Essay Archive - Moll Flanders: Themes
Moll Flanders: Themes
Three recurring themes in Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe are greed, vanity,
and repentance. Theme is defined as an underlying or essential subject of
artistic representation. These three themes play an important role in the
development of the story of Moll Flanders.
The first theme, greed, is shown in Moll's acts of prostitution. Moll
turns to thievery in many instances to support herself. She also allows her
morals to disintegrate; a result of her greediness.
Moll's first act of prostitution is thrust upon her unknowingly. In the
beginning of the story, she is living with a gentle woman and her family. ....
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