La Narrativa de Henry Fielding y la Sociedad Inglesa del Siglo XVIII

La Narrativa de Henry Fielding y la Sociedad Inglesa del Siglo XVIII
presenta en clave de comedia y la segunda, de drama, pero el sufrimiento de
ambas familias es, en definitiva, el mismo. La generosidad de Allworthy hacia la
familia de Black George procede de la observación de cómo:
“Misery, with which, cold and nakedness, can affect human creatures.” (III, 9)
Este paralelismo contribuye a subrayar la complejidad de la reacción de
Allworthy cuando Tom le pide que perdone a George. En cualquier caso, la
lucha que mantiene Black George con su conciencia cuando reflexiona acerca de
si quedarse o no con el dinero que Tom le entrega para que se lo haga llegar a
Sophia, recuerda la neutralidad legal de Dowling en el interrogatorio a los
testigos que ya hemos mencionado. Merece la pena transcribirlo al completo:
“Black George, having received the purse, set forward towards the
alehouse; but in the way a thought occurred to him, whether he should not detain
this money likewise. His conscience, however, immediately started at this suggestion,
and began to upbraid him with ingratitude to his benefactor. To this avarice
answered, “That his conscience should have considered that matter before, when he
deprived him poor Jones of his £ 500. That having quietly acquiesced in what was
of so much greater importance, it was absurd, if not downright hypocrisy, to affect
any qualms at this triffle.” In return to which, conscience, like a good lawyer,
attempted to distinguish between an absolute breach of trust, as where the goods
were delivered, and a bare concealment of what was found, as in the former case.
Avarice presently treated this with ridicule, called it a distinction without a
difference, and absolutely insisted, that when once all pretensions of honour and
virtue, were given up in any one instance, that there was no precedent for resorting
to them upon a second occasion.” (VI, 13)
Aunque se le podría exigir que devolviese el dinero a Tom y a Sophia en
un proceso civil, su robo no es un delito como tal a los ojos de la ley. Como
ocurre en el caso de Dowling, la legalidad literal de la que se sirve Black George
tolera la injusticia. El incidente en el que Blifil libera al pájaro de Sophia es otro
ejemplo, ya que el abogado habla en una jerga que, lejos de aclarar el incidente,
lo complica todavía más. La actuación de Blifil, aunque dentro de la legalidad,
está motivada por su malicia y tiene como consecuencia una gran tristeza para
Sophia. El comentario de Sheldon Sacks acerca de este episodio fue:
“Though we forget Mr. Counsellor we cannot read Tom Jones without becoming
aware of Fielding’s disapproval of any identification of legality and virtue and of his
contempt for the judgements of the species “lawyer” ... Fielding goes along way toward
realizing the special comic power of Tom Jones by including characters labelled “lawyer” –an
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