Mrs. Honour Character Analysis in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

Mrs. Honour is Sophia’s loyal maid. She thinks Tom is handsome and becomes Sophia’s main ally in trying to help her marry Tom and get out of a forced marriage to Mr. Blifil. In addition to being loyal, Mrs. Honour is extremely fierce, and she isn’t afraid to throw a fist to protect Sophia.

Mrs. Honour Quotes in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

The The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Honour or refer to Mrs. Honour. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

The reader will be pleased to remember a little muff, which hath had the honour of being more than once remembered already in this history. This muff, ever since the departure of Mr Jones, had been the constant companion of Sophia by day, and her bedfellow by night; and this muff she had at this very instant upon her arm; whence she took it off with great indignation, and, having writ her name with her pencil upon a piece of paper which she pinned to it, she bribed the maid to convey it into the empty bed of Mr Jones, in which, if he did not find it, she charged her to take some method of conveying it before his eyes in the morning.

Related Characters: Sophia Western, Mrs. Honour, Tom Jones , Jenny Jones/Mrs. Waters

Related Symbols: Muff

Page Number and Citation: 478

Explanation and Analysis:

Mrs. Honour Character Timeline in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. Honour appears in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Marriage, Romance, and Economics Theme Icon

Meanwhile, Sophia has heard the whole story about Molly. Her maid, Mrs. Honour , wants to gossip with her about Molly, but Sophia cuts her off, saying she... (full context)

Sophia leaves the hall and finds Mrs. Honour . To her, Sophia confesses that she is in love and mentions all the things... (full context)

Mrs. Honour , who always approved of Tom, comes to visit him sometimes while he’s recovering. One... (full context)

Mrs. Honour overheard the argument between Mrs. Western and Sophia because she went to eavesdrop by the... (full context)

...Eventually, Tom asks Black George to personally give his letter to Sophia, by means of Mrs. Honour . Black George delivers the letter and returns with a reply from Sophia that she... (full context)

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... (full context)

...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.... (full context)

...Western, leaving Sophia alone in her chamber to mourn the loss of Tom, all while Mrs. Honour tries to comfort her. (full context)

Although Mrs. Honour can be a selfish woman, she does have some true affection for Sophia, who is... (full context)

Mrs. Honour is willing to help Sophia run away from Mr. Western, but she is concerned about... (full context)

Mrs. Honour knows she could reveal Sophia’s plan to Mr. Western and get rewarded for it. It’s... (full context)

...not as a justice of the peace, Mr. Western needs to do anything to punish Mrs. Honour They ultimately conclude that it will be enough just to have her begin packing... (full context)

It turns out the maid is actually Mrs. Honour , and the lady she’s with is Sophia. Mrs. Honour tells Sophia that Tom is... (full context)

Susan arrives at Sophia’s room, and Mrs. Honour decides ask Susan about Tom in front of Sophia. Susan is reluctant to answer but... (full context)

...is shocked to see her name on it. He learns from Partridge that Sophia and Mrs. Honour have already left and are probably several miles away. Tom curses both Partridge and himself... (full context)

...a coach together, in the very same four-seat coach that is also carrying Sophia and Mrs. Honour . Mr. Maclachlan overhears from the coachman that a fine woman is staying at a... (full context)

...The bell rang 12, and Sophia snuck out of the house as planned. She finds Mrs. Honour at their meeting point. Initially, they decide to head toward London. By sheer luck, however,... (full context)

Sophia and Mrs. Honour ask about Tom’s whereabouts when they get to Gloucester, despite Mrs. Honour’s objections. Eventually, they... (full context)

The narrator picks up from when Sophia and Mrs. Honour leave the Upton inn. Around when they cross the River Severn, Sophia notices several horses... (full context)

Storytelling, Literature, and Structure Theme Icon

Sophia and Mrs. Fitzpatrick converse while Mrs. Honour and Mrs. Fitzpatrick’s maid pay each other compliments. They arrive at an inn where the... (full context)

...her. She begs the landlord not to reveal her whereabouts, and he agrees. Just then, Mrs. Honour comes in repeating a rumor about 10,000 French troops on the way and wailing that... (full context)

...as she’s finishing the story, they hear a strange noise. It turns out to be Mrs. Honour yelling at the landlord and landlady. She is quite drunk and is also offended on... (full context)

...gives the landlord of the inn a present, partly to make up for the bruise Mrs. Honour gave him. Shortly after, she discovers that she’s lost a 100-pound bank note that she... (full context)

...see Lady Bellaston at a very early hour when she can be sure Sophia and Mrs. Honour are still sleeping. She apologizes for visiting at an odd time, then tells Lady Bellaston... (full context)

...Tom takes his leave courteously and, on the way out, he leaves his address with Mrs. Honour . (full context)

Just then, Partridge announces that Mrs. Honour has come to see Tom. Tom tells Lady Bellaston to quickly hide behind his bed.... (full context)

Mrs. Honour has a letter from Sophia, and she uses it to extort a bit of money... (full context)

...wrong and wonders if he should tell Mrs. Miller. Just then, however, he hears that Mrs. Honour has come to give him a message. This news about Sophia, which the narrator will... (full context)

...stomps off. Mr. Western takes Sophia and forces her to come with him, leaving behind Mrs. Honour , whom he sees as a traitor. Lady Bellaston probably could have stopped them, but... (full context)

This is all how Mrs. Honour ends up going to see Tom, delivering bad news about Sophia. Tom listens to despair... (full context)

...She is fishing for a kiss, but Tom doesn’t want to kiss her, especially with Mrs. Honour able to overhear everything. The meeting is interrupted when a very drunk Mr. Nightingale walks... (full context)

...Mr. Nightingale, using the hiding spot she knew of in Tom’s room, only to find Mrs. Honour already occupying it. The two women yell at each other before eventually calming and deciding... (full context)

...to try to marry Mr. Blifil to Sophia. Just then he gets a letter from Mrs. Honour . In a letter full of poor spelling, she says that Lady Bellaston has hired... (full context)

Sophia now has a new maid named Betty, since Mrs. Honour currently works for Lady Bellaston. Betty is simple and gullible. Earlier, Mrs. Western got Betty... (full context)

Mrs. Honour Character Analysis

Mrs. Honour Quotes in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

Book 10, Chapter 5 Quotes

Mrs. Honour Character Timeline in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling