Heroine Moll Flanders
Moll Flanders in Daniel Defoe’s novel is portrayed as a witty feminine heroine of
survival and an innocent fallen angel of circumstance, rather than the vile and cruel
criminals in factual materials in the 18th century. In comparing Moll Flanders with
criminals in factual fiction, such as Anne Holland and Mary Frith (Moll Cutpurse), there
are a lot of resemblances. For example, the gender of these characters are all female; the
last name Holland and Flanders are both some kind of clothes and represent feminist
characteristic; Moll Cutpurse and Moll Flanders share the first name and they both
pickpocket. Also, there are a lot of differences among them, such as the paths that lead to
their thievery behaviors, the natures of the crimes, and the characters of them. In
comparing the differences, we could see the heroine emphasis on Moll Flanders, as
contrasting to other criminals.
Moll Flanders has clear working/ stealing ethics. Moll Flanders is originally a
diligent gentlewoman who tries to work to survive herself, while Anne Holland works in
order to steal. Moll Flanders used to work with the needles to maintain her living from a
young age. She has a notion of working by herself to earn an independent life: “I
understood by being a Gentlewoman, was to be able to Work for myself, and get enough
to keep me without that terrible Bug-bear going to Service, whereas they meant to live
Great, Rich, and High, and I know not what” (14). Moll’s early notion of working to earn
a living is noble and honest. Moll distinguishes working from stealing very well. She
never mixes these things together or cheats/steals from her employers. Even when she
becomes a thief, Moll Flanders’ relationship with her governess is very trusting and
honest in sharing the gains. On the other hand, Anne Holland mixes up working and stealing: “her usual way of thieving, was the Service-Lay, which was hiring
survival and an innocent fallen angel of circumstance, rather than the vile and cruel
criminals in factual materials in the 18th century. In comparing Moll Flanders with
criminals in factual fiction, such as Anne Holland and Mary Frith (Moll Cutpurse), there
are a lot of resemblances. For example, the gender of these characters are all female; the
last name Holland and Flanders are both some kind of clothes and represent feminist
characteristic; Moll Cutpurse and Moll Flanders share the first name and they both
pickpocket. Also, there are a lot of differences among them, such as the paths that lead to
their thievery behaviors, the natures of the crimes, and the characters of them. In
comparing the differences, we could see the heroine emphasis on Moll Flanders, as
contrasting to other criminals.
Moll Flanders has clear working/ stealing ethics. Moll Flanders is originally a
diligent gentlewoman who tries to work to survive herself, while Anne Holland works in
order to steal. Moll Flanders used to work with the needles to maintain her living from a
young age. She has a notion of working by herself to earn an independent life: “I
understood by being a Gentlewoman, was to be able to Work for myself, and get enough
to keep me without that terrible Bug-bear going to Service, whereas they meant to live
Great, Rich, and High, and I know not what” (14). Moll’s early notion of working to earn
a living is noble and honest. Moll distinguishes working from stealing very well. She
never mixes these things together or cheats/steals from her employers. Even when she
becomes a thief, Moll Flanders’ relationship with her governess is very trusting and
honest in sharing the gains. On the other hand, Anne Holland mixes up working and stealing: “her usual way of thieving, was the Service-Lay, which was hiring