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Moll’s Childhood
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Moll Flanders, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Poverty and Morality
Gender and Society
Identity
Sex and Money
Summary
Analysis
Living with the lady and her family, Moll enjoys the advantages of an education. By the time she is 18, Moll can write, dance, and speak French, and she has a reputation of “Virtue and Sobriety.” The lady has two sons, and the older brother of the two is known as a handsome and “gay” young man. He tells Moll (whom he calls Betty) how pretty she is every chance he gets, which Moll rather enjoys. His sisters warn him that Moll is only after money, but they can hardly blame her. Even the most beautiful and refined woman is nothing without money. The younger brother, however, claims that, for the right woman, he wouldn’t worry about money.
This passage reflects the importance of money in society. “Virtue and Sobriety” are exactly what society thinks Moll has, but since she still doesn’t have any money, her refinement isn’t worth much. The word “gay” denotes happiness, but it also had negative connotations during Defoe’s time and was often used to describe rakes and men of poor reputation.
Themes
One day, the older brother visits Moll in the room where she does her work. He grabs her and kisses her several times. “Dear Betty,” he says breathlessly. “I am in Love with you.” Moll’s heart jumps with desire. She knows nothing of protecting her virtue, and if he were to offer, Moll would allow him to do whatever he wanted to her. The older brother finds other opportunities to corner Moll in the house, kissing her and professing his love, and she doesn’t resist. One day, he again visits Moll in her room, where he throws her to the bed and kisses her “most violently.” Suddenly, he hears someone coming and jumps up. The older brother helps Moll to her feet, telling her again how much he loves her, and presses five Guineas into her hand before leaving.
“Betty” was a generic name for a chambermaid in Defoe’s time, which again reflects Moll’s lower-class standing. Here, Moll implies that she would have sex with the older brother, which would be detrimental to her virtue in the eyes of society, but she doesn’t even think of protecting her virtue; it’s clear here that her life is governed by social norms that she doesn’t even fully understand. The older brother’s “violent” kisses suggest he has power over Moll—or at least thinks he does—and that sex is something owed to him. He gives Moll money after passionately kissing her, which implies that sex is essentially Moll’s job and something that is expected of her. This connection between sex and money is directly at odds with society’s demands of “Virtue and Sobriety,” so this moment underscores the impossible double-bind women are in; Moll needs money in order to be considered respectable, but so far the only way she can get it is by giving up her virtue—which would be seen as distinctly not respectable.
Themes
Moll is more confused with the money than she is with the love. She is a young woman who thinks herself pretty, and she has no reason to doubt the older brother’s love for her. He soon returns—there was no one coming, he says—and quickly takes to kissing her again. He tells Moll that he loves her passionately, and that he wants to marry her. He kisses her again, and they go farther than Moll can politely mention; however, it does not reach “that, which they call the last Favour.” Then, the older brother gives Moll a handful of gold and exits.
Moll has been made to clean up her story, which is why she can’t politely mention what she did with the older brother; however, they do not have sex, since they don’t reach “the last Favour.” There is again a connection between sex and money, and as the older brother strings Moll along with marriage proposals and brings her closer to actually having sex, he pays her—which is sure to keep her coming back and get him what he wants.
Themes
Moll, full of “Vanity and Pride, and but a very little Stock of Virtue,” thinks only of gold and the older brother’s words. Careful not to draw suspicion, Moll goes to great lengths to ignore him in the company of others, until the day he secretly passes her a note in the hall. He says he will publicly order Moll on an errand the next day, and then he will meet her on her way to town. Sure enough, the older brother orders Moll to town the next day on some petty errands, after which a man comes to the door in a coach. He needs the older brother on urgent business in town, the man says.
Defoe suggests that Moll’s “Vanity and Pride” are also a source of her undoing. Had Moll not been so vain, she may have noticed the older brother’s true intentions and realized that he is only taking advantage of her and has no intention of marrying her. The way the older brother and his family order Moll around reflects her low standing in their house and society. She isn’t a servant or a maid exactly, but she is certainly treated like one.
Themes
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The older brother hired the coach and the man the day before, but no one knows this. He grabs his best wig and exits, but before he does, he whispers to Moll to get away as soon as she can. Later, when they are together, the older brother tells Moll that he plans to marry her as soon as he comes into his estate. He promises to never leave her, but Moll hesitates. She has no reason to doubt his feelings for her, but… “BUT WHAT my Dear?” he asks. He asks if Moll worries about being “with child,” and she admits she does. In that case, the older brother says, he will take care of them both. Then, to prove his sincerity, he takes out his purse and gives Moll 100 Guineas and promises to give her another 100 every year until they marry.
While it isn’t explicitly stated, Moll and the older brother are obviously talking about sex. There isn’t birth control during Moll’s day, and she worries about pregnancy if she takes her relationship with the older brother to a sexual level. In telling Moll he will take care of her and her children, the older brother entices her to sex, and then he pays her again. The older brother’s actions cement the connection between sex and money for Moll—if she has sex with him, he will keep giving her money. 100 Guineas is a lot of money; it is over £100 , and during Moll’s time, an entire family could live on just £40 per year.
Themes
Moll swoons at the sight of the older brother’s purse and the sound of his proposal, and she does not resist as he has his way with her. With this, Moll forsakes her virtue, and she is left with “nothing of Value to recommend [her].” Afterward, Moll and the older brother have many occasions to repeat their “Crime,” until the younger brother confesses his own love to Moll. He wants to marry her, too, the younger brother says, but Moll firmly resists him. They are an unequal match, she says, and it wouldn’t be the right way to repay the lady for taking her in. Moll doesn’t, however, tell him the truth.
Moll swoons upon seeing how much the older brother will pay her, which suggests she is as attracted to his money and the financial security and social status he represents as she is to the brother himself. Presumably, Moll has sex with him on the condition he plans to marry her. In Moll’s time, a woman’s worth is judged by her virginity and chastity—the description of sex as a “Crime” reflects the immorality of sex before marriage—and Moll is now essentially worthless.
Themes
To Moll’s surprise, the younger brother does not hide his feelings like the older brother, and he makes it plain to the lady and the rest of his family that he is in love with Moll. Soon, the lady and her family begin to treat Moll differently, and one of the maids tells Moll that she will soon be asked to leave. Moll isn’t surprised. Plus, since she expects to be pregnant at any time, she expects to have to leave soon. The younger brother tells Moll that he will tell his family that he intends to marry her. They may resent it, he says, but he is a lawyer and can take care of Moll himself.
Marrying outside of one’s social class was frowned on in the 17th century, which is why the lady begins to resent Moll once she discovers her son is in love with her. It is customary for women to come to their husbands with a dowry, which Moll obviously doesn’t have. Moll doesn’t bring any money to the table, and she will only cost them money instead. This passage also portrays the desperate nature of Moll’s situation, as she is likely to become pregnant and homeless at any time but can do little to change her situation.
Themes
Moll has “no great Scruples of Conscience,” but even she cannot imagine “being a Whore to one Brother, and Wife to the other.” Still, the older brother hasn’t mentioned marriage since they began having sex. Moll doesn’t know what to do about the younger brother. She is sure she will soon be put out on the street, which must be no secret to the older brother. She begins to think seriously for the first time and decides to tell the older brother that she will soon be kicked out of the house.
Moll has “no great Scruples,” which suggests she is of poor moral fortitude since she began having sex with the older brother. Moll frequently refers to herself as a “Whore,” which she becomes the moment she takes the older brother’s money and has sex with him, but Defoe implies that her choice is understandable; without money, she has no real social standing or ability to take care of herself. The older brother clearly has no intention of marrying Moll—he hasn’t even talked about it—and he likely knows she will be kicked out but doesn’t care.
Themes
The first chance she gets, Moll goes to the older brother. She has been crying, and he asks her what’s wrong. Moll lies and tells him that one of the maids must have discovered their affair and told the lady of the house, because now there is talk that Moll will be asked to leave. The older brother smiles. No one knows about their affair, he says. Then why, Moll asks, is she being treated so unfairly? It is the younger brother, Robin, he says, who has convinced everyone he loves Moll. She breaks into tears, admitting the younger brother’s love. But, Moll says, she denied him without giving him a reason.
Moll likely doesn’t want the older brother to know about the younger brother because she fears it will negatively affect her relationship with the older brother. The older brother doesn’t take any of this seriously (he smiles as Moll cries), which suggests he doesn’t really care about her and is just using her for sex. This is also the first time Moll mentions the younger brother by name, and this reflects her indifference toward him.
Themes
It is bad enough the lady knows the younger brother is in love with Moll, but it will be much worse when the lady finds out Moll denied him. The lady is sure to suspect that Moll is in love with another if she is turning down such a match as the younger brother. The older brother asks Moll to do nothing for the time being and give him time to think. Moll reminds him that she can’t possibly agree to marry the younger brother when she is already engaged to the older brother; she already thinks of herself as married to the older brother. He kisses her and gives her more money, and then he leaves.
The older brother’s kiss and gift of money again underscore the connection between sex and money. What Moll is really saying is that she can’t marry the younger brother because she has already had sex with the older brother. If she marries the younger brother, he may find out she isn’t a virgin, which would likely be detrimental to their marriage—and to Moll’s security.
Themes
Days later, the older brother tells the younger brother that he heard stories that the younger brother is in love with Moll. Yes, the younger brother admits. He loves her more than any woman in the world, and he will have her. The younger brother doesn’t believe that Moll will deny him. Moll can’t believe it when the older brother tells her later. She must deny the younger brother, and she can’t imagine why he expects she won’t. The older brother says that he reminded his brother that Moll is poor, but Robin claimed to love her still. Well, says Moll, if the younger brother proposes marriage now, she will say no and tell him that she is already married.
The younger brother is convinced he will have Moll, which reflects the overall sexism of the time. He wants her, so he plans to have her; how Moll feels about it doesn’t really matter. He doesn’t believe Moll will deny him because he is rich and she is poor, and Moll would be foolish to turn down such an offer. Still, the younger brother clearly loves Moll, since he is willing to endure the resentment that he will likely experience for marrying outside his class.
Themes
The older brother says that telling anyone about his relationship with Moll is not a good idea, and she agrees. He asks Moll what she will say when she denies the younger brother’s proposal. Moll doesn’t see why she owes anyone an explanation, but the older brother says offering no explanation will be suspicious. Moll doesn’t know what to do, but the older brother says he has been thinking a lot about it. “Marry him,” the older brother says. Moll is shocked, but he says she should at least consider it.
An explanation will be expected from Moll, and her refusal to give one again reflects her resistance to the sexism of the time. It isn’t anyone’s business why Moll turns down a marriage proposal, but society thinks otherwise. Society expects Moll to jump at the chance to marry someone rich like the younger brother, but she isn’t interested—at this point, she still believes that that should be reason enough.
Themes
Moll asks the older brother what happened to his love and faith, and he admits that he did promise to marry her when he came into his estate, but his father might live another 30 years. He says Moll never suggested marrying him any sooner—she knows it “might be [his] Ruin”—and she has never wanted for anything. Moll knows this is true, but she doesn’t say so. With the younger brother, the older brother says, Moll “may come into a safe Station, and appear with Honour and with splendor at once.” It will be like Moll’s relationship with the older brother never happened, and he will count her a “Dear Sister.”
The older brother implies that Moll may be able to hide the fact that she is no longer a virgin if she marries the younger brother. Their marriage will be “a safe Station” (Moll will be financially secure), and she can “appear with Honor and with splendor,” meaning Moll can appear to be a virgin and therefore continue to seem worthy in society’s eyes. The older brother’s claim that he will count Moll a “Dear Sister” has incestuous connotations, which foreshadow the incest that appears later in the novel.
Themes
Moll reminds the older brother that even though they aren’t legally married, she is his wife just as sure as if the ceremony had passed between them. She can’t possibly stop loving him and consent to love the younger brother instead. She would rather, Moll says, be his “Whore” than the younger brother’s wife. The older brother is obviously pleased with Moll’s affection for him, but he tells her he has done nothing to break his promise to her. He says they can remain friends, and then he asks Moll if she is sure that she isn’t with child. Moll says she is sure, and he stands to leave.
Moll considers herself married to the older brother because they have already had sex. Since sex consummates a marriage, sex at this time was considered just as important as the actual marriage ceremony, if not more so. Therefore, in Moll’s mind, they are already married. Of course, Moll truly loves the older brother, but he is just exploiting Moll for sex and placating her with money. Moll again calls herself a “Whore,” which reflects the sexist nature of society; she’s doing what she thinks makes sense to secure her future and be with the man she loves, but society would view her as immoral for doing so.
Themes
Afterward, Moll falls ill with a fever. She is confined to bed for five weeks, and her recovery is so slow that the doctor fears she will slip into a “Consumption.” The doctor claims that Moll’s “Mind [is] Oppress’d,” and he suspects that she is in love. The younger brother tells his family that if Moll were in love with him, he would gladly help her recover, and the older brother begins to suspect that his brother knows about his relationship with Moll. Moll assures the older brother that she has said nothing of their affair, and she further says that she detests the idea of marrying Robin and will never consent. “Then I am Ruin’d,” the older brother says.
The older brother risks angering his family and losing his inheritance if his affair with Moll is discovered, in which case his reputation and status as a member of the upper class will be ruined. During Moll’s time, a “consumption” was known as a long, lingering illness, one that was often vague and nondescript. Consumption was often associated with depression and other forms of mental illness, which is why the doctor suspects Moll is in love.
Themes
Weeks later, Moll is fully recovered, but she still suffers from bouts of melancholy and sadness. One day, Moll decides to tell the lady of the house about the younger brother’s proposals. She tells the lady that Robin asked her several times to marry him, but she resisted him each time, telling him that such a relationship cannot come to pass without the consent of the lady and master of the house. The lady is both shocked and touched by Moll’s honesty. It seems, the lady says, that Moll has treated them much better than they have treated her.
Obviously, Moll isn’t being honest here. She cared nothing about the lady’s consent when she agreed to marry the older brother. Moll is clearly trying to manipulate the lady and get into her good graces again, so she won’t be kicked out. Moll has little money and no way to support herself—unless she goes into Service, which Moll has already said she absolutely will not do.
Themes
Later, the lady of the house sits down with the younger brother and asks him about his proposals to Moll. It is true, Robin confirms: he has asked Moll to marry him several times, and she has always resisted him. The lady listens and declares the resentment Moll has been forced to endure in the house is not Moll’s fault. Moll’s behavior reflects true respect, the lady says, and she values Moll more because of it. Soon, the lady begins to encourage a marriage between Moll and Robin, and she even recruits the older brother to convince Moll.
Moll’s behavior doesn’t really reflect true respect for the lady, illustrating the deterioration of Moll’s morals. Before having sex with the older brother, Moll was of superior moral standing, but her morals go steadily downhill from the moment she loses her virginity. Here, Moll deceives the lady to serve her own interests. Whether the sex itself is immoral is debatable; however, the behavior the sex leads Moll to is certainly immoral, which reinforces Defoe’s point that virtuous readers can learn what not to do by studying Moll’s story.
Themes
The older brother visits Moll in her room, where he gently kisses and hugs her. He tells Moll that she has the consent of the lady and the entire house to marry the younger brother. If Moll doesn’t, the older brother says, he fears that she will “be sunk into the dark Circumstances of a Woman that has lost her Reputation.” He begs her to marry Robin, and then he gives her £500. “To make you some Amends for the Freedoms I have taken with you,” the older brother says. He adds that if Moll refuses to marry Robin, their relationship can never be again what it once was.
Virginity and chastity are so important in society that Moll will be ruined if she is found out. Here, the older brother puts a price on Moll’s entire future and worth and basically pays her for potentially ruining her reputation. £500 is a lot of money (one could live in relative luxury at £300 per year), but he insults Moll and reduces her worth to her body and sex—a common message in Moll’s sexist society.
Themes
Afterward, Moll considers her life as “a meer cast off Whore,” and she is terrified. She had never really considered the danger of her situation. If she is eventually dropped by both the older brother and the younger brother, she will be left to fend for herself with nothing and no one to support her. With these thoughts, Moll agrees to marry Robin, but she never loves him. On their wedding night, the older brother gets the younger brother so drunk that he can’t remember whether their marriage was consummated. Moll lies and assures him it was.
Presumably, the older brother gets the younger brother drunk on purpose, so he is less likely to notice that Moll is not a virgin. Moll again calls herself a “Whore,” which society considers any woman who has sex out of wedlock to be, and this again underscores the extremely sexist and misogynistic nature of 17th-century England. This insulting view of women is so ingrained in society that even Moll believes it about herself.
Themes
Literary Devices
Moll lives with the younger brother as his wife for five years, and they have two children together. Each time Moll is in bed with her husband, she dreams of being with the older brother. “In short,” Moll says, “I committed Adultery and Incest with him every Day in my Desires,” which is just as criminal as actually doing it. The older brother marries and moves to London, and at the end of five years, the younger brother dies. He was a kind man and a good husband, but Moll’s finances have not improved by much. Hidden in her private bank, Moll still has most of the money given to her by the older brother, about £1,200, but that is all. The children are “taken happily off of [Moll’s] Hands” by the lady and her husband, and she is free.
Moll’s words suggest guilt over marrying the younger brother while being secretly in love with the older brother. Despite the slow deterioration of Moll’s morals, she clearly feels bad about her decision to marry Robin (which she was forced to do by a sexist society), and this suggests she isn’t innately immoral; she was simply doing what she had to do to survive. However, Moll also “happily” abandons her children, which suggests that Moll’s morals are lacking. Conflicting actions such as these make it impossible to decide if Moll is truly repentant at the end of the novel, or if she was just an immoral opportunist all along.
Themes
