"Moll Flanders"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how role playing is constitutive of the identity of Moll Flanders. Moll's role within crime, love, money and status are examined. It is argued that the reality of Moll's circumstances, within these issues, is suppressed by her ability to realize the impact of rival visions and convincingly create an image of a feminist with self assertion and control.

From the Paper:

"Moll Flanders starts her journey in life as a pauper and ends up being a wealthy woman, entirely due to her role as adulterer, seductress and thief. She commences the narrative expressing that her colleagues in crime ... 'knew me by the Name of Moll Flanders; so you may give me leave to speak of myself, under that Name till I dare own who I have been, as well as who I am' (Defoe 1981, p.7) Hence, Moll Flanders informs the reader of her assumed false identity from the very beginning. This also brings to light, an underlying issue throughout the novel, as it seems apparent to the reader that the protagonist has an issue with concealment and status. G.A Starr (1981, p. vii) states that as the reader .. 'We are drawn into the quest of a heroine who in some degrees escapes the bounds of everyday moral, social and psychological law' and she remains ... 'untouched by the experience' (Starr 1981, p. ix). Moll has a distinct ability to clear her sub conscious of any remorse and regret that follows her committal of crime, as she plays the role of a gentlewoman and convinces herself that her behavior in crime is because .. 'the Vice came in always at the Door of Necessity, not at the Door of Inclination' (Defoe 1981, p. 129)"

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