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Book 4, Chapter 1
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
Lady Booby confronts Abraham Adams, asking if he intends to disrespect her by consorting with Joseph Andrews, whom she had to fire. Adams says he’s not aware that Joseph did anything wrong; he also thinks that Fanny is equally virtuous. Lady Booby accuses Adams of being impertinent, but Adams insists he won’t interfere with the marriage unless Lady Booby can provide a proper reason. When she can’t get Adams to retract the banns, she says she’ll have to resort to other means.
Despite Adams’s respect for Lady Booby and his occasional tendency to forget his values when it’s financially convenient to him, Adams remains committed to doing his duty as a parson. His commitment to carrying out the marriage seems to be motivated in part by his genuine friendship with Joseph and Fanny.
Themes
