Moll Flanders

After the death of her husband, Moll quickly remarries; alas, the man is a spendthrift and a fop. He plows through Moll’s money very quickly and then absconds to France. While she knows she will never see him again, she now feels she is prevented from remarrying, but this feeling soon abates. However, she rejects the men who are available to her. She sees too many “gentlemen” who reduce their own circumstances through drinking and inappropriate sexual encounters. She returns to London with another widow, who soon finds a husband, and Moll again is on her own.

She recounts an example of how men “go a-fortune-hunting” for women in the city (84). A young lady of her acquaintance becomes embroiled with a man who ends their relationship when she enquires about the state of his finances. Moll helps her plot revenge. They spread gossip that he has engaged in immoral activities, which harms his reputation. The young lady also asks one of her male relatives to come visit her regularly to pique the suitor’s jealousy. The scheme works, and the suitor endeavors to clear his name and shows the young lady all of his financial interests. For her part, she refuses to reveal her considerable fortune; instead, she puts some of it aside in case the match does not last.