Among the many themes addressed in Joseph Andrews, one of the most complicated is the value of formal education. Throughout the novel, Parson Adams is depicted as a man who received a classical education and formal education is important to him. Adams carries around a great Greek text by Aeschylus, writes eloquent sermons, and enjoys debating famous philosophers every chance he gets. The narrator describes him as “an excellent scholar. He was a perfect master of the Greek and Latin languages; to which he added a great knowledge of oriental languages ​​and knew how to read and translate French, Italian and Spanish. He devoted himself for many years to the most rigorous studies and had accumulated a fund of learning such as is rarely met with in a university” (65). Although he is a well-educated, virtuous and charitable man, he is innocent when it comes to the man's plans and comically falls victim to them at several points in the novel. Much like Squire Allworthy, another Fielding character in Tom Jones, Adams is so benevolent and kind that he expects no one to treat him except with honesty and good nature. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Despite his formal education, Parson Adams sometimes lacks the discernment skills needed to understand man's true motivations. Parson Adams relies on book learning because he is supposedly unable to learn from his past experiences, continually lacking ability to intuit the true nature of malicious people. His naivety? it brings him into comical situations while also separating him from the rest of the novel's characters as an idealist in a bleak world. Towards the end of the novel, when he states that he may never be able to pay off his debt to the inn, the guest forgives the bill because of Parson Adams' honesty. What begins as a friendly conversation eventually ends on less cordial terms as Adams and the guest begin to argue about the nature of knowledge and speculate on the value of various forms of education. The host, who has spent time at sea and traveled the world, believes that worldly experience imparts knowledge, which obviously flies in the face of everything Adams stands for. The host explains: "He who goes abroad, as I have done, will always have enough opportunity to learn about the world without worrying about Socrates, or others like him" (198). The guest has learned from the experience, and although he is unable to quote Socrates as the parish priest does, he is nevertheless knowledgeable about world affairs. In contrast, the Parson, who as we have seen does not learn well from experience, must rely on his formal education as the root of his knowledge. This passage allows Fielding to explore the theme of formal education versus education gained from life experience. Parson Adams represents formal education. Fielding alludes to his wide breadth of knowledge through allusions to classical texts, which is another intentional literary device used by Fielding. In the scene above Adams states, “I will inform you; the journey I mean is in books, the only mode of travel by which knowledge can be acquired... if a man were to sail round the world and anchor in every port thereof, without learning, he would return home ignorant as he went out” ( 198). With this, Adams dismisses the knowledge learned from experience, which in turn is dismissive of his gracious host. For Adams, one's life cannot impart the same wisdom one gains by reading Aristotle, Socrates, or the Scriptures, and he is unable to expand his beliefs to include the kind of wisdom one gains with.