The Practicality of Mother Midnight and Why Moll Shouldn't be a Mother

In modern society, one would be hard-pressed to find someone who would openly admit that an unwanted child was an inconvenience to them simply because society who shame them. It is, after all, the fault of the mother that she is with child in the first place, so she should suffer the consequences. The father, well he gets to do what he pleases, but that's neither here nor there. In Moll's time though, it quite obvious that having a child out of wedlock would not only damage the mother's reputation or any social standing she may have, but then became a burden for the mother to take care of. Their was no welfare, daycare or adoption in the modern sense, leaving only the mother to take care of the child and somehow find work to support the both

 of them. That's why, to me, Mother Midnight seems a completely practical option for these women. Not only does she cater to women of differing financial situations, but she doesn't stick these women with hidden fees. The baby dies? Don't worry, she'll remove the Minister's fee. No friends? Well then you certainly don't need a party to celebrate your child. Pregnant unwed mothers had very little options, so its easy to see why Mother Midnight figures would fill in the gaps and provide a much needed service.

Now, one could argue that Moll did not wish to have to resort to such a place, but was forced to due to circumstances. While she may have not had many options, it doesn't seem to me that Moll was exactly forced. Moll's a practical girl and she finds all of Mother Midnight's stipulations (especially those that involve less money) as the "most reasonable thing that she had ever heard" and quickly signs on to the lowest package available (139). Now, seeing as Mother Midnight is of an entrepreneurial spirit, she not only provides for the pregnant girls, but gives them an option if they don't want to keep the child after its born. Moll jumped at this service. Wait, but Moll was distressed over her child, right? Tears, a heavy heart, reluctance,  it was all there. She wanted nothing but the best for her child and begged the woman to take good care of it, right? Sure, so she says, but it seems little more than a show. She cried and reluctantly handed over the baby, but after giving the woman 10 pounds she was completely off the hook. She gave her word that she would pay her governess more "as often as [she] came to see fit" but was not by any means "bound to pay the Five Pounds", she only promised (148). No one would hold her to her promise, I mean why would you be expected to pay for the keep of your child? But the kicker for me was when Moll expressed how she was not satisfied completely with the arrangement, in her mind at least, but since it "was the most convenient for me" she went along with the deal (149). Honestly, Moll seems a bit heartless. She wanted to marry the banker, the child proved to be an inconvenience not only financially, but by interfering with her marriage, so she got rid of it. It seems more to me that 60 year old 'repentant' Moll added in her distressed feelings because that's how she should have felt at the time, but it seems a more likely scene that she simply dropped off the child and got on the next carriage straight to her banker.