An Analysis of Moll Flanders
The novel is about the realistic experiences of a woman in the underworld of 18th century London. She is anonymous, Moll Flanders being a pseudonym which she adopts when she needs an alternative identity for her criminal life.
She has no family, having been abandoned by her own mother - a transported felon, and her upbringing, education, social position and material well - being are all constantly precarious.
She lives in a hostile, urban world, which allows for no weakness. Social position and wealth are the dominant factors for survival. She has neither and her life is a struggle to achieve both.
She is clever and persevering, always alert to opportunity and she survives and becomes rich, although after a life fraught with difficulty, much of it of her own making.
Defoe's novel gives us a clear sense of daily life and the anxieties attendant on economic and social uncertainty and he displays a clear understanding of female specifics, in a criminal world.
Defoe himself was an 'outsider'. A Londoner who often had to live by his wits, pursued by creditors and spending time in Newgate prison for debt. His own honesty was at times rather dubious.
He writes accurate social history in a fictional form. The social details in 'Moll Flanders' are very accurate, even those set in Virginia and the novel is also politically and economically structured.
The themes of the novel, in part, are transgression, repentance and redemption, which are to be expected, given Defoe's Dissenting background. Moll's fortunes do not prosper in the 'Babylon' of London, but in Virginia, in the 'New' world. Perhaps Defoe was suggesting, like hi...
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...ly innocent, despite her adventures and her chosen lifestyle as a master criminal. Defoe shows us the two sides of her character in constant opposition. On the one hand, she can be thrifty, cold and efficient and on the other, reckless, excited and bold. She is never dull. Again, Defoe makes no moral judgement, but leaves the reader to make his own.
The novel is structured so that we see a series of parodies of tragic situations, which often become almost bizarre in their comic absurdity. Moll sometimes behaves insensitively, or even in a completely callous way, but Defoe's heroine is never contemptible, eagerly thrusting from one experience to the next. The novel has a deep intensity of experience. Moll's emotions, too are mixed and unstable, but she always recognises and articulates them, even if she does not show complete understanding of them.
She was seduced at an early age and then fell in love with a preacher, but was overcome by an exciting younger man. She experienced every form of lust and desire as well as loss. Somehow though all the hardship she was able to come out on the other side a more complete woman and ironically did so without any of these
The mother is a selfish and stubborn woman. Raised a certain way and never falters from it. She neglects help, oppresses education and persuades people to be what she wants or she will cut them out of her life completely. Her own morals out-weight every other family member’s wants and choices. Her influence and discipline brought every member of the family’s future to serious-danger to care to her wants. She is everything a good mother isn’t and is blind with her own morals. Her stubbornness towards change and education caused the families state of desperation. The realization shown through the story is the family would be better off without a mother to anchor them down.
...e relationship with men, as nothing but tools she can sharpen and destroy, lives through lust and an uncanny ability to blend into any social class makes her unique. Her character is proven as an unreliable narrator as she exaggerates parts of the story and tries to explain that she is in fact not guilty of being a mistress, but a person caught in a crossfire between two others.
The heroine, Mrs. P, has some carries some characteristics parallel to Louise Mallard in “Hour.” The women of her time are limited by cultural convention. Yet, Mrs. P, (like Louise) begins to experience a new freedom of imagination, a zest for life , in the immediate absence of her husband. She realizes, through interior monologues, that she has been held back, that her station in life cannot and will not afford her the kind of freedom to explore freely and openly the emotions that are as much a part of her as they are not a part of Leonce. Here is a primary irony.
Workplace bullying is defined as any as any type of repetitive abuse in which the victim of the bullying behaviour suffers verbal abuse, threats, humiliating or intimidating behaviours, or behaviours that interfere with his or her job performance and are meant to place at risk the health and safety of the victim (Murray, 2009). Bullying can take many forms, some blatant, others more subtle. Researchers ha...
Although Kelroy is a novel of manners, the story contains more plot than the other nineteenth century novels in its category. The story begins with Mrs. Hammond finding herself a widow at the age of thirty. She realizes that she is incapable of supporting her family in the men's business capital of Philadelphia, where they live. She devises a plan to find wealthy suitors for her daughters, Lucy and Emily. With good intentions, Mrs. Hammond began throwing numerous parties for her daughters. However, Mrs. Hammond's true motive is to guarantee her own well-being and influence in society. Lucy , the oldest daughter, is very similar to her mother. Although she is physically attractive, she is shallow and realistic. She mee...
According to Latricia Wilson, workplace bullying is the same as bulling for a child, they treat othe...
Abrams, MH, et al. Eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993.
...e company to lose efficient employees and gain unnecessary extra costs. Even though there has yet to be an official law that specifically references workplace bullying, developments in the law are gaining momentum and hopefully, this will lead to a federal law in the next decade or so. But until that happens, because of the serious effects of bullying on employers and employees, it would be wise for companies to take internal steps to address workplace bullying through zero tolerance policies, training, and counseling. Bullying is a health and safety issue and employers have a responsibility to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of their workers. Most importantly, it must be noted that bullying can thrive only in a workplace environment that tolerates it. This is why the workplace should make it a priority to promote a safe, trusting, and healthy environment.
The phenomenon of workplace bullying refers to a gradually evolving process, whereby an individual ends up in an inferior position and becomes the target of systematic negative social acts by one or more perpetrators (Brodsky, 1976). Workplace bullying consists of repeated and prolonged exposure to predominantly psychological mistreatment, directed at a target who is typically teased, badgered and insulted, and who perceives himself or herself as not having the opportunity to retaliate in kind (Einarsen, Hoel, Zapf, & Copper 2003). After investigating three research studies related to workplace bullying, it is quite evident that bullying can have serious consequences on employees; therefore, it is important for employees and employers to know how to recognize it within their working environment. According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (2013), “bullying presents a threat to the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of a worker and is dealt with under t...
The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition Volume1. Ed. M.H.Abrams. New York: W.W.Norton and Company, Inc., 1993.
...s. She is not allowed to talk to anyone but her husband, who spends all of his time in the fields, which makes her feel reclusive and much of an outcast.
When managers are able to communicate effectively to the employees it shows they care and it lets the employees go to them if there is ever a problem. Both leaders and employees need to be able to recognize the triggers that cause people to be bullied at the workplace (Smith, 2012). Leaders should be able to notice behavior that may cause problems in the workplace. The more leaders are involved with the employees the less bullying that will occur. Companies need to have workplace policies that prohibit this type of behavior and need to make sure employees understand the policies (Smith, 2012). Employees should also have an understanding of how to report the incident and how to take action (Smith, 2012). Enforcement is key when an incident occurs because employees will think twice before engaging in this type of
A common theme often portrayed in literature is the individual vs. society. In the beginning of Robinson Crusoe , the narrator deals with, not society, but his family's views on how he was bound to fail in life if his parents' expectations of him taking the family business were not met. However, Defoe's novel was somewhat autobiographical. "What Defoe wrote was intimately connected with the sort of life he led, with the friends and enemies he made, and with the interests of natural to a merchant and a Dissenter" (Sutherland 2). These similarities are seen throughout the novel. "My father...gave me serious and excellent counsel against what he foresaw was my design," says Crusoe (Defoe 8-9) . Like Crusoe, Defoe also rebelled against his parents. Unlike Crusoe, however, Defoe printed many essays and papers that rebelled against the government and society, just as Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, did in England by depicting society languishing in social malaise (Marowski 231). It were these writings that eventually got Defoe charged with libel and imprisoned (DIScovering Authors). In Defoe's life it was the ministry that his father wanted him to pursue (Sutherland 2), but, instead, Defoe chose to become a tradesman (DIScovering Biography). The depth of the relationship between Crusoe and his parents in the book was specifically not elaborated upon because his parent's become symbolic not only of all parents, but of society. In keeping this ambiguous relationship, Defoe is able to make Crusoe's abrupt exodus much more believable and, thus, more humane.
Although, Human Resource Department conduct the hiring and firing in the company, alleviating this horrendous dilemma is a function of organizations leaders (Namie 2011). In order for an organization to address interpersonal aggression, it must establish a clear vision of the code of conduct in which each employee must comply. Additionally, a company should establish lucid and enforceable policies and procedures. Furthermore, training of all employees is a necessity to garner a full understanding of these policies and procedures. Then the workplace must structure an environment that supports fairness and trust, and autonomy and give a voice to all employees. Finally, the employer must conduct a reevaluation and make modifications to organizational features that heighten apprehension, hostile completion for recognition and resources, instability in work positions and associations. For the sufferer, it is important for them not to let the abuse define their performance or character, and it is important to journal and keep documents of all incidents of abuse. Thus, the prey should report the problem to a safe and fully qualified impartial person to handle the situation (Heretick