Comparison & Contrast Among The Three

Parsons
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*Comparison & Contrast Among The Three Parsons *

(P. Adams, P. Tulliber & P. Barnabaz)
Chaucer says, If gold rusts what should iron do
To him, gold of society is a class of people that carries an eternal lamp of truth, morality and cose
of life given by religion but if unfortunately his lamp proves to be a sorry lamp for the lookers of
a right path, it causes as unpleasant and frightful situation. Churchman and the man of mosques
are considered to be the best of the society. They are meant to spread knowledge and wisdom
among the people, teach them religion and cure them in their spiritual diseases. But if they
themselves are spiritually bankrupt, the decline of the society becomes undebatable.
Hennry Fielding in his Joseph Andrews has shown three churchmen with various colors and
costumes. They are incapable of standing in one line because one of them ( Parson Adam ) is
well equipped with the knowledge of religion, well ornamented with the jewels of goodness and
well fed with the milk of human kindness while the other ( Parson Barnabaz ) is a shabby
example of parson. He is handicapped in the knowledge of religion, bankrupt in goodness and
famished in humanism where another parson ( Parson Tulliber ) is a pig appearance. He is hog
dealer and ridiculous type of parson. He seems to be a burden on the bosom of earth. He is a
black spot and stigma on the forehead of the clergy. Lets discuss all these three persons one by
one .
Joseph Andrews with Parson Adams :
Joseph Andrews without parson Adam would be like Hamlet without the prince Hamlet .
He is the greatest and the most important character in the novel. He takes his place outside the
great imaginative comic creature in Shakespears Falstaff, cervantes, Don, Quixote, Sternes
Uncle Toby & Goldsmiths vicar of wakefield . Adams was a perfect embodiment of good
nature. He is by no means a perfect man, yet he is lovable in his faults as well as in his virtues.
There is nothing of prig in him. He is proud of being well acquainted with the different colors
and ups & downs of the world. But in the actual sense he is the character of perfect simplicity.
He is often absurd and mostly becomes wild in his combats with the rascals of the society but he
never arouses contempt and scorn of the reader but only his love and affection. He is just like
child who is lost in the wickedness of the world and of men.
As for as Abraham Adam is concerned, it is appropriate because it was Abraham in the Bible
who was an example of faith through works and Adams is the example of his theological position
that he has attained through thought and study. He is Fieldings apologia for the lower clergy
who were held in a low repute and like Adams were leading miserable life of a poor man. They
were something treated as little better than servants by the landowners to whom they owed their
living and frequently use them as a rubber stamp to get their evil deeds purified. Adams himself
has very high concept of calling. He rebukes Mr. Booby and Pamela for laughing in the church.
It does not mean that he has more respect and honour for those who are superior to him he
respect his superior in any way but where the matter of religion are involved he loses the respect
of the person and calls spade a spade in accordance with the principle of religion.
His virtues are his charity, his forgivingness, hospitality honesty, his sense of justice , defence of
the weak and the oppressed his simplicity, his love of life , and his joy in the good fortune of
others owing to these virtues, many disasters and misfortunes fall upon him. In other words he
spent the whole of his life fighting against the ailments of the society, dishonesty , cheating,
nonreligious behaviour and lawlessness etc. He is the man who gives away his money to the
needy, though it be his last.
As for as his material life is concerned he does not seem to be successful in it.
He is the father of six children and there has always been a gulf between his & his wife. His wife
remarks about him that he Talks a pack of non senses that the whole parish are his children .
His eldest daughter objects to him against his hospitality with Fanny. It is clear that his family is
not his disciple.
Parson Barnabas :
Parson Barnabas is another example of clergyman. His appearance in the novel is very short. He
is an absolute contrast of parson Adams. As a clergyman, he is not worthy of his profession
rather.
He is summoned beside Joseph Andrews at Mrs. Towmouses inn. This is the time when Joseph
Andrews crying between life and death. Nobody knows whether he will be able to take his
further share from the world or lifted by death forever. Parson Barnabas shows his greatness
interest in drinking punch than performing his duties. He stands outside Joseph Andrewss room
and overhears his conversation with his ownself. In this conversation Joseph Andrews expresses
his warm feeling for keeping his consistent in his purpose of being chasteful and modest all the
time. Parson Barnabas declares Joseph a delirious . He returns to his drinks.
As for as his knowledge in religion is concerned, he shows his great ignorance in theological
affairs when Joseph puts him in some questions concerning to the matters of religion. He
presents himself to be a knowledgeable man but actually he lacks in it. Even his interest in law is
quite spurious. He is a showy man his personality is not developed one. He is absolutely the bad
example of clergyman. He is opposite to the sincere and honest man parson Adams.
Parson Barnabas is a least complete picture than parson Tulliber. He is a real caricature. He has
been shown a complete ignorant in the knowledge of Christianity. Perhaps it is deliberate
exaggeration. His greed and hypocrisy serves as a contrast to parson Adams integrity.
Comparison between parson Adams & parson Barnabas is perhaps impossible because Adams is
the centre of interest of the novel while Barnabas is just a miner character. Adams is the learned
man having the command of Latin and Greek and also a theological affair while Barnabas is
exaggeratingly ignorant in the knowledge of Christianity. Adams is full of the milk of human
kindness while Barnabas is a hardhearted and callous man and above all Adams is living
character in which life circles.
Parson Tulliber:
Parson Tulliber is another parson in the novel Joseph Andrews . As for as the delineation of
the character is concerned he is one of the beautiful pieces of art by Henry Fielding. But as for as
parson Tulliber as a man of flesh and blood is concerned, he is comical creature. He may also not
be presented as a good illustration of a clergyman. His manners are shabby, his mind is shaggy
and his thoughts are baggy.
He stands next to parson Adams in vitality. He makes only one appearance in the novel but this is
so striking that it leaves indelible prints on the minds of the readers. There is a beautiful power
and strength of the art of characterization in the delineation of this character. Critics have
remarked that parson Tulliber was based on Mr. Oliner, curate of Motcombe, who taught
Fielding as child.
He is rough in his manners, vulgar in his action, bad in temper and ill spoken in conversation.
Parson Tulliber a passionate love hog-dealing. His graphic picture that Fielding has given is
worth seeing. The rotundity of his belly was considerably increased by the shortness of his
stature, his shadow ascending very as for in hight when he lay on back, as when he stood on his
legs. His unmanaged haphazard looks matched by a loud and hoarse voice and a broad accent.
Above all his walks are as quite as that of a goose. Parson Tulliber is undoubtedly one of the
most startling pieces of comedy in Joesph Andrews . His girth. voice and give him the credit
of distinction.
Parson Tulliber is infect a satire on the bad Clergy of the day. His manners, lifestyle and public
dealing are actually a slap on the face of such society, as does nothing for the accountability of
religious figures. His hog dealing apparently a side business but this side business flares up the
intensity of his being an ill clergyman. He mistakes Adams for a hog-dealer and makes his touch-
tone tale of one of his hogs resultantly. Adams is kicked by the hog and thrown in the mud.
Tulliber starts laughings coarsely instead of lending Adams a helping, when he falls in the mud.
Tulliber has no respect for the real Christianity. Instead of his idea the dignity of the cloth is
confide to appearances. A person should keep up the dignity of his office, in his dress and ride a
horse. But he has no respect for real Christian. Virtue as hospitality and charity. He calls Adams a
vagabond and bagger for asking him to lend a few shillings. Indeed, as Adams declares, parson
Tulliber is no christen. He belongs to such hypocritical characters as arouse laughter through
representation of ridiculous.
If we analyse this character critically in comparison to the other parsons in the novels it goes
without saying that he is a comical character with absurd way of talking, rough manners, hog like
appearance, heavy throat and no sense of charity. He finds no place in the live of those parsons
where parson Adam stands. This is the ignorance of the people of the age who acknowledge such
a vagabond take a clergyman. Moreover, the ignorance of the society is very much clear when
we see that in that society there was no difference between the people like parson Adams and
parson Tulliber.
In brief, we see that badge of parson on the garments of three parson in Joseph Adrews . In
looks all these three parsons are the clergymen with worldly pomp and show clergy and dignity.
They all seem worthy to be respected but if we go beneath the surface and have a peep into there
souls the difference among all these three is obvious. Parson Adams deserves to be called a
clergyman while other two do not deserve to be taken as the leese of wine even