The Female Career Criminal In Moll Flanders And The 18th Cen

The Female Career Criminal in Moll Flanders and 18th Century England

This essay critically examines the portrayal of the female career criminal in Daniel Defoe’s "Moll Flanders" within the context of 18th-century English society. It argues that Moll’s lifestyle as a female criminal reflects the broader survival strategies of women from lower social classes during this period, emphasizing individual agency intertwined with social and cultural constraints. The discussion focuses on key episodes, notably Moll’s rescue from punishment and poverty by her governess, and her subsequent act of rescuing Jemy, analyzing these moments as demonstrations of female resilience, societal marginalization, and acts of social agency. The paper draws upon scholarly articles to support the argument that Moll’s criminality is not merely personal deviance but a form of adaptive resistance shaped by gendered and economic inequalities prevalent in 18th-century England.

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Daniel Defoe's "Moll Flanders" presents a complex portrayal of a female criminal who navigates the tumultuous social landscape of 18th-century England. Moll’s life, marked by criminal acts, is often interpreted through a lens of survival and resilience. This essay contends that Moll’s career criminality embodies a form of female agency within a constrictive societal framework, challenging traditional notions of femininity and morality of the period. The analysis hinges upon two pivotal episodes: first, the governess rescuing Moll from punishment and poverty, and second, Moll rescuing Jemy at Newgate. These episodes exemplify Moll’s resilience and social mobility, illustrating her capacity to transcend her circumstances through acts of social and personal agency.

The episode where Moll is rescued from poverty by her governess is emblematic of the social bonds and mechanisms of survival available to women in her position. Cervantes (2011) underscores how convicts like Moll are integrated into colonial and societal systems, viewing such rescues as symbolic of new beginnings and societal reintegration. The governess, representing a maternal and protective figure, facilitates Moll’s escape from the destitution that threatens her existence. This rescue indicates that even within a criminal life, moments of social redemption are possible through female kinship and support structures, which are crucial survival tools for women marginalized by the economic system (Cervantes, 2011).

Concurrently, Moll’s act of rescuing Jemy, her companion at Newgate, illustrates a radical assertion of agency and compassion in a brutalized environment. Moler and Chaber (1983) argue that Moll’s mastery of subordinate figures and her ability to assume various identities reflect her resourcefulness and adaptability, fundamental traits for female criminals seeking to navigate a patriarchal society. Moll’s rescue of Jemy signifies her capacity to act altruistically amidst her criminal pursuits, thereby humanizing her character and highlighting her complex moral landscape.

Furthermore, the episode where Moll rescues Jemy demonstrates her capacity to enact social change and resistance. It suggests that Moll’s criminality is intertwined with her desire to alleviate suffering and challenge societal neglect of impoverished women. Robert Erickson (1979) emphasizes Moll’s personal development under the influence of figures like Mother Midnight, which aligns with her acts of rescue as expressions of burgeoning self-awareness and moral agency.

The final episode, where Moll rescues Jemy at Newgate, encapsulates her evolution into a figure of social resilience. It symbolizes her reclaiming agency despite societal condemnation and highlights her capacity for empathy and action within a criminal framework. This act underscores the possibility that Moll’s criminal life is intertwined with acts of social justice, challenging the perception of her as merely a deviant. Instead, it portrays her as a product of her socio-economic environment, capable of acts that serve not only personal survival but also social critique (Chaber, 1982).

Throughout the novel, Moll’s interactions with various characters and her navigations through legal and illicit spaces reflect a broader commentary on the societal constraints faced by women of her class. Her resilience, as demonstrated through these episodes, exemplifies a form of female resistance rooted in adaptive cunning rather than passive submission. The scholarly articles contextualize Moll’s criminal career within the larger discourse of female agency, gendered social roles, and the moral ambiguities of the period. Returning to the thesis, Moll Flanders’s lifestyle as a female career criminal exemplifies not merely individual deviance but a strategic adaptation for survival and social mobility in a male-dominated, class-stratified society.

Defoe’s portrayal, supported by scholarly perspectives, reveals that Moll’s acts—rescuing herself and others—are rooted in a strategic response to the economic and gendered limitations of her environment. Her resilience challenges binary perceptions of morality and criminality, instead positioning her as a figure of complex moral agency. Her acts of rescue towards Jemy and her governess symbolize her refusal to be entirely marginalized by societal forces, asserting a form of female resistance that is both personal and social. Consequently, these episodes serve as evidence that Moll’s criminality is an expression of her agency, a means of navigating and challenging a society structured to marginalize women like her.

In conclusion, Moll Flanders’s character exemplifies the complex relationship between female criminality and social survival in 18th-century England. Her acts of rescue, both of herself and others, underscore her resilience and capacity for agency within oppressive social structures. This analysis, informed by scholarly literature, reframes her criminal career as a form of adaptive resistance and social critique. Moll’s life and actions demonstrate that female criminality, far from being purely destructive, can symbolize female resilience and agency garnering structural critique in a patriarchal society. This nuanced understanding highlights the importance of viewing Moll not solely as a criminal but as a symbol of survival and resistance in a constrictive social environment.

References

• Cervantes, G. (2011). Convict transportation and penitence in "Moll Flanders". ELH, 78(2), 345-370.
• Chaber, L. A. (1982). Matriarchal mirror: Women and capital in Moll Flanders. PMLA, 97(2), 210-222.
• Erickson, R. A. (1979). “Moll's Fate”: Mother Midnight and Moll Flanders. Studies in Philology, 76(1), 75-100.
• Moler, K. L., & Chaber, L. A. (1983). Moll Flanders’ governess. PMLA, 98(2), 262-277.
• Rietz, J. (1991). Criminal “Ms-Representation”: Moll Flanders and female criminal biography. Studies in the Novel, 23(2), 183-198.
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