The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling Book 1, Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

In Somersetshire, England, there lives a lucky gentleman named Allworthy who is kindhearted and has inherited a lot of money. He marries young and has three children. One by one, the wife and children all die, but Allworthy takes the losses with dignity. He has now retired to the country with his sister, Miss Bridget Allworthy, an “old maid” of a little over 30. She has a reputation for being prudent but not beautiful. The narrator goes on a tangent about the role of women in society, then asks the audience to bear with him and allow him to go on digressions when he judges it to be appropriate.

This passage explores the different ways a person can be lucky. The fact that most of Allworthy’s family has died is of course deeply unlucky. But Allworthy is still relatively rich, and so the fact that the narrator continues to describe him as lucky is a commentary on how much people value wealth. Meanwhile, the character of Bridget shows how there was the pressure and expectation that women would marry at a young age, and so Bridget’s unmarried status marks her as an outsider.

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The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling: Book 1, Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis