Vanity in Joseph Andrews

” The host exposes the gentleman for what he is, a vain man wearing the disguise of generosity, who takes adventage of the gullibility of others. (Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language,pg. (84)” Here, Joseph Andrews shows an “excessive pride in one’s appearence, qualities, abilities, achievements etc. ” A character who fits this description is the Squire of chapter 16, who later was converced about in chapter 17. When seeing the distress of Adams, Joseph, and Franny, this gentleman promised them horses to ride in the morning, saying “the horses shall attend you here at what Hour in the Morning you please (191). Fielding says “Nor is the meanest Thief below, or the greatest hero above thy notice(103).

The most common examples of Vanity in Joseph Andrews are people who claim to have one sort of characteristic, but are quite different from that. ” The travellers believe the lies of the Gentleman, until he is exposed by the host of the tavern, “Well, Masters! The Squire hath not sent his Horses for you yet. Joseph Andrews himself displays this trait after turning down the offer of love with Lady Booby, “Having therefor quitted her Presence, he retired into his own Garret and entered himself into an Ejaculation on the numberless Calamities which attended Beauty, and the Misfortune it was to be Handsomer than one’s Neighbours. Laud help me! How easily some Folks make promises (193-4). ” Later in this chapter however, the gentleman’s horses are not delivered because “he was unfortunately prevented from lending them any horses; for that his Groom had, unknownto him, put his whole Stable under a Course of Physick(192). Fielding says “Sometimes thou dost wear the Face of Pity, sometimes Generosity (103).