Joseph Andrews is a novel by Henry Fielding. The novel tells the story of Joseph Andrews, a young man who is unjustly accused of theft and sent to prison. Joseph is eventually released from prison and decides to return to his home town, where he meets his friend, Mr. Abraham Adams. Mr. Adams helps Joseph find a job as a footman in the household of Lady Booby, a wealthy widow. However, when Lady Booby’s nephew, Mr. Blifil, arrives on the scene, he sets out to ruin Joseph’s life.
Joseph Andrews is a novel about injustice, friendship, and love. It is an important work of 18th-century literature and continues to be popular today.
Joseph Andrews is filled with a wide range of characters. Lady Booby, for example, is a shallow, vain, and conceited character; whereas Joseph and Fanny are innocent, honest, and good people. The clergy’s importance comes to light through the depiction of individuals like lady booby who are treated in the same way as her in self-serving and dishonest ways.
We are introduced to most of the clergy we encounter in the story, and they do not match our preconceived notions of “holy people.” Neither did Fielding’s. Parson Adams is the only character who fits what Fielding considers to be a holy person’s proper function. He thinks that clergy should provide moral guidance and be charitable and virtuous.
Fielding believed that the clergy should give moral guidance because they have a unique perspective. They are able to see people’s actions and intentions in a different way than other people can. They are also able to look at the world in a different way than other people can. The clergy are able to see the world through the lens of religion and they are able to see the world through the lens of morality. This gives them a unique perspective that other people don’t have.
Parson Adams is a recurring protagonist in the novel who, as Fielding believes, should be involved in charity. However, I believe that Adams will stand out more if I demonstrate how uncharitable the other characters are. Joseph meets Mr. and Mrs. Tow-wouse at The Dragon Inn. Mr Tow-wouse is the inn’s owner, and although he appears for only a few pages in the book, he is pleasant and unlike his wife who is avaricious and extremely uncharitable (55).
This novel was published in 1742, only a year after the death of Thomas Guy. Guy was a London bookseller who made a fortune and then lost it all due to his own greed and uncharitable ways. Fielding likely used Mrs. Tow-wouse as an example to show how not to act if one wants to be truly charitable. Later in the novel, when Joseph is in distress and nearly fainting from hunger, he meets Mr. Abraham Adams.
This man is Parson Adams’s brother and also quite uncharitable. He sees Joseph’s condition and instead of helping him he robs him. Even after robbing Joseph he still has the heart to lecture him on his morals, which shows how hypocritical he is. Abraham Adams is the complete opposite of his brother and Fielding seems to be using him to make a point about how one should not act if they want to be considered truly charitable.
Although there are many examples of uncharitable behavior in Joseph Andrews, Parson Adams stands out as a truly charitable character. In one instance, he comes across a woman who has just given birth and has no money to pay for a proper burial for her child. Instead of turning away,Adams pays for the burial himself. He also gives money to poor widows and helps anyone in need, regardless of their social status. Parson Adams is the perfect example of what it means to be truly charitable and Fielding uses him as a moral compass for the novel.
While Joseph Andrews is primarily a comedy, it also has a strong message about the importance of charity. Fielding uses a variety of characters to show how one should (Parson Adams) and should not (Mrs. Tow-wouse and Abraham Adams) act if they want to be considered truly charitable. In a time when greed was rampant, Fielding’s novel served as a reminder that there was still value in being kind and helping those less fortunate.
Later, Joseph meets Mr. Barnabas, a clergyman who is a disgrace in comparison to Adams. Adams’ position as a clergyman was crucial because “no other office could have given him so many chances to show his excellent inclinations” (95). Because he has been severely wounded and is expected to die, Barnabas is sent to Joseph’s room at the inn to comfort him. But Barnabas is more interested in drinking punch than adhering to his responsibilities. Even Betty, the maid, is more charitable than the minister.
Joseph is gradually nursed back to health by Betty and the landlady, Mrs. Slipslop. One evening, Barnabas finds out that Joseph has been secretly corresponding with Fanny. He hatches a plan to kidnap Fanny and take her away so that she can no longer be a temptation to Joseph. But his plans are thwarted when Fanny’s dog, Ponto, bites him and runs off with the letter. Joseph follows Ponto and finds Fanny before Barnabas can get to her. They return to the inn where they are caught by Adams and Slipslop who have been looking for them.
Adams scolds Joseph but is won over by Fanny’s charms. He decides to take them both under his wing and protect them from Barnabas. They set off on a journey to London, accompanied by Adams, Betty, Ponto and Mrs. Slipslop. Along the way, they are joined by Jack Wilson, a highwayman who has been robbed by Barnabas.
They finally reach London and find lodgings with Mr. Abraham Adams, Joseph’s uncle. Abraham is a very different man from Adams; he is stingy and mean-spirited. Joseph is taken in by Lady Booby, a wealthy widow who has designs on him. Fanny goes to live with her friend Hillaria at a convent.