Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Pamela, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Value of Virtue
Class and Morality
Religion and Marriage
Sexual Politics
Summary
Analysis
Pamela writes to her father and mother that she’s glad she didn’t tell them to meet her because she still isn’t sure about how she’s coming home, especially since Mrs. Jervis has been taking a while to prepare. One day while Mr. B was trying on new clothes in preparation for an upcoming trip to London, he asked Pamela to wear her old clothes instead of her new ones, but Pamela prefers to keep wearing the new ones. Mr. B got angry and tried to take Pamela’s hand, but Pamela kept resisting. She muses in her letter about how difficult things can be for women sometimes.
Mr. B’s desire for Pamela to wear her old clothes seems to reflect his desire to go back to the way things were (before he got caught harassing Pamela right in front of Mrs. Jervis), and so Pamela’s resistance to this idea indicates her refusal to go back to that time.
Themes
Quiz
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