that won’t keep her, but Moll promises to work harder—and give all her money to the nurse.
The fact that Moll is expected to go into Service at such a young age underscores the oppression of women, especially lower-class women like Moll, in English society. Those in Service are little more than slaves, and they are clearly abused and exploited, as Moll fears violence and forced labor. While Moll doesn’t know it yet, a “Gentlewoman” is a polite term for a prostitute, and the nurse implies here that if Moll doesn’t go to Service, her only other option is prostitution.
Themes
Moved by Moll’s sadness and determination, the nurse agrees to keep Moll. The nurse relays Moll’s pleas to the mayor, who calls in his wife and daughters to hear the story, and they all laugh and laugh. A week later, the mayor’s wife comes to visit. She asks Moll if she is the little girl who wants to be a “Gentlewoman,” and Moll confirms she is. The woman smiles warmly and gives Moll a shilling. “Mind [your] work,” the woman says, “and learn to Work well.” Moll doesn’t realize, however, that she does not have the same understanding of a “Gentlewoman” as everyone else.
Clearly, Moll thinks being a “Gentlewoman” means not being poor and going into Service. The mayor calls in his family to laugh at Moll’s story because, in her innocence, she has said she wants to be a prostitute. The lady means just what she says—that Moll should work hard, since she only has a life of service ahead of her—but her words take on new significance in the sexual context that Moll doesn’t yet understand. Furthermore, when she gives Moll a shilling, it creates a connection between sex and money that continues throughout the book.
Themes
Moll continues her work, all the while talking about how she will become a “Gentlewoman.” The nurse later asks Moll what she means by “Gentlewoman,” and Moll explains that it is a woman who supports herself without going to Service. Moll tells the nurse about a woman in town, who mends lace and launders ladies’ hats. “She,” Moll says, “is a Gentlewoman, and they call her Madam.” The kindly nurse explains. “Poor child,” she says, “you may soon be such a Gentlewoman as that, for she is a Person of ill Fame, and has had two or three Bastards.”
Clearly, the “Gentlewoman” Moll speaks of is the madam of a brothel and a prostitute herself, since she is of “ill Fame, and has had two or three Bastards.” The nurse’s claim that Moll may soon be a Gentlewoman just like the madam foreshadows Moll’s future life of crime and prostitution. This passage also reflects the limited opportunities of women, as Moll is stuck between a life of servitude or a life of prostitution, even though she dreams of simply working hard to support herself.
Themes
Literary Devices
When Moll is about 10 years old, she has begun to mature and is rather pretty. She is humble and has fine manners, and the ladies in town say she will grow into a beautiful woman indeed. Moll continues to work, mending linen and lace, and she gives all her money to the nurse, who promises to hold it and give it back when Moll comes of age. By the time Moll is 12, she makes enough money to buy her clothes, pay the nurse for keeping her, and have some extra spending money. The ladies in town also give her clothes, such as stockings, petticoats, and gowns. One lady in town is so impressed with Moll that she offers to take Moll for an entire month. The nurse objects, and they finally decide on one week. Moll spends the next week living with the lady and her family, after which they are disappointed to see her go.
The ladies in town are impressed with Moll because the nurse has raised her to be the epitome of society’s idea of a woman. Moll is pretty, humble, and well-mannered; however, this passage also reflects the ways in which Moll resists society’s expectations of a woman. She is capable, determined, and independent. She makes her own money, buys her own clothes, and is nearly self-sufficient. Women are supposed to be dependent and reserved, but Moll is more than able to take care of herself—within the restricted role society has created, that is.
Themes
By the time Moll is 14, she has grown even more beautiful. She continues working for the nurse, which, since Moll’s “Taste of Genteel” living at the lady’s house, isn’t as easy as it used to be. In short time, the nurse grows sick and dies. The nurse’s daughter, a woman with six or seven children, comes to clean out the house; however, she refuses to give Moll the money the nurse was holding for her. Alone and frightened, Moll is pleased when the maid of the lady with whom Moll previously spent a week arrives to get her. The mayor’s wife also offers to take her in, but Moll is more than happy to live with the lady and her family.
The lady is wealthy and of the upper class, and Moll was exposed to this luxury during her “Taste of Genteel” living. The nurse, by comparison, is poor, and Moll finds it difficult to return to poverty after a taste of high-class living. Defoe implies that the nurse’s daughter keeps Moll’s money even though she knows it didn’t belong to the nurse, but her six or seven kids suggest she badly needs the money and perhaps only keeps it to take care of them, reinforcing the idea that dire circumstances can push people into immoral behavior.
Themes
