Squire Allworthy:- A wealthy kind- hearted widower, who acts as a surrogate father to the foundling in the novel. Squire Allworthy lives with his unmarried sister Bridget on a fine estate called ‘Paradise Hall‘ in Somerset, England. Allworthy has a tragic past as his beloved wife had died some years before and he decided to never marry.
The novel begins with the question arising Being a wealthy person why he doesn’t have any inheritance. When Squire Allworthy returns from a long business trip he finds a baby on his bed, question arises that whether this child will fill the gap in both squire Allworthy’s heart and in his last will and testament.
Squire Allworthy is a noble character, when he found the child and decided to raise him. He decided to care for the child as his own, he even gives the child his own first name Thomas, even though he believed him as illegitimate child of his servant Jenny Jones and schoolmaster Mr. Partridge. Squire Allworthy is the kind person in his neighborhood, not only he owns a large estate (paradise Hall) but he is a local judge and general authority figure of the villagers on his lands.
Therefore, it is a huge responsibility for anybody to take on even though it is pretty bad for his reputation, which is a sign that he actually wants to do the right things in spite of what the local gossips may whisper about him.
Thus, everything about Squire Allworthy’s Characterization in the novel Tom Jones emphasizes his positive traits, he is always offering good advice. His name is “Allworthy” or “worthy of all” He is very generous with his money and does his best to help the poor and disadvantaged.
The narrator even says that Squire Allworthy has an agreeable person, a sound constitution, a solid understanding and a benevolent heart. In other words, he is good looking, healthy, smart and kind.
With the kind personality, Allworthy has few drawbacks which makes him as a fool, there are several examples in novel that proof his foolishness like; the way he treats Master Bilfil even though he was very much aware that Bilfil disliked by his own mother (Bridget), it simply proofs that Squire Allworthy isn’t always a great judge of characters. Therefore, it is so clear that he sympathizes Bilfil. Yet we can say that Allworthy’s motivations are good but his judgments are terrible.
Since, Allworthy always insist on seeing best in people, he sometimes misses the glaring warning chance like Bilfil’s hypocrisy and cruelty that they don’t deserve his trust. Bilfil even trap Tom and make Allworthy throw him out of the house.
Eventually, Squire Allworthy could be a good man but annoyingly he is vulnerable to con men.
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