English 2610

I think a lot of what More said in Utopia applies with Moll. Considering the circumstances to which she was born, I don't find it hard to believe her actions throughout the novel. The fact alone that she was finally happily married with two children only to find out that her husband was her actual brother is horrifying and, I think, would lead anyone to act similarly to Moll. On top of that one incident however, she was continually in some sort of trouble for which she had to find some way to escape. The only way to do this for her always involved committing some sort of crime, whether it was deceiving others into marrying her, stealing, or being a whore. What else could she have done? She did what she could with what she had. Although I believe part of her nature is still deceitful, I think the greater portion of it is due to the conditions under which she was born into and grew up with.

Concerning her children, I was surprised at the ease with which she disregarded her children and left them behind. It seemed like she didn't even care about any of them. I think this is due, again, to her surrounding circumstances. It would be painful and difficult to care for children when your husband is gone and when you figure out your other husband is your brother. I think, for Moll, leaving her kids behind was a sort of coping strategy or defense mechanism. If she didn't have to look after her kids and have those constant reminders of failed marriages, then maybe she could start new again...and again and again and again...until, finally, she reunites with her husband in prison and becomes truly repentant. I think her repentance was sincere and she was finally able (or perhaps forced) to come to terms with her past. She had a different attitude towards her son at the end because she was finally able to realize that, although her past was painful and full of chaos, each past moment eventually brought her to her new state of life.