Daniel Defoe - Two Tales of Sexuality

In an age in which promiscuity, free living and women's liberation were not the catch phrases they have grown to become in this modern era, the title character of Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders lives a life of sexual independence that was shunned in the seventeenth century, a time of straight laced ethics and closed door relationships. "Twelve Year a Whore, five times a Wife," Flanders lives an extraordinary life of survival and seduction, utilizing her …

…two characters are quite similar, but a shown in very different ways. Nevertheless, one similarity that stands out is the vanity of both women, who realize their looks and femininity can overcome most anything, including, in the case of Eve, the word of God. And in the end, that is really all that must be said: A beautiful woman's sexuality is so strong, so powerful, it can overcome even the direct edict of the Creator.