Daniel Defoe: Moll Flanders The story begins with the truth about Molls birth.

Her real name was not Moll Flanders, in a particular way it is secret .She has been born in Newsgate. Her mother left her at a very fragile age, when she was only 6 months year. Because of leaving her she was kept in prison for abandoning her daughter. A short period of her life Moll was grown up by gypsies or Egyptians . She does not remember what they were but she knew that their skin was colored. The gypsies left her in Colchester, Essex where the magisters took her to a nurse, who was a nice lady and took care of her. She was the proprietor of a school in which kids like her were learning to read and to write. At the age of 8, when Moll has grown up, the magisters warned the nurse that she should send Moll to work. When Moll heard the news she kept crying. She did not know what to do. She begged the nurse to keep her and she would the housework for her. She told her that she shouldnt be sent to work because she will become a gentle lady and will maintain herself. The lady was very surprised that such a little girl would like to become a gentle lady. As Moll grew up, at the age of 10 her nurse gave her linens, caps and ribbons. She has become a lady. Even if Moll did not know what a gentle lady looked like, she knew that she was to become one. She was invited to work for ladies, to do lining and other works and she could earn her own money. Once she was invited by a lady to stay at her, but Moll had her nurse waiting for her, so she stayed only a week at her. Moll was very pleased to stay at them, because they had other conditions of life. *This lady had to daughters, and two sons.*When she was fourteen years old her nurse fell sick and died. Moll was very upset about it. the nurses fortune was taken away by her daughter, who left Moll homeless. Fortunately, the lady who has taken her for a week asked her to live at them. Moll was fortunate because the ladies kids had the best education and she could learn from them. She learned to sing, to speak French and to dance country dances. As time has passed, when Moll got 18 she had become the handsomest lady of all. She had the perfect shape and she had the most beautifulness voice. On of the ladys sons had fallen in love with her. He was talking everywhere of Moll, which made Moll proud of herself because she knew that she had everything a gentle lady has to have. One day, while she was sitting in her room, the eldest brother ran into her room and started to kiss her and told her that e was desperately in love with her. She couldnt believe it. He kept hugging her and kissing her and promised that he wont leave her. On the very next day, when the ladies were gone to visit their mother and the other brother was out, he came in her room and started to do the same. She couldnt resist her temptations. He held her hand and throws her in the bed and started kissing her very violently. He wanted more than kisses. Suddenly they heard footsteps coming upstairs. The boy gave Moll five guineas and went out of the room. Moll was surprised, that for her beauty she received money. The same happened the next day when the boy gave her gold. One day, when Moll was out with her sisters in the garden, when her brother gave her a ticket in which she was asking her to go with him in the town. He cunningly asked her sisters if they had any deal with Mrs. Betsy. After a short time he prepared himself and asked for his carriage. After half an hour Elizabeth left without any suspicion. The brother took her to a friends house. First he speaked to her

tenderly and then he gave her, her gift, a silk purse. Before all this, they consumed their love and then went home being unseen. As time passed, Moll fell so in love with the young brother. One day, the younger brother, Robin went in her room and told her that he was head over heels for her and that he anted her to be his wife. He promised her everything on. All this happened while the elder one was to London. Moll was confused; she did not know what to do. She knew that the elder brother promised to marry her only when he had his own estate which meant that he did not promise her that he would marry her soon. She was confused, she didnt know to accept Robins proposal or not. She also confessed him about his brothers deeds. He spoke to her in a different way. When the elder brother came home, she went to have a discussion with him. He told her that he would marry her only when he would have a large estate. Moll got sensible when she heard of the news and told him that hes throwing her in the arms of his brother. Days went by and Moll was waiting in her room for the elder brother. She got fever and she stayed 5 weeks in bed. The physicians gave her no hope. The others did not know the cause of her illness. While they were dining, their mother was trying to find out in which of her sons was she in loved. Robin told that Mrs. Betty was so charming. The lady of the house went upstairs to Mrs. Betty to ask her what she had on her heart. Moll told her that there was nothing and she felt nothing for none of the boys. The lady was satisfied and told her that she would take care of her health. When she went downstairs Robin was telling his sisters that they arent so charming and that Mrs. Betsy has a splendid voice. Their mother told them that Mrs. Betsy had nothing and that she wasnt in love. When Robin heard that, he told his mother that it was false. He was still insisting upon marrying Moll, therefore he knew something about his brothers relationship with Mrs. Betsy. The eldest one went after his sister who was going to Betsys room. He asked her where the sick lady is and they went in her room. Betsy felt happy to see him. He wanted to distract his sister and asked her to bring him the flute to sing Betsy a song. While she went off, he tried to tell her that Robin knew about them and asked her if she had told something to him, but she didnt. When the lady recovers, she tells to her mother that she wants to remove to exclude any problem. The lady told her that she was the one who made her think of moving off and she asked her if she had any problems related to love. She told her that she didnt and told her the truth with Robin. The elder brother found Moll alone and went in her room and started to kiss her tenderly, and told her that he will leave way to his brother because everybody knew of his decision. He told her that they shouldnt continue their affair, and who he left her. Betsy got engaged to Robin. She lived five years with him and gave birth to two children. After her husbands death she kept thinking of her husbands elder brother. She decided that she will change her lifestyle and she dressed like a widow and changed her name into Mrs. Flanders. She got acquainted with a draper with whom she travels along to Oxford. Moll gets in an intimate friendship with a widow. She gets her acquainted with men. Unfortunately Molls income isnt so high. She tells her friend to tell men that she has a good income and to get her a husband. The ladys husband helps Moll to find her a husband. She gets to know a man of a great fortune. First she thought that he is marrying her for money but he demonstrates her that he doesnt. She confesses him that she lives in poverty and asks him if he is willing to forgive her. He tells her that he loves her from the deep of her heart. They get married and live in London. Her husband wants to move to Virginia where he has a plantation. Moll decides herself that she will go with him. They move to Virginia where her husband

had plantations and his family. When they got over there his mother was very pleased to meet them. They were both happy and during their stay in Virginia, Moll gave birth to two children. One day, when she got into a discussion with her mother-in-law, she told her ,her unhappy story that she had been in prison for crime and that having a baby in her belly saved her. She also told her that she had been living in Newsgate. When Moll heard these terrible things she realized that this woman had been her real mother. She got confused and did not know what to do. She felt disastrously and she couldnt bear to go to bed with his brother. She refused him and couldnt talk to him as tenderly as to a husband. He felt that something wasnt in order and he kept asking her if she had something on her heart, but she couldnt answer him. He sent his mother to ask her what was wrong with her. Moll told her the truth and she was astonished. She couldnt imagine herself that her son was married with her daughter. She told her that they should keep it in secret, but Moll wanted to be resent to England because she couldnt handle the situation. She tried to keep it in secret, she knew that her husband wouldnt sent her back to England. Until one day when she decided herself to tell the truth. When she told him, he grew pale and became melancholic. He tried to suicide but he was always saved. Moll went back to England by ship. Her brother promised her that he would help her in any occasion. When she got back to London she got informed that her intimate friend was dead. She decided herself to move to Bath a city full of snare and richness. Moll lives at a lady where she gets to know a handsome fellow. He turns out to be a wealthy man. During their meetings Moll finds out that hes married, but his wife has gone mad. This gentleman offers Moll money, but she always refuses it, until her landlady expects money from her to pay the rent. In the end she accepts it. He invites her to move to London, but she refuses. After a short period the gentleman falls ill and Moll nurses him, stays near him and sleeps near him. He invites her to a journey to Bristol, where they have to sleep in the same room. Unfortunately they get closer to each other and fell lovers. Moll has several children with him. Moll moves to Hammersmith, where her lover buys her a house. She lives on her own with her two children. Her gentleman falls into a disease. Moll didnt know anything about him for a long period. One day she dresses like a nurse and goes to his house. She asks the house lady details about his illness and his family. He didnt answer her letters. As time passed away Moll writes him a letter in which she is asking for money because she cant maintain her children and herself. He sends her a letter in which he gives her 50 pounds to pay her debts. Her heart is full of wounds. He cant imagine herself that her love has left her for some religious thing, because he realized that he was sinful. She decides herself to go to the bank, to take up some money. She asks advices from a handsome banker. Soon he falls in love with her. Molls housemaid asks her to accompany her to Lancashire. She doesnt refuse her. At their arrival the lady introduces him, her brother Jemy. He courts Moll and she likes her, but Moll doesnt know the truth that he wants to marry her only for her money. They got married and lived in Lancashire. Her husband tells her that they should go to London to take her money out from the bank. Moll realizes that something is going wrong and she asks her why he is insisting upon her money. The man desperately says to her that he married her for money, because his sister told her that she had a larger fortune and that the lady who is called her sister is not her sister, she was once her whore. They are both nervous for their marriage and their unlucky situation, but then they get used with it. They are both happy with each other, until her husband leaves her some money and goes

away because he couldnt resist the situation. Moll suffers, when she finds out, she scream after him when suddenly he appears telling her that she couldnt imagine his life without her. Their relationship goes on well until they decide to depart from each other. Moll goes back to London. Her new housewife is a kind lady who offers her a cheaper rent. She finds out that the banker doesnt know anything about her marriage from Lancashire and sends him a letter. She gets pregnant and her new lady helps her to give birth and to get rid of the child. She goes to meet the banker who offers her a diamond ring and asks her to marry her. Moll marries the banker at the place they meet. On the next day she saw from her window 3 gentleman on horseback from which one of them was her ex-husband. She frightened to go downstairs. On the day they wanted to leave theyve heard different noises, and then they got informed that 3 men has stolen from the coach. She told the villagers that she knew one of them and she told him that he was an honorable gentleman from Lancashire. They settle down in London and Moll gives birth to two children. Unfortunately a disaster fell on their head, because her husband had a deal and they lost all their money. Soon he fell ill and died. Moll was totally destroyed. She went back to her old housewife and lived there. One day she went to the apothecary to buy some medicine, where she found a little boy who was looking after his parents. She saw that he had on his neck a gold necklace. She decided herself to help him, but her aim was to steal the necklace. As they went by, in the darkness of the street she took it off and left the kid there. And the devil kept forcing her to steal. One day she saw from the window that in the street was left a box full of silver. She went out, looked over the place and had taken it. When she got in she couldnt resist keeping her secret and told her lady about it. She told her that she should take care or if though she would be sent to Newgate to prison and she would be hanged. But she kept doing this awful deed until she got accompanied by her lady and some friends of her, until one of them was caught and sent .to prison where she was hanged. The news shocked Moll, and she felt repented. One day her lady saw that in the neighborhood the house was on fire and urged Moll to go in and tell them that she went to help them. She went in and told them to take their children out meanwhile she went upstairs and stole some golden ring and purses. Her fortune soon increases. She also tells that once she was dressed like a man and stole from a boat. One night she went out to catch some gentleman and to steal something new. She met a gentleman who was very drunk and wanted to go to bed with Moll. Moll didnt refuse him, and as the man fell asleep she took all his money and expensive things. This man fell sick when he found out that his things were missing. When Moll told the occurred things to her housekeeper she told her that she should return them because the man fell sick. The lady did so; she took everything and returned them. The man being glad went to thank Moll and also wanted to repeat the same thing that occurred that night, and Moll again didnt refuse him. Her new tradition continues, she keeps stealing. Until she was caught and was sent to Newgate. She repents of her deeds. In the prison of Newgate she met her husband and her one and only love Jemy. He couldnt believe his eyes that Moll had been arrested. Molls housekeeper falls sick, because of Moll, she misses her. Soon the two prisoners have been sent to America. Moll was left to work as a slave and her husband was suspended from the country. They both go to Virginia by boat. Jemy thanks his wife for saving him. When they arrive to Virginia, Moll recognizes her son and her old husband and also her brother.She finds out that the old lady, her mother had died. She couldnt live in the same house with her brother, son and husband, so she decides to

move off to Carolina. They settle on a farm at Maryland. She sends a letter to her brother, but the letter was received by her son, who was very grateful to know that her mother was alive. On the very next day, Moll goes to visit her brother, but she was welcomed by her son. When he saw his mother he was so surprised that he went to embrace and to kiss his mother. When Moll had to leave, her son gave her a lot of presents. Her son helps to make money, and soon Moll becomes a rich woman. After her brothers death, Moll invites her son to Maryland where she tells him that now he has a new husband. She also confesses to her husband the reason of not staying in Virginia, being caused by her family. At the age of seventy, Moll decides to return to England and to spend her remaining time in penitence with her husband ( 68).