Tom Jones is a comic novel by Henry Fielding that conveys moral messages in an entertaining format, often demonstrating the disadvantages of making assumptions and not putting question the opinions of someone else's motives in certain situations. Tom himself is repeatedly lied to and lied to, and early in the novel, and in Tom's younger state, he often fell for these deceptions. Considering the novel to be a coming-of-age novel, Tom goes through the growing process of deception to mature into a wiser character who has a better understanding of misconceptions and how humans deceive in order to move forward. Although Tom sometimes has to learn these lessons the hard way, he ultimately ends the novel having developed wisdom and discernment that the other characters always seem to lack. Through Tom's discerning skills, Fielding encourages readers to develop their own critical thinking so as not to fall prey to the patterns and misjudgments of other men. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Many adults Tom encounters have also failed to develop the ability to correctly judge another man's motives, including Benjamin Partridge. Patridge is full of misconceptions, starting with the idea that Tom Jones is the son of Squire Allworthy. He furthers his mistake in believing that Tom ran away from Squire Allworthy. According to the text, "He concluded, therefore, that it was all a sham, and that Jones, whose wildest character he had often heard from his correspondents, had actually run away from his father" (370). Not only does Partridge mistakenly assume that Tom has run away from home, he further turns the plot in his favor, concluding that by sending him home to his mistakenly supposed "father", he would find himself back in Allworthy's good graces. . According to the narrator, “If he could in any way persuade the young gentleman to return home, he doubted not that he would again be received into Allworthy's favor, and well rewarded for his labors; no, and should be returned to his native country again” (410). Partridge constructs this scheme and a fictionalized reward based on a false understanding of the situation. The reader is led to the idea that this person may not have things entirely figured out, as the scene is introduced with Partridge being "one of the most superstitious of human beings." men” (409) and the reader is told that he believes in “omens.” The ironic tone induces the reader; imparting a lesson in discernment to the reader and Tom simultaneously. Fielding uses irony here to allow the reader himself to become more insightful into situations, to be smarter than Partridge while being less naive than Allworthy. Like Partridge, Allworthy misjudges the novel's characters and does not think to be suspicious of a person's motives. This is because he is so selfless and blameless that he never thinks about how he could be deceived. Fielding uses these mutual contrasts in the hope that both the reader's and Tom's powers of discernment will develop to the point that they fall somewhere between the two extremes. This way, they won't take advantage of themselves or make false assumptions about others, they will think critically about scenarios and come out ahead. According to the narrator, "As for Jones, he was very satisfied with the truth of what the other had stated, and believed that Partridge had no other incentive than love for him." Unfortunately for Tom, not only does Partridge have bad intentions towards him, but several characters throughout the novel manage to lie to Tom and about Tom, and some deceive Tom about the.