The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling Book 14, Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

Tom stayed up late, uneasy and still potentially expecting a visit from Lady Bellaston. Eventually, however, sleep gets the better of him. He sleeps in late until a commotion wakes him up. He calls Partridge, who explains that Mrs. Miller just found out that Nancy is pregnant. Everyone blames Mr. Nightingale, who left behind a letter promising to provide for the baby but also saying that it’s impossible for him to marry Nancy because he needs to marry the wealthier woman his father has picked for him.

Mr. Nightingale’s flight after news of Nancy’s pregnancy seems to all but confirm that he is the father. While he claims that he is marrying a different woman to fulfill his father’s wishes, in reality, it seems more like he is trying to avoid any responsibility or duty that he might have to Nancy, beyond a token promise in a letter to support her financially.

Active Themes

Mrs. Miller feels foolish for believing Mr. Nightingale might have been a gentleman who wanted to marry Nancy legitimately. Nancy goes into a “fit,” and Mrs. Miller fears a suicide attempt. Betsey says that if Nancy dies, it will kill Mrs. Miller, and then Betsey supposes she’d probably kill herself too. Eventually, Nancy calms down, and Tom says he’ll go try to talk some sense into Mr. Nightingale, earning Mrs. Miller’s gratitude.

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The fact that Mrs. Miller fears Nancy will die by suicide shows just how strong the stigma against illegitimate pregnancy was at the time. The novel implicitly challenges some of these stigmas in its main character of Tom, who proves that even someone born illegitimately can accomplish great things—but that is not enough to protect Nancy from the stigma a pregnancy would cause.

Active Themes

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling: Book 14, Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis