The Deserted Village addresses how the lure of the city
corrupts even the most innocent of people. The virgin country girl is lured in
by the city and the promise of success and wealth, but she ends up facing
homelessness. She is forced to beg and loses her virginity, her purity. The
city strips away everything good about her. Goldsmith draws the metaphor of the
girl standing for the village, Auburn, itself. The goodness and innocence of
the village has been destroyed by the city, just like the girl. All the
friends, nature, purity has disappeared due to urbanization. In Beggar’s Opera the vulgarity of the city
characters show the corruption of the city in comparison to the country. Polly’s
parents are wishing for MacHeath’s death who is a thief, both showing the evils
of the city whereas the country in The
Deserted Village was at one time bright and beautiful but the aristocrats
and nobles destroyed it grasping for more money. Goldsmith definitely
highlights the evils of the high class and the city as opposed to the hard
working low class and innocent nature.
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