TOM JONES

Tom Jones is a picaresque novel written by Henry Fielding  in 1749.

Tom Jones is a foundling discovered on the property of a very kind, wealthy landowner. Tom had to escape and so he went to London even if he fell in love with Sophia , his neighbour.

In the extract we had to analyze Tom is travelling to London with Partridge, his servant. On the way to London they discovered a light  and they heard a confused sound of human voices . While Jones was unafraid Partridge was terrified and wanted to come back, but Jones wanted to go to the place in which there were light and noise. At  the end they noticed a great number of men and women merry making.

The narration is made up by a third person narrator . The narrator is omniscient and intrusive and so the reader isn't free because of he knows the story through narrator's judgement .

The real aims of Fielding are: keeping curiosity of readers , as a matter of fact the story creates expectation and suspense as far as  the end , when reader understands what are the light and the noise the two protagonist discovered. Fielding moreover wants to  explain us how people may react in front of mysterious elements . In the text are portrayed  Jones and Partridge's behaviours in front of a mystery.   Jones is curious and unafraid :" to the great pleasure of Jones", " Jones could not help smiling  in the midst of his vexation, at the fears of these poor fellows", "I'm resolved to go up to them, and enquire .."Jones put forwards as fast as he could". On the contrary Partridge is afraid and doesn't want to discover where the light and the noise come from and he whimpers. :"no small terror of Partridge", " it might very well be called music bewitched", " It is impossible to conceive a much greater degree of horror than what now seized on Partridge", "They can be nothing but ghosts or witches or some evil spirits  or other that's certain".

Fielding gives us a moral and psychological portrayed of two protagonist of the society and he wants to explain us the word and humanity ‘s  multiplicity  describing a society full of contradiction .