Henry Fielding's Concept of Morality in 'Joseph Andrews'

Richardson in his most popular novel "Pamela" presented his own moral point of view. According to him, chastity was the only virtue. But Henry fielding did not accept his point of view. In Joseph Andrews, he presented his own concept of morality. According to a clear him moral standard of Richardson was indication of narrow-mindedness. It was not right to think that chastity was the only virtue. According to Fielding, the standard of chastity propounded by Richardson was just a saleable commodity. Mere respectability, and chastity without the goodness of heart was not virtue.

Fielding opines that a chaste man who abhors needy persons, or who has no tinge of humanity in him, is worse than an unchaste woman who is good at heart. While estimating any person from moral or ethical point of view, we should be liberal-minded. We should judge a man by his intentions, impulses and his overall attitude towards life and human beings. He condemns chastity without goodness of heart. He prefers unchaste Betty to chaste Mrs. Tow-Wouse who bluntly speaks;

 

"Common charity a f―t."

 

The virtuous should be ready to donate whatever they possess. Fielding presents a widened outlook. He propounds a liberal-minded attitude towards religion, morality and ethics.

According to him unchastity is less detestable than affectation. Affectation arises from hypocrisy and vanity. Fielding has given us several examples in favour of his moral point of view. He has presented his concept of morality in such a forceful style and convincing manner that the readers are spellbound and are compelled to agree with him. Fielding's concept of morality is rational, reasonable and convincing. He prefers unchaste girl who is helpful to needy and oppressed persons to an innkeeper and landlady who is chaste but scornful and hateful for the poor, injured, naked and shivering foot passenger who deserved sympathy.

Let us discuss Fielding's concept of morality with reference to Joseph Andrews. Joseph, is dismissed from his job and is forced to set out on a journey. He is looted and beaten by some robbers on the way. He is thrown naked into a bitch to die by inches. A stage-coach passes by there and the passengers of the stage coach take notice of him. All of them look at him, scornfully and peevishly. It is only a poor postillion who helps him. Fielding says that hypocrisy and vanity, which are the complements of affectation are more serious crimes than unchastity. He has explained his view in the very first misadventure which befell Joseph on the way from London to countryside. A lady who pretends to be modest, ogles at naked young boy through the sticks of her fan. The Lawyer wants to help him not because- he is a God-fearing man but because of a fear of being. entrapped in legal complexities. The poor postillion who helps Joseph is arrested for stealing a hen-roost. It is a great pity to say that a man who has committed a venial crime, is not spared, whereas a number of people who are sensible and educated have shown indifference towards a naked, injured and needy fellow are still regarded as respectable citizens.

In the second phase, when Joseph is conveyed to an inn, we come across a number of characters who are detestable and dislikable because of their materialistic approach towards life and lack of milk of kindness. Mrs. Tow-Wouse who pretends to be the most chasteful lady, refuses to let her husband lend an old shirt to a wretched, miserable and needy injured foot passengers who is on the verge of death. She cries furiously "common charity a f-t".

We are introduced to a surgeon, who violates the very basic and fundamental rule of humanity and medical profession by refusing to examine a mere foot passenger who is not in a position to pay his fees. There is a Parson who attaches excessive significance to drinking, who has more concern with wine than a miserable fellow being who is lying on his death bed.

To our surprise, it is an unchaste and vulgar young girl namely Betty, who comes to rescue him and becomes a source of satisfaction and consolation for the wretched, alien and injured fellow. But after some time, we see that Betty is humiliated, ridiculed, rebuked and extremely insulted for being discovered in the bed of Mr. Tow-Wouse and none of them advocates her, whereas the Parson, the surgeon and Mrs. Tow- Wouse who have committed more detestable crime by paying no heed to the wretched creature are neither scolded nor insulted and nor even realized of their sin of a serious nature. Fielding tries his level best to make us feel that;

 

“Unchastity is not the only crime.”

 

There are several crimes which are more detestable and dislikable than loosing virginity and chastity. This is the main point in Fielding's concept of morality. Chastity means the purification of heart, it can in no way be regarded as chastity to be pious physically and to remain unholy spiritually.

Parson Adams shows behaviour of a morally good person. He feels happiness when Fanny and Joseph are reunited. He shares sorrows, sufferings and happiness with others. Although he is not free from vanities of trivial kind yet he represents good moral nature. He accompanies Joseph on the way. He stands by him through thick and thin. He goes to borrow money from different people but he can never be able to get even a penny from anyone. He jumps into the midst of danger being irrespective of the danger and indifferent to the personal safety which is often regarded by common people as a matter of vital importance and significance. He uses his fists which are;

 

"Rather less than the knuckle of an ox."

 

only for the right causes, either to rescue a maid from the clutches of some unscrupulous vagabond or to help oppressed, needy and persecuted wretched creatures in miserable and pitiable conditions. Fielding is also against such a moral standard as looks scornfully at natural sexual behaviour and does not allow to behave in a natural manner and forces a man to suppress his natural desires, instincts, impulses and requirements which can in no way be controlled or suppressed and if they are suppressed forcefully, they burst out resulting in dreadful and dire consequences.

He is in favour of natural expression of sexual desires. This does not mean that he advocates a vulgar mode of life, he, in fact, wants to say that the natural and instinctive desires should be expressed in a natural manner rather than to try to efface oneself and suppress the natural feelings because this suppression means affectation and affectation arises from vanity and hypocrisy which are more detestable crimes than unchastity and loosing virginity. Hypocrisy means to conceal one's reality and vanity means to pretend to be what one is not. Fielding's moral code can allow sexual laxity but affectation, hypocrisy and vanity are looked at with peevishness and scornful eyes because chastity is one's private matter and it does not affect any person. On the other hand, vanity and hypocrisy make one indifferent to the adversities and difficulties and miseries of the persecuted and down trodden and wretched fellow beings.

Hypocrisy and vanity make one ruthless, merciless, stone hearted, marble-livered and relentless and their milk of kindness is dried up.

The above discussion enables us to reach a reasonable conclusion that Richardson's moral conception was nothing more than narrow- mindedness. Fielding's concept of morality was quite apt and the modern opinion also casts a vote in favour of Fielding's concept of morality, which is based on solid reasons and in no way be called a superstition or fallacy in the notion.