of them, Lady Bellaston in particular, actually demonstrate assertiveness and determination, which is again, unusual for the time period. London states that "female power, although most richly evoked in negative terms as an expression of carnality, also has its positive embodiment in the person of Sophia" (329). This seeming rise of feminine power stops abruptly, however, with Sophia's concession and marriage to Tom. According to London, "Sophia . . . is correspondingly diminished as she becomes part of the property relations that now define her husband" (331). She goes on to say that this development brings the 18th century values concerning land (and women through the use of the property metaphor) back into line: symmetry, stability, and continuity. London finishes by stating that in all of Fielding's novels, including Joseph Andrews, Amelia and Tom Jones, women are given power only so that they can later give it up through the ceding of their property to their male counterparts once the men have "revealed themselves as prudential" (331). She argues that "Relinquishing the possibilities of character, they are absorbed into the ethic of property relations, becoming metaphoric attributes of the constitutional order Fielding defends" (331-2). It is apparent that while Fielding does attribute a certain power to the women of this novel, he finishes by adhering to the traditional views of the time and almost implies that Sophia was really a means to an end: she ultimately cedes her property and wealth to Tom, which allows Tom to establish himself and his position in society.The Mitigated Truth: Tom Jones's Double Heroism by Peter J. Carlton is the second article. Carlton argues that Tom gets away with a variety of actions, especially illicit sex, with very little punishment and even less guilt. Tom's actions are always minimized by the actions of other characters, very often female characters, as well as by the convenient surroun...
