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Book 6, Chapter 13
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
Mrs. Western was away, but she comes back, and Mr. Western explains how Sophia is still locked in her chamber, with Mrs. Honour watching her. Mrs. Western warns Mr. Western that he can’t just keep Sophia imprisoned forever. She persuades Mr. Western to let her take care of Sophia, releasing her from captivity and teaching her to be a proper woman.
The fact that Mr. Western literally locks Sophia in her chamber also symbolizes all the other ways that he keeps her in captivity, trying to control what she does in life for his own benefit, rather than considering what Sophia herself might want.
Active
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