"...so
that I had been no less than a whore and an adultress all this while...but that
I was left as if I was forsaken of God's grace, and abandon'd by Heaven to a
continuing in my wickedness" (Dafoe 146). In considering the cultural and
social forces that impinge upon the 18th century female subject, let us first
look at the constraints placed upon Moll through her succession of
relationships and marriages. Her first marriage was a bargain to protect her
honor and to hide the secret that she slept with the elder brother who was heir
to the family's fortune. Her second marriage was to a man whom she liked and
who could provide for her. However, through conversing with his mother, she
found herself to be his biological sister and could no longer morally be
married to him. Her third "lover" was a handsome and wealthy
gentleman; however, he could not be prevailed upon to marry her due to already
having a wife that he must keep his allegiance to. Then, when struck up with a
banker, who could provide Moll some fortune, she instead marries a friend's
"brother" under false pretenses and seems to be in financial ruin and
the end of the second section. It seems then, from this evidence, that Moll's
only choices in life are to be financially unstable, making due with what she
has or to cling to a man for support, even if it means disposing of any
children she has and always moving on to another man when the current one fails
her. This seems to be a stark contrast to the earlier and younger Moll who,
although not understanding what it is to do labor, happily accepted her role in
the first household to take her in as a companion to the younger sisters.
However, despite the ruin around Moll and the ways in which she has been
mistreated or left not by choice, Moll chooses to shift the blame to herself in
entitling herself as 'whore' and 'adulteress'. The cultural paradigm not only
shifts the degree of sexual deviation to the women but worsens the view of them
in society's eyes over their male counterparts. Their ruin is often through
sexual deviation from what is considered “the norm” while men who do the same
are not viewed as quite as morally corrupt if at all. In addition, due to the
fact that this is more than 2 centuries before modern birth control, such as
the pill, was invented, the evidence of “adultery” or “whoredom” is evident
through the conception of a child and not easily hidden, although Moll does
eventually dispose the care of all of her children to others. The cyclical
nature of the dichotomy Moll faces seems to be never ending at this point. However,
my question of inquiry, which I’m not sure can be answered yet, is why Moll
does not choose to instead be a governess or some similar position instead of
facing a succession of failed marriages and relationships? Is it because she
craves independence (although that clashes with her dependence on men)? Is it because
she is conditioned to need the financial stability of a man? Is it because of
her connections that she sees herself above being a governess? I’m not sure we can know at this point, but I
thought the question should be provoked for further thought, anyway.
Do you feel any closer to finding answers to your questions now that we've finished the novel? I'm still puzzling over the main question--why doesn't she choose to work--myself. From the modern perspective, it's fairly easy to see Moll as lazy and unwilling to use her own labor to support herself throughout the novel. On the other hand, though, her aspirations are middle class and upward, and the goal of middle and upper class life was to have sufficient money to support yourself without labor.
ReplyDeleteBut are her aspirations really middle class? As we discussed Monday, she doesn't really shift her manner of living to better reflect middle or upper class life; instead, she focuses on the amount of money she has and continues to live in the same manner in the same undesirable part of town.
I am still puzzling over this question as well. I don't think the end of the novel, although seeming to alleviate her financial burdens, gives us (as readers) a better indication of why she never chooses to work. I saw it that rather than wanting to belong to a certain class and wanting to be upwardly mobile, instead Moll cares first more about survival, through her necessity to steal, and then stealing becomes a sin of pleasure where she wants more money than is necessary. However, she does not allude to the fact that she wants a middle or upper class lifestyle. Therefore the ideal that hard work will lead to success and a comfortable living don't seem to be even an option to Moll as money is the only aim. I think, really, that hard work was never something ingrained in Moll, especially since as a young child she was provided for by multiple others rather than having to contribute laboriously and financially to her care takers. This is the only plausible explanation that I can see for why she does not take up work, say as a governess. However, this question's answer still remains very ambiguous to me.
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