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Book 2, Chapter 1
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Virtue vs. Vice
Marriage, Romance, and Economics
Appearance vs. Reality
Coming of Age
Storytelling, Literature, and Structure
Summary
Analysis
Eight months after Captain Blifil and Bridget marry, Bridget gives birth to a child that the midwife claims is a month premature. Allworthy is happy for the family to have an heir, although he is even more partial to the foundling that he is godfather to, whom he has named Tom. The captain becomes jealous of Allworthy’s affection for Tom and tries, unsuccessfully, to turn Allworthy against Tom. Meanwhile, Mrs. Wilkins makes a surprising discovery about Tom.
This humorous passage suggests that Captain Blifil and Bridget married so quickly because they realized Bridget was pregnant, with the midwife going along with their story by claiming the child was a week early. The jealousy of the captain shows how even when he does nothing wrong, Tom sometimes makes enemies with people who resent the way he easily earns people’s affection.
Active
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