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Book 6, Chapter 12
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
Sophia spends a miserable 24 hours, with Mr. Western ordering Mrs. Honour not to let Sophia leave her room. That evening, she receives Tom’s letter by way of Black George, and she bursts into tears after reading it. Mrs. Honour wonders what the letter contained, and Sophia explains that Tom is leaving her for good. Mrs. Honour tries to console Sophia, saying Mr. Blifil really isn’t all that bad. Sophia calls Mrs. Honour’s attempts to persuade her “blasphemous.” Sophia gathers all her money, 16 pounds, and asks Mrs. Honour to have Black George take the money to Tom. Black George considers stealing the money, but he ultimately decides to deliver it, feeling good about following his conscience.
Sophia, despite her obedience, is starting to learn the injustice of the situation she’s in, with no control over major decisions like whom she marries. She begins to accept that following her conscience might mean going against the wishes of Mr. Western. Meanwhile, Black George’s decision not to steal Sophia’s 16 pounds is humorous, given that he just took 500 pounds from Tom and continues to show the complicated ways that people make moral decisions for themselves.
Active
Themes
