Tom Jones - Henry Fielding

'The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling', often simply as 'Tom Jones', is a comic novel by the English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding.

The protagonist of this text is a foundling whose parents are unknown. Therefor he is considered as a fallen person. He has affairs with many girls, but he is good hearted person.

We can see that Fielding brings in an antihero in the picture. Normally we see that the protagonist is a man of character. Tom lives an adventures life facing all the injustices strongly. At the end we see him getting fruits of all his struggles. He is also a helpful person.

If we try to deconstruct this text, then we can see that in order to show Tom good other women characters are given less importance.

There are many major and minor characters in the play. We can say that the women characters are only in minor role. Importance is not given to the women. They are not at the power position. They are given a subordinate position. We can see the characters with the touch of feminism.

We see both types of women characters in this novel, ones with the bad light and with good light. Overall the women character in this novel faces injustice in one or the other way. Henry fielding has represented Sympathy for women in thematic terms. Fielding’s ideology is embedded in the text.

“Woman was made for the comfort and benefit of man”.

Reference:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_History_of_Tom_Jones,_a_Foundling