The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling Book 14, Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

Tom has mutton for dinner, then gets an invitation to tea with Mrs. Miller. At tea, Mrs. Miller apologizes for taking such a harsh stance with Tom earlier. She explains that actually, she used to know Allworthy. Mrs. Miller was going through a period of tragedy in her life when her sisters and husband died around the same time. Allworthy found her and took pity on her, giving her money and helping to set her up in London. Tom clarifies that he isn’t a blood relative of Allworthy’s, but Mrs. Miller already knows the whole story of his bastard birth. Tom says he has to leave because Lady Bellaston is coming to visit him. He promises himself this will be the last time he sees her, but after he waits for a while, she doesn’t show up.

The way that Mrs. Miller changes her tone and comes to accept Tom as he is shows how she is a fair and merciful character. She has experienced a lot of tragedy in her life, and the way that Allworthy helped her reveals how, in spite of Allworthy’s flaws, he too is ultimately generous. Mrs. Miller is one of the few characters to try to see Tom as he really is, looking beyond both his outward appearance as a handsome gentleman and his past reputation as an illegitimate child abandoned by his adopted father.

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The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling: Book 14, Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis