Moll's Crimes

I have to say that Moll's initial crimes are very much due to her circumstances and not her choices. She was perfectly prepared to be a wife to the man she loved at the outset of her tale. Several of her other marriages also lead me to believe that she was intent on making the most of her situation and staying with her husband(s) until the end. Wen circumstances changed, it was necessary for her to change with them. I'm sure she didn't expect to marry her own brother or to end up with a man of no fortune so she had to improvise.

Though I believe that her early life distinctly resembles what More refers to in Utopia as making criminals and then punishing them, her later life is very much a product of her own decision. I specifically see this change in her after the first time she steals and then becomes reacquainted with her 'governess.' I really feel like this is a vital time for her in which she could have made the right/better decision but she finally gives in to all that is dormant inside of her. She eventually comes to love it and has zero qualms about stealing and cheating people. The scene after the fire is particularly telling in that she feels extreme remorse and grieves for her decisions yet continues in her 'sins' and doesn't look back.

I would say that More is absolutely correct in the sense that Moll was a victim of her circumstances for most of her life. However, when the turning point came in which she had the opportunity to make a better decision, she didn't because of what she refers to as 'avarice.' She loved the money and the lifestyle more than she hated the sin.