The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling Book 16, Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

Mrs. Western is reading a lecture to Sophia about how to be a good wife when Mr. Blifil and Mr. Western come over to visit. Sophia is unpleasantly surprised, and Mrs. Western sends her away before scolding Mr. Blifil and Mr. Western for interfering. The men are getting impatient, but Mrs. Western tells them to come back later in the afternoon. Both Mr. Blifil and Mr. Western are annoyed by this outcome.

Although Mrs. Western has technically freed Sophia from captivity, the way that she constantly lectures her and controls what she can do shows how she is not in fact all that different from Mr. Western. This passage continues to show how Sophia has little free will of her own as her relatives and Mr. Blifil all vie to attempt to control her future.

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The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling: Book 16, Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis