Dorcas Wykes in Clarissa

Dorcas Wykes

Awesome Name (And Not Much Else)

Poor Dorcas. Although she has a fantastic name, she kind of gets the brunt of it from Lovelace and Mrs. Sinclair. We'd say she deserves it after selling out Clarissa to Lovelace, but the poor girl has probably had enough of the blame-game to last a lifetime.

After all, Lovelace's favorite insult for her is "Dorcas, a toad!" (261.15). All because she tried to give a little comfort to Clarissa in her darkest hour. That is, until Dorcas fills Lovelace in on Clarissa's plan to escape yet again from Mrs. Sinclair's. The girl definitely seems hung up on Lovelace, despite his colorful expressions and tendency to scapegoat her in front of everyone.