Lord Tom - is he a hero or a villain? How can I support my decision that he is one or the other?

Leon Garfield's Lord Tom is certainly an enigmatic character. In order to determine whether he is a hero or a villain, we must first define what these terms mean in literary fiction. The villain is usually the antagonist, the main nemesis in conflict with the protagonist. Protagonists are the main characters who drive the action in any plot; they are what you and I would call heroes. However, this is where it gets interesting. Heroes can be divided into sub-categories. You can have the classical hero, the anti-hero, the Byronic hero (a type of anti-hero), the chosen one or messianic hero, and more.

Four conceptions of the heroic.

The anti-hero.

Now, when we read the text, we see that Lord Tom isn't the protagonist or the main character in the story. He is what we would call an anti-hero; anti-heroes are not always protagonists, although they can be. However, they are almost always important characters in any story. In Smith, Lord Tom is referred to as a 'toby' or highwayman. Smith, our twelve year old protagonist, worships the ground Lord Tom walks on.

Garfield portrays Lord Tom as a scoundrel of sorts; he's proud of his job as a highwayman. He's also wild, unconventional, and suave. Smith tells us that he's a 'dangerous, glittering, murdering adventurer of a gentleman in green.' He's never without his trusted pistol, and when danger approaches, he laughs in its face. Don't look for him to have any qualms about murdering innocents either. He's quite proud of robbing for a living, and relishes the fact that he continues the legacy of well-known highwaymen such as Turpin, Duval, and Captain Robinson. Alas, all of them were hung for their crimes. This morbid bit of knowledge foreshadows Lord Tom's own doom as the story commences.

Whenever Lord Tom comes around to the little cellar apartment Smith shares with his sisters, Miss Fanny and Miss Bridget, he always has exciting stories to tell. When Miss Bridget chastises him about being irresponsible with his loot, he answers unapologetically:

"...Spent, Miss Bridget-as well you know. That's the way of our lives. Risk all for the chase- then spend the profit in high contempt. The chase and the danger's all!... Eat, drink, and be merry, as they say- for tomorrow, we'll all be nubbed!"

However, Lord Tom has a soft spot for Miss Fanny and Smith. In the story, he is Miss Fanny's suitor. When Smith manages to retrieve an important document from a dead man, Mr. Field, Lord Tom tries to get him to hand over the document for safe-keeping. Smith's life is actually in danger, for two 'men in brown' are hot on his heels, in search of the document. However, Smith, despite his great admiration for his hero, doesn't completely trust Lord Tom's intentions. No one knows what the document says; Smith can't read, so he doesn't know either.

As the story continues, Smith does eventually learn how to read. His benefactors, Mr. Mansfield and his daughter, Miss Mansfield, are responsible for his new skill. However, in a comedy of errors, the document comes into the possession of Mr. Mansfield. As for Smith, he is accused of killing Mr. Field and lands in the infamous Newgate Prison. Smith escapes with the help of his sisters and Lord Tom, but more adventure awaits our young hero.

Lord Tom, ever the resourceful highwayman, plans to retrieve the document from Mr. Mansfield himself. However, Smith spies Lord Tom consorting with the 'men in brown' and he anguishes over his hero's fall from grace. Smith is bitterly disappointed in what appears to be Lord Tom's disloyalty. Here, we see a characteristic of the anti-hero: Lord Tom isn't opposed to working both sides of the issue when it suits him. However, it's not really clear in the story whether Lord Tom is just pretending to align himself with the men in brown or if he's really in sync with Smith's enemies.

Either way, as an anti-hero often does, Lord Tom redeems himself when he gives his life to save Smith. That's the difference between an anti-hero and a villain. A villain usually has no redeeming qualities, while an anti-hero who appears to reject traditional moral norms often cherishes a personal code of honor he will never relinquish. In the story, Lord Tom steps in admirably when the 'men in brown' get ready to shoot Smith.

His promise, which he reiterates throughout the novel to Smith, rings true:

"Never fear! Lord Tom's beside you! I'll save you, lad! I'll blow blue daylight through 'em!"

Lord Tom dies in a blaze of glory, and Smith comes to realize that the highwayman has always had his back. Lord Tom may have been a scoundrel, but when the chips were down, he came through for his young apprentice.Anti-heroes may be unconventional, but they mimic the characters of real people in real life. They give the message that anyone can choose to be a hero, even if he/she is imperfect. And that, perhaps, may be the greatest message Lord Tom sends to the readers of Leon Garfield's exciting story.