Pamela's a pretty easygoing gal. She'll tend your linen, mourn your mom, embroider your waistcoat, and dress herself up and present herself to your guests. No problem. But don't you dare assault her virtue, because girl's got principles. In Pamela, other characters may have a more malleable sense of right and wrong, deferring instead to material convenience or the judgment of their bosses in deciding how to conduct themselves. And ultimately, Pamela's way of thinking wins out: she gets Mr. B to see the error of his ways, doesn't have to sacrifice her principles, and marries up—way up. Considering all that she had to put up with along the way, we'd say this is the least the universe could do.
Questions About Principles
- Mrs. Jewkes basically just looks to authority figures (likes Mr. B) when making moral decisions. Do you think she is presented as emblematic of how most of her contemporaries make those kinds of decisions? Or is her thinking exceptional? How do we know?
- Do you think that Pamela's early decision to stay on for a bit and finish up with her duties before departing is portrayed as a moral failure, in that she placed her professional duties over her desire to guard her virtue? How does this moment shape your view of Pamela's perceptions of duty?
- Some of the same people who refused to assist Pamela when she was trying to escape from Lincolnshire become her valued friends when she hooks up with Mr. B. What do you make of how that transition is depicted? Would you ever really trust them?
Chew on This
Pamela's most impressive achievement consists is getting a wide swath of gentlewomen and gentlemen to adjust their worldviews enough to invite her to their parties.
Pamela's steadfast principles are all an act, part of a strategy for driving Mr. B wild with desire so he will marry her. Discuss.