The World of 18th Century Crime, Essay Example

In the 18^th Century, one theme dominated culture in Britain, i.e., to be a “gentleman” or “gentlewoman”. While perceptions about being a gentleman or gentlewoman varied significantly from one community to another, the concept significantly influenced the way people behaved as well as her worldview. In Daniel Defoe’s The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, the main character, Moll Flanders goes through an evolution in which she attempted to become a gentlewoman.

Gentleman/Gentlewoman and Being an Outlaw

During the 18^th Century, the Industrial Revolution significantly influenced the development of culture and the evolution of culture. Additionally, this period also marked a period of significant growth and expansion of the colonies in the Americas. As such, trade and industry had experienced significant growth, creating an ideal environment for the growth of businessmen and tradesmen. Considerable economic growth was accompanied by a growth in wealth, a factor that significantly influenced culture at the time.

Even though a gentleman or gentlewoman in its original sense referred to a man or woman of gentle birth or born into a family with a high social position. Social standing in 18^th Century Britain was mainly determined by wealth, where a gentleman or gentlewoman had to be born into a family of considerable affluence and depicted high standards of etiquette compared to individuals of lower social standing. As such, people’s actions during this period are driven by the desire to accumulate wealth to realize a desirable social position. Because the accumulation of wealth defined society during this time, criminal activity was widespread in Britain. Many people turned to a life of crime in a bid to achieve the status of gentleman or gentlewoman. As such, outlaws commonly portrayed themselves as a gentleman or gentlewoman to effectively execute their criminal activities.

Moll’s Desire to become a Gentlewoman

In Daniel Defoe’s The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, the main character, Moll Flanders makes several attempts to become a gentlewoman in society. She is driven to become a gentlewoman for several reasons; first, she was born into a humble background without the kind of wealth required to achieve gentlewoman status. As such, her desire to achieve gentlewoman status is driven by the need to realize financial and social security. This is evidenced in Episode 3, where Moll is married twice, first to James then John Bland.

While her marriage to James is short-lived as they discover they are both fortune hunters, her marriage with Bland gives her two children. While she willingly divorces James, her marriage to Bland is ended by his death due to the shock of the insolvency of his bank. For the first time in a long while, Moll is desperate even for food. After abandoning her children at her in-laws, she pursues a life of crime, a significant life-defining shift in her life.

In Episode 4, Moll’s criminal life develops to the point where she takes on a partner, Lucy Driver. However, when Driver is caught, she is tried and hanged, which is a fate that would befall Moll as she stole from a drapery store.

I ate but little, and after dinner, I fell into a vehement fit of crying, every now and then calling him by his name, which was James. ‘O Jemmy!’ said I, ‘come back, come back. I’ll give you all I have; I’ll beg, I’ll starve with you.’ And thus I ran raving about the room several times, and then sat down between whiles, and then walking about again, called upon him to come back… (Defoe 154)

This event also marks a significant shift in her life as she begins life as an inmate. She begins to reflect on her life and acknowledges that she would rather trade her pursuit for wealth and status as shown

Macheath is a “Fine Gentleman”

In The Beggars Opera, Macheath is perceived as a fine gentleman, setting himself apart from being a gentleman. This status as a fine gentleman is attributed to his career as a highwayman. Despite highwaymen being associated with violent crime, Macheath is perceived as a fine gentleman because of his gallantry and good upbringing. A fine gentleman is not only generous but also courageous and good-natured. The status of a fine gentleman is one that is difficult to achieve as it entails a blend between the gentleman and the scoundrel. As such, in the Beggars Opera, Macheath is a representation of the outcomes associated with the burgeoning capitalist society.

Relationship between Wealth and Status in 18^th Century London

During the 18^th Century, London and Great Britain were experiencing a boom in economic activity that was driven by the Industrial Revolution. This economic activity was accomplished on a capitalist economic framework that was driven by consumption.

I was not fixed indeed;’ it is impossible to describe the terror of my mind, when I was first brought in, and when I looked around upon all the horrors of that dismal place. I looked on myself as lost, and that I had nothing to think of but of going out of the world, and that with the utmost infamy: the hellish noise, the roaring, swearing, and clamor, the stench and nastiness, and all the dreadful crowd of afflicting things that I saw there, joined together to make the place seem an emblem of hell itself and a kind of an entrance into it. (Defoe 86)

As such, most people not only desired to achieve status in this emerging capitalist society but were also willing to resort to crime to realize this goal. However, for Moll, achieving social mobility through crime led to incarceration. As shown

In conclusion, during the 18^th Century, the Industrial Revolution significantly influenced the development of culture and the evolution of culture. Considerable economic growth was accompanied by a growth in wealth, a factor that significantly influenced culture at the time. Even though a gentleman or gentlewoman in its original sense referred to a man or woman of gentle birth or born into a family with a high social position. Moll Flanders makes several attempts to become a gentlewoman in society. She is driven to become a gentlewoman for several reasons; first, she was born into a humble background without the kind of wealth required to achieve gentlewoman status. In the Beggars Opera, Macheath is perceived as a fine gentleman, setting himself apart from being a gentleman. The status of a fine gentleman is one that is difficult to achieve as it entails a blend between the gentleman and the scoundrel. Most people in 18^th Century London not only desired to achieve status in this emerging capitalist society but were also willing to resort to crime to realize this goal.

Works Cited

Defoe, Daniel. The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders. Lexington: CreateSpace, 2012.