History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

The narrative then cuts back to Tom Jones, who has learned Sophia has regained her liberty via Black George. Sophia replies that same evening, now that she has access to writing materials: she confirms she is no longer under her father’s direct confinement, but explains her aunt has required her to promise not to correspond with any person (including Jones) without her consent. Sophia reaffirms her commitment never to marry against her father’s will, urges Jones to move on, and encloses a £100 banknote she knows he needs. Jones reads the letter with mixed grief and relief: he is glad Sophia is free, and heartened by her reaffirmation of her commitment to him, but pained by her instruction to cease correspondence. He is pulled out of his melancholy when he agrees to accompany Mrs Miller and her younger daughter to a London playhouse, bringing his servant Partridge along for his unvarnished critiques. During a staging of Hamlet, Partridge is alternately terrified by the ghost and critical of the acting, providing comic relief; after the play, Jones is approached by Mrs Fitzpatrick, who arranges to meet him the next day to share information that could aid his pursuit of Sophia.

The narrative then provides critical backstory: after seizing Sophia from Lady Bellaston’s home, Squire Western sent a messenger to Blifil, who was staying with Allworthy in the country, to inform him Sophia has been found. Blifil immediately travels to London to press his suit, motivated by equal parts greed for Sophia’s fortune and hatred for Jones. Allworthy is initially reluctant to support Blifil’s pursuit, given Sophia’s clear aversion, but Blifil falsely claims Jones is a corrupting influence on her, and Allworthy’s deep affection for his nephew blinds him to the deceit. He agrees to accompany Blifil to London, stipulating only that no force will be used to coerce Sophia into marriage. Blifil arrives in town the same evening Jones attends the play, and is warmly received by Western, who takes him to visit Mrs Western later that day.

When Western and Blifil call on Mrs Western and Sophia, Western’s abrupt entry startles Sophia, who withdraws from the room. Mrs Western reprimands Western for his lack of decorum, and refuses to let Blifil see Sophia that morning, arguing women’s delicate spirits need time to recover from shock. She arranges for Blifil to visit Sophia in the afternoon instead. Blifil, far more perceptive than Western, suspects Mrs Western has ulterior motives for the cold reception, and is correct: Mrs Western has just agreed to support Lord Fellamar’s suit for Sophia, having been convinced of his wealth and title, and intends to present his proposal that afternoon. She and Lady Bellaston have also plotted to discredit Jones in Sophia’s eyes: Lady Bellaston has given Mrs Western a copy of Jones’s earlier indecent marriage proposal to herself, which they plan to show Sophia to turn her against him permanently. Lady Bellaston also hopes to have Jones pressed into naval service to remove him as a rival to Lord Fellamar.

Jones meets Mrs Fitzpatrick as planned the next day. Mrs Fitzpatrick, still bitter over her aunt’s rejection and her own unhappy marriage to the jealous Fitzpatrick, suggests Jones feign romantic interest in Mrs Western to gain access to Sophia, recounting how her own husband used the same stratagem to court her at Bath. Jones refuses the dishonest scheme, citing his unwavering devotion to Sophia and his belief she would never countenance such deceit. Mrs Fitzpatrick, stung by his rejection and impressed by his virtue, develops a romantic interest in Jones, but he remains entirely focused on Sophia, and resolves not to meet her again. Fortune, however, intervenes to worsen Jones’s situation: Mr Fitzpatrick, having learned from Mrs Western’s earlier rejection that his wife is staying at Mrs Fitzpatrick’s lodgings, travels to London to confront her. As he arrives, he sees Jones leaving the house, and, still jealous from his earlier suspicion of Jones at Upton, accosts him, convinced he is having an affair with his wife. Jones tries to make peace, but Fitzpatrick attacks him. Jones, who has no formal fencing training, fights back instinctively and wounds Fitzpatrick mortally. Before Jones can react, a gang of men hired by Lord Fellamar to seize Jones and press him into naval service swarm the scene, arrest Jones, and take him to a local justice of the peace. Fitzpatrick is taken to a surgeon, who declares his wound fatal, and Jones is committed to the Gatehouse prison, charged with murder.

The narrative shifts to Book XVII, where Fielding’s narrator notes that Jones’s situation is so dire that a tragic end (such as execution at Tyburn) is plausible, as the author will not use supernatural intervention to rescue him from the consequences of his actions. The next morning, Blifil visits Allworthy and gleefully reports that Jones has killed a man in a duel, painting him as a violent, ungrateful villain. Mrs Miller, who has benefited repeatedly from Jones’s past kindness (he helped her avoid eviction and supported her family during a crisis), rushes to defend him, calling him one of the worthiest men alive, and revealing he has been a generous benefactor to her household. Allworthy is shocked by her passionate defense, but before he can question her further, Squire Western arrives, furious that Mrs Western has presented Lord Fellamar’s suit for Sophia to him, and rages against the idea of his daughter marrying an aristocrat. He argues that his absolute paternal authority gives him the right to force Sophia to marry Blifil, as he is her father and has the power to govern her as he sees fit. Allworthy delivers a principled speech rejecting coercion in marriage, arguing it is a sin against a woman’s soul to force her into a union she does not consent to, and that no parent has the right to sacrifice their child’s happiness for social or financial gain. He formally withdraws his support for Blifil’s suit, though he allows Blifil to court Sophia fairly if she consents. Western storms out, singing and celebrating the news that Jones is accused of murder, which he believes will remove his only rival for Sophia’s hand.