In Which a Simile in Mr. Pope's Period of a Mile Introduces as Bloody a Battle As Can Possibly Be Fought Without the Assistance of Steel or Cold Iron
- The narrator goes off on this long, really euphemistic paragraph about deer and sex.
- Basically, if a stag and a lady deer are getting it on and another animal comes along to threaten them, the stag will fight back angrily.
- When Mr. Thwackum comes running into the clearing where Tom and Molly were, until recently, having sex, Tom gets really annoyed (like the stag in the opening paragraphs).
- Mr. Thwackum demands to know who the girl is.
- Tom refuses to tell him, and the two exchange words.
- Finally, the fight is on.
- Mr. Blifil jumps in because he "would not see his old master [Thwackum] insulted" (5.11.3).
- So now it's two against one.
- Tom has no trouble knocking Mr. Blifil out.
- But Mr. Thwackum is a tougher customer.
- Tom starts to get tired.
- And Mr. Blifil regains consciousness just in time to make things even harder on him.
- Tom lays out Mr. Blifil a second time, but it still looks like he might lose to Mr. Thwackum.
- Luckily, Squire Western comes along just in time, and immediately sides with Tom.
- Squire Western helps Tom even the odds.