Freedom and Destiny in Moll Flanders Do people who believe in free will simply ignore the reasons for their actions? In the context of Defoe's Moll Flanders, this question could give rise to considerable debate. Was Flanders free or was she predetermined to live a bad and inappropriate life, mired in years of penance? Did Moll's mother's whore behavior predetermine Moll's actions? There is no doubt that Flanders was a criminal: she was a whore, a thief and she practiced incest. As for Flanders having sex with her own brother, it would be difficult to argue that this was a predetermined event given that she actually did it. I didn't know that her husband was her flesh and blood. If, indeed, she was aware of the relationship and then chose to continue, then it could be discussed further in the context of free will. As for being a whore, there is no doubt that Flanders, especially later in life, became involved in such events, but for me it was the theft that seemed to capture the essence of the continued destruction of Flanders and its constant need for penance. There is no better part of Defoe's work to capture the feelings of utter despondency than when Moll first goes to steal from the apothecary's shop. Defoe precedes the scene with a few paragraphs where Moll explains his absolute “state of desolation”. The crime then unfolds in what James Sutherland explains: "...In Moll's first flight he sets the scene with such attention to detail that it fixes it in our minds and gives it that air of authenticity which, for Defoe, is almost a vindication of fiction." This is where Defoe's journalistic style shines. The reader is in effect at the apothecary and sees Moll's blunder unfold before him. We are free to judge whether we whether or not we will take the package that so often becomes Moll's pursuit in the future. It is at this moment that we can decide whether Moll was free to do so or whether he was controlled by something inevitable, like fate. If Moll acted of her own free will, it is arguable that she would not repeat the same crime in the future. In fact, she would most likely avoid such actions that resulted in the terrible feelings she experienced during and after. the first offense For she says it herself: “It is impossible to express the horror of my soul while I was doing it.".