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Book 2, Chapter 4
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
News spreads in town quickly of Mr. Partridge beating Mrs. Partridge, although everyone blames the argument on a different reason. Mrs. Wilkins overhears some of these rumors and tells the captain that she thinks Mr. Partridge might be Tom’s father The captain in turn passes this rumor on to Allworthy, trying to drop it casually into a discussion the two of them are having on Christian charity. Allworthy goes back to Mrs. Wilkins to confirm the rumor, and she does. And so, Allworthy decides he needs to go see Mr. Partridge in person to discuss the matter.
This passage continues to show how rumors grow in a small town based on false or incomplete information. Although there is something humorous about how the message becomes garbled over time as it gets passed along, this confusion also seems to have serious consequences for Mr. Partridge, who will have to face judgment from the magistrate, Mr. Allworthy.
Active
Themes
