How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I have thought it somewhat strange, upon reflection, that the housekeeper never acquainted Mrs Blifil with this news [that Mr. Partridge is supposed to have had an affair with Jenny Jones], as women are more inclined to communicate all pieces of intelligence to their own sex, than to ours. The only way, as it appears to me, of solving this difficulty, is, by imputing it to that distance which was now grown between the lady and the housekeeper: whether this arose from a jealousy in Mrs Blifil, that Wilkins showed too great a respect to the foundling; for while she was endeavouring to ruin the little infant, in order to ingratiate herself with the captain, she was every day more and more commending it before Allworthy, as his fondness for it every day increased. This, notwithstanding all the care she took at other times to express the direct contrary to Mrs Blifil, perhaps offended that delicate lady, who certainly now hated Mrs Wilkins; and though she did not, or possibly could not, absolutely remove her from her place, she found, however, the means of making her life very uneasy. This Mrs Wilkins, at length, so resented, that she very openly showed all manner of respect and fondness to little Tommy, in opposition to Mrs Blifil. (2.5.10)
One reason why this book is both darkly funny and kind of depressing is that the narrator rarely suggests that anyone (except maybe Squire Allworthy) has a 100% honest and straightforward reason for anything that he or she does. So, Mrs. Wilkins treats baby Tom with great love—but only when Squire Allworthy is watching, since she wants to suck up to him. She knows that Captain Blifil hates the kid, so she does her best to help Captain Blifil bring him down, but only in secret. Mrs. Wilkins behaves in exactly opposite ways towards Tom depending on whose company she's in. Who knows how she really feels towards Tom, if she even knows herself? Is there any genuine feeling in this book? Who seems to be most honest about their feelings? And how does that honesty affect the other characters in the book?
Quote #2
Here, reader, I beg your patience a moment, while I make a just compliment to the great wisdom and sagacity of our law, which refuses to admit the evidence of a wife for or against her husband. This, says a certain learned author, who, I believe, was never quoted before in any but a law-book, would be the means of creating an eternal dissension between them. It would, indeed, be the means of much perjury, and of much whipping, fining, imprisoning, transporting, and hanging. (2.6.12)
This passage is a sidebar from the narrator on what a good idea it is not to allow a wife to testify either "for or against her husband," because wives are not usually objective when it comes to their life partners. Obviously, the narrator raises this issue because Mrs. Partridge does a horrible job of testifying against her husband, and Squire Allworthy just believes her because he assumes that, as Partridge's wife, she must know him best.
The biggest problem in legal cases that deal only with witness statements is that witnesses have all kinds of reasons to lie. Worst of all, Mrs. Partridge is so intensely jealous that she doesn't even know she's lying when she accuses her husband of cheating on her. Basically, the narrator seems to think that we can't trust anything that anyone says, since we all have biases and self-interests. So what do you guys think? What should be the role of witnesses in legal trials? Not to sound super-cynical or anything, but can we trust people to present really objective evidence? How do we balance out possible witness bias while still taking into account what they have to say?
Quote #3
Towards the gamekeeper the good man [Squire Allworthy] behaved with more severity. He presently summoned that poor fellow before him, and after many bitter remonstrances, paid him his wages, and dismist him from his service; for Mr Allworthy rightly observed, that there was a great difference between being guilty of a falsehood to excuse yourself, and to excuse another. He likewise urged, as the principal motive to his inflexible severity against this man, that he had basely suffered Tom Jones to undergo so heavy a punishment for his sake, whereas he ought to have prevented it by making the discovery himself. (3.5.6)
There's a double standard going on here: Squire Allworthy knows that Tom lied repeatedly about not having a partner in his crime. But in the end, Squire Allworthy doesn't blame Tom for that lie. He admires Tom for lying to protect Black George the gamekeeper from losing his job. Squire Allworthy feels that it's better to lie for someone else than to tell a lie to save yourself. What do you guys think—is that always true?