Final Draft

In Joseph Andrews, Henry Fielding has a moral aim, for which he has exposed vanity, hypocrisy, follies, and vices through the depiction of different characters. Moreover, there is a number of female characters representing different themes and values. Lady Booby: She is Sir Thomas Booby’s widow. Lady Booby represents the theme of hypocrisy and vanity. Through the depiction of her character, Henry Fielding has exemplified and portrayed the traditional flaws and ridiculous antics of the upper class, such as snobbery, egotism and lack of restraint. Lady Booby represents the Augustan era’s falsely advertised assertions that superior moral merits are contained by and are associated with higher ranking classes, only. However, authenticity and nobility of one’s true nature can only be tested in the absence of the public eye. Therefore we observe that Lady Booby lives a double life; the public image and her private identity. This suggests hypocrisy in her character as in public she has presents her honorable behavior due to the Class conventions, whereas, in contrast, behind the closed doors she acts differently, keeping the notion that her vices and predatory pursuits of her footman Joseph are protected. For instance, she”being in bed, called Joseph to her room … laid her hand on his” (p.43) and trying to tempt and persuade him by saying “the world will never know anything of this matter” (p.49), suggests her lustful and vice nature. However, Joseph denounces her lustful attempts for the sake of virtue, which damaged Booby’s vanity and pride. Here, conflict arises in her mind, for instance,”…opposite passions distracting and tearing her mind in different ways” (p.62). Her “mental dilemma is, in fact, a satire against the hypocrisy of the 18th century where reputation achieves an interesting connotation” (Nissa, p.25). Moreover, Joseph refusal makes her conscious of and concerned about her reputation,” her dear reputation is in power of her servants”(p.7). In the wake of jealousy and grudge, she places hurdles in the way of Joseph and Fanny. Being selfish and mean person, Booby has no respect for her servants, as she scolds them and says, ”Thou art a low creature of the Andrews breed, a reptile of a lower order, a weed that grows in the common garden of the creation”(p.280).

Hence, Lady Booby is a repulsive and dissolute character, deviating from moral values and conduct. It is because her rationality and passions are contrary.”From the discovery of … affection arises the ridiculous which always strikes the reader with surprise and pleasure”, says Fielding in his Preface of Joseph Andrews, therefore the character of Lady Booby is an illustration of aforementioned assertion. Mrs. Slipslop: Mrs. Slipslop is a humorous character and is a chambermaid of Lady Booby. Henry Fielding used her character as a satirical device as she is the symbol of unreasonable lust and vice. It is noted that ”She is usually praised by critics as the well-rounded foil to Lady Booby. But she is sometimes more than this, since her lust for Joseph and for all manner of men, is more natural and appealing than Lady Booby’s hot and cold passion” (Paulson , p.63). Through her character, Fielding depicted hypocrisy, selfishness, and vanity. She considers herself superior to rest of the servants, as, ”She always insisted on a difference to be paid to her understandings; as she had been frequently at London, and knew more of the world” (p.45). Her sense of superiority is portrayed through her talkative nature and “ her adaption of high-flown words”, which indicates her aspiration to be considered educated and knowledgeable even though she makes blunders, about this Ronald Paulson, states,” Mrs.Slipslop speaks in a ridiculous jargon, distorting many words, especially the scholarly vocabulary which she effects to use without understanding it and from time to time…”(p.276). “As when a hungry Tygress, who long had traversed the Woods in fruitless search, … she prepared to leap on her Prey…of immense Size, …opens them wide to swallow the little Fish: so did Mrs. Slipslop prepare to lay her violent amorous Hands on the poor Joseph.”(p.74), here Feilding creates a comparison between Mrs. Slipslop with “hungry Tygress”, which reflects the lustful advances of Mrs. Slipslop upon Joseph Andrews. Here, Fielding has used a satirical version of Homer’s smilie, to mock his characters. The trait of jealousy can also be observed in her character, as she meets Fanny at an inn, she gets jealous and disappointed of her beauty. Also, she curses Fanny in front of Lady Booby, “ She (Fanny) is a little ugly minx, cries Slipslop, leave her to me” . There are hypocrisy and element of diabolical duplicity in her character as well. It is noted that after Joseph refusal, she tries to attack his reputation by accusing him of drinking and swearing, “he games, drinks, swears… he is lewd a rascal …he is as ugly as a scarecrow.”(p.54). Mrs. Slipslop is presented as a parallel to Lady Booby because she is as vain and proud as Booby, but her passion for Joseph is more violent than that of Booby.

Hence, it is concluded that Fielding “has intended to moralize human beings by stripping the veil from their hypocritical faces”. He tried to depict those who “show trial of vanity and hypocrisy”, as Lady Booby and Mrs. Slipslop. Also, these characters reflect the picture of 18thcentury society and human nature. Dudden remarks, “(Fielding) provides a peculiarly vivid representation of the life and manners, the interests and pursuits of the people who lived in the country”. Fanny Goodwill: Fanny Goodwill is presented as female equivalent of Joseph Andrews, in terms of her Christian moral values, manners, sensibility, beauty and modesty, “she had a natural Gentility, superior to the Acquisition of Art, and which surprised all who beheld her”(p.173). Like Joseph, she also has to protect her chastity from lustful advances made by male predators because her beauty was taken as,“charms were the Gifts of Nature” (p.333). Fanny is always in need of rescuing from advancing men. However, she managed to remain virtuous and ended up marrying her love interest Joseph with “extraordinary and unaffected Modesty” (p.332). Her character is depicted in contrast to Lady Booby, because Fanny remains modest through the novel instead of being lustful as Booby. She represents a true Christian girl who protects her chastity and moral values. She is represented as beautiful inside out, even with her imperfection caused by sunburn,” Her Complexion was fair, a little injured by the Sun, but overspread with such a Bloom, that the finest Ladies would have exchanged all their White for it: add to these, a Countenance in which tho’ she was extremely bashful, a Sensibility appeared almost incredible; and a Sweetness, whenever she smiled, beyond either Imitation or Description.” (p.173). Sensibility and modesty in her character adds appeal to her personality. Citation: 1. Nissa,Niazun. The treatment of women by S.Richardson and H. Fielding with special reference to Pamela and Joseph Andrews.2004. 2. https://www.gradesaver.com/joseph-andrews