Moll Flanders is a story about the fall and rise of a beautiful woman who was
born in Newgate Prison. Her mother was saved from the gallows because "she
pleaded her belly", and soon after Moll was born, her mother was shipped to
the clonies to work out her sentence. Left behind, Moll was raised for three
years with a band of traveling gypsies. Moll worked her way out of that,
disgusted that England didn't have orphanages, and she was allowed to live with
a "nurse." At a young age she decided she didn't want to be a servant,
but a gentlewoman. Her defination of a gentlewoman was a woman who worked and
supported herself, not, in fact, a wealthy woman. Moll's nurse, and a wealthy
matron of the town, found entertainment in this, and Moll was allowed to sew for
people to earn her keep. After many years of seamstress work, and handouts from
wealthy gentlewomen, Moll was able to buy her own clothes and live quite well
with her nurse. After her nurse died, she lived with the wealthy matron and her
family. She was their servant, but also treated very kindly. Moll learned what
the daughters learned, french, dancing, singing, and how to read and write. Her
talents and beauty surpassed theirs, but she would never have the same
advantages, as she was poor and of low social standings. The elder brother made
Moll his mistress, much to protests at first, but won her over with
proclamations of love and promises of marriage once he came into his
inheritance. The younger brother, Robin, professed his genuine love of Moll and
his plans of marrying her. After weeks of unbalance and uneasiness of this,
their marriage was approved; Moll being payed off by the elder brother, and
because she wanted stability. Robin died five years later, Moll gave her
children to Robins parents, and she went off to start her new life. She sought
to marry rich, so that she may be supported, and be a gentlewomam. Deception
landed her a tradesmen, or a draper, that spent all her money, his own money,
and money he didn't have. Debts accumulated, and he was arrested for debt and
put in "a sponging-house" (a place of confinement for debtors). He
instructed Moll to take what she could fom his shop and their home to try and
pawn for money. His escape left her alone again, and without bothering for a
divorce, she started again. In London, she helped a woman get a man, so inturn,
asked for aid back. The seaman Moll chose owned a plantation in Virginia, which
the two, after marriage, moved to. Moll enjoyed the company of this man, and
they got along well. His mother, who lived on the plantation too, befriended
Moll. One day, Moll's mother-in-law was telling Moll about her past; about how
she had a child in Newgate, but was allowed transportation to the colonies after
the child's birth. Moll discovered that this was her long-lost mother, and after
a struggle with the decision to say anythig about it or not, she confronted her
mother. The thought of sleeping with her husband, now her brother, repulsed her,
and seeing their children was even worse. Moll convinced her brother to allow
her to go back to London, and he sent her with money and her belongings. The two
corresponded ater that, but as sister and brother. Moll returned to London, and
took up residence in Bath. There, under the pretense that she was awiting money
from Virginia, she met a married man, whose wife "was distempered in her
head." Moll cooked and served this gentlman's meals and kept him company,
as he helped her out financially. The two became friends through a sickness he
had, and one night, after too much wine, the two went to bed together. This
evolved into a six year relationship, as Moll had a child with him. He furnished
her and the child in an apartment in London, and all was well until he became
ill. After this, he broke off ties with her by sending her money for the child.
Moll was now forty-two years old. Moll then met her soon to be 4th husband,
Jemmy. And, althought their relationship was founded under the pretense that
both were wealthy, a true love resulted. When the truth of their poverty did
suface, Jemmy tried to leave, but couldn't; he couldn't bear to be away from
her. The two did part to go their seperate ways in search of money, but always
thought of one another. Moll, after returning to London, learned of her
pregnancy, and had midwife help her out with the delivery and adoption. A bond
developed between Moll and the midwife, as Moll prepared to marry for the fifth
time. This time to a respectabke bank clerk she had met before running off with
Jemmy. This marriage was, in Moll's words, "a safe harbour, after the
stormy voyage of life past was at an end, and I began to be thankful for my
deliverance." This marriage was a contended and easy five years, until the
banker lost a huge some of money, fell ill, and died over the stress of it.
After three years of poverty, with her son by the banker, Moll began stealing.
She was succesful at it, but needed guidance as to hat to do with the silk and
beads, and such, she had stolen. So she returned to the midwife for help, who
also helped her get her son, by the banker, adopted. Many years of this
partnership in crime ensued, and both profitted from it. Moll's ingenious
disguises, (beggar, gentlewoman, working woman, etc.) helped her evade prison
for many years, in spite of the fact that a number of her accomplices were
caught and hanged or transported to the colonies. Moll was able to weave
incredible lies to escape possible captures, and through this her heart
hardened. Greed drove her on until she became known as the richest thief in
London. Her "governess," what Moll now called her midwife, guided her,
and forced her to continue, even when plenty of money was being brought in. The
governess later grew penitent and devout and remained Moll's loyal friend for
many years. At one time, a wealthy baronet picked her up, they made love, and
Moll stole all his possesion on him as he lay asleep. This evolved into a one
year love affair. When Moll became less cautious, she was finally captured. She
was caught stealing linen, and no amount of bribery would help her this time.
She was taken to Newgate Prison where she was taunted by the other prisoners, as
all were glad the famous Moll Flanders finally got caught. Moll repented
momentarily as she confessed her crimes to her spiritual adviser, a minister
sent by the governess. Because of his intervention, Moll's death sentence was
commuted to transportation to the American colonies. While in prison Moll
re-encountered Jemmy, who got caught from his adventures as a highwayman, and
her heart came alive again. She persuaded him to join her on the ship
transporting convicts to the colonies. The governess pulled some strings, waived
money around, and it was accomplished. They bought tobacco to plant, and made
their way to Maryland, where they became successful plantation-owners in about a
year's time. In Virginia, Moll's former husband-brother was living with one of
their sons. Moll found out about her inheritance, money and a plantation in
Virginia, and was anxious to receive it from her mother's estate. She also, in m
opinion, finally found a maternal instinct, and wanted to meet her grown son.
But, because she was equally reluctant to confront her brother, a meeting was
prolonged. When she did meet her son and prove her relation to him, he was
devoted and fair, and lodged he in the plantation she inherited. (Jemmy was in
Maryland setting up their new home.) When she left to Mryland, her son gave her
goats and farming tools to get ready, and the money her plantation had earned
that year. The two kept in contact, and the son later met Jemmy. At the age of
almost seventy, Moll returned with Jemmy to London, where they planned to live
out their lives in repentance for their criminal activities.