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Book 3, Chapter 11
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Joseph Andrews, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Hypocrisy
Lust vs. Chastity
Social Class
Religion and Charity
Summary
Analysis
Meanwhile, the squire’s captain takes Fanny back to the squire’s house, ignoring her wailing. On the road, the captain runs into some people who recognize Fanny. One of them is Mr. Peter Pounce (who still works for Lady Booby and has gone on ahead of her while she’s traveling). Peter takes the squire’s captain as a prisoner, and Fanny rides in the coach with Peter.
As with Mrs. Slipslop, many characters introduced in the first part of the book make surprising new appearances later in the book. The squire is so lustful that his plan is badly planned to a comical level—he didn’t account for Fanny screaming the whole time while the captain had her, thereby alerting passersby to her plight.
Themes
Joseph Andrews is overjoyed at Fanny’s safe return. Peter Pounce greets his friend Abraham Adams. The squire’s poet and actor are nearby, and seeing the captain has been taken prisoner, they decide to retreat.
Joseph Andrews goes to the captain and challenges him to a fight. When the captain refuses, Joseph whacks him several times with a cudgel. Mr. Peter Pounce offers to let Fanny ride with him in his chariot, but she remains determined to stay with Joseph. Abraham Adams offers Joseph and Fanny his horse, but Joseph refuses it, preferring to walk himself rather than force Adams to walk. Ultimately, Adams ends up riding in the coach of Peter Pounce. Fanny and Joseph accompany them on horseback.
Joseph is usually good-natured, but even he can’t resist taking a few swings at the captain with a cudgel for revenge. The captain endures many humiliations (in addition to being cudgeled, he was also hit with a full chamber pot earlier) all for the sake of his master, the squire. This shows how some upper-class scoundrels avoid the consequences of their actions by passing them down to their servants.
Themes
