Moll Flanders

by

Daniel Defoe

The Shopkeeper Character Analysis

Moll is falsely accused of robbing the shopkeeper’s store in London. The shopkeeper confirms Moll wasn’t the woman who robbed him, but Moll is detained by his two men and held against her will. A constable arrives and ultimately lets Moll go, but she insists on taking the shopkeeper before the magistrate, so that she might be compensated for her slight. The magistrate apologizes to Moll for the inconvenience, but he refuses to order her compensation. On the advice of the midwife, Moll sues the shopkeeper and is awarded £150 and a suit of black silk. The shopkeeper is another one of Moll’s scams, and he further highlights the dishonesty Moll turns to in order to support herself.
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The Shopkeeper Character Timeline in Moll Flanders

The timeline below shows where the character The Shopkeeper appears in Moll Flanders. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Moll’s Crimes Escalate
Poverty and Morality Theme Icon
...a widow and goes to work. Suddenly, she hears someone cry: “Thief, stop Thief.” A shopkeeper appears and claims a woman dressed as a widow has just robbed him. (full context)
Gender and Society Theme Icon
...around Moll, and she finds herself seized and dragged back to the shop, where the shopkeeper confirms she is not the widow who robbed him. The shopkeeper tells the mob to... (full context)
Poverty and Morality Theme Icon
A fight breaks out between the shopkeeper’s men, the mob, and the constable, so they all head to see the magistrate. When... (full context)
Poverty and Morality Theme Icon
...Moll if she even realizes how lucky she is and tells her to sue the shopkeeper and make him pay her £500. Moll hires an attorney, who tells the shopkeeper that... (full context)
Poverty and Morality Theme Icon
Moll arrives at the meeting in a coach with a maid, and the shopkeeper proceeds to again tell her how sorry he is; however, the shopkeeper says, it hardly... (full context)
Poverty and Morality Theme Icon
After the ordeal with the shopkeeper, Moll decides to go back to work dressed as a beggar. The first night she... (full context)