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Book 2, Chapter 7
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
When he’s alone, Captain Blifil dreams of getting his hand on Allworthy’s fortune, which he assumes is huge. He tries to predict when Allworthy will die and believes it could happen within a few years. But then one day as the captain is walking alone thinking of Allworthy’s death, the captain himself dies of apoplexy (a stroke).
Captain Blifil’s sudden and unexpected death shows the dangers of dedicating his life to seeking wealth as he did. He was unhappy in his marriage, and he never even had time to enjoy the fortune that he spent so much time trying to acquire.
Active
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