What Was Lady Bellaston’s Plan Against Sophia?
Tom Jones is a notable literary work by Henry Fielding. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Tom Jones.
Answer
What was Lady Bellaston’s plan against Sophia?
Henry Fielding’s (1707-1754) novel “Tom Jones” (1749) shows Lady Bellaston as a clever and selfish woman. She desires Tom for herself, so she plans to separate Sophia from Tom.
Lady Bellaston sees Sophia as a Problem: Tom deeply loves Sophia, and Sophia also loves Tom. But Lady Bellaston also wants Tom, so she sees Sophia as a big problem in her way. The narrator says:
“She [Lady Bellaston] resolved to get rid of her [Sophia] by some means or other.”
Trying to Distract Sophia: Bellaston is a rich and powerful lady in London. She tries to make Sophia forget Tom by taking her to parties. She makes her live like a “lady of fashion.” She introduces Lord Fellamar, a rich man, to Sophia. She hopes Sophia will marry him and leave Tom. But Sophia does not like Fellamar because she truly loves Tom.
Making Fellamar Jealous: When this plan fails, Lady Bellaston tries to make Fellamar jealous. She tells him that Sophia is in love with a “beggar” (Tom). This is her plan to make Fellamar jealous, so that he becomes eager to get Sophia.
Ruining Sophia’s Reputation: Lady Bellaston makes a very evil plan with Fellamar. She tells him to rape/take advantage of Sophia so that Sophia’s honour will be ruined. Then, she will have to marry Fellamar to save her reputation. She arranges for Fellamar to meet Sophia alone. But when Fellamar tries to assault Sophia, she screams for help. Luckily, Sophia’s father, Squire Western, comes and saves her.
In short, Lady Bellaston’s plan was to use Lord Fellamar to ruin Sophia’s reputation. She uses lies, manipulation, and even assault to break up Tom and Sophia. She wants to separate Tom and Sophia so that she can get Tom for herself.