Tom Jones Book 5, Chapter 11

In Which a Simile in Mr. Pope's Period of a Mile Introduces as Bloody a Battle As Can Possibly Be Fought Without the Assistance of Steel or Cold Iron

• The narrator goes off on this long, really euphemistic paragraph about deer and sex.
• Basically, if a stag and a lady deer are getting it on and another animal comes along to threaten them, the stag will fight back angrily.
• When Mr. Thwackum comes running into the clearing where Tom and Molly were, until recently, having sex, Tom gets really annoyed (like the stag in the opening paragraphs).
• Mr. Thwackum demands to know who the girl is.
• Tom refuses to tell him, and the two exchange words.
• Finally, the fight is on.
• Mr. Blifil jumps in because he "would not see his old master [Thwackum] insulted" (5.11.3).
• So now it's two against one.
• Tom has no trouble knocking Mr. Blifil out.
• But Mr. Thwackum is a tougher customer.
• Tom starts to get tired.
• And Mr. Blifil regains consciousness just in time to make things even harder on him.
• Tom lays out Mr. Blifil a second time, but it still looks like he might lose to Mr. Thwackum.
• Luckily, Squire Western comes along just in time, and immediately sides with Tom.
• Squire Western helps Tom even the odds.