Pamela Themes

Samuel Richardson’s Pamela has the subtitle “Virtue Rewarded,” making it clear that virtue is important to the story. In the novel, “virtue” is most often synonymous with virginity, reflecting how most of the novel revolves around protagonist Pamela’s efforts to remain a virgin despite the tricks, assaults, and threats of rape from her master, Mr. B. As the novel goes on, however, particularly after the wedding of Pamela and Mr. B, it soon…

Samuel Richardson’s Pamela explores the difference between the wealthy upper class and the poor lower class in 18th-century Britain. While virtuous characters in the book often receive material rewards for their good behavior, this doesn’t mean that the wealthiest characters are always the most moral. In fact, when they first appear, the wealthy Mr. B is a libertine, and his sister, Lady Davers, is full of old-fashioned prejudices against people from lower classes. Mr…

As Samuel Richardson’s Pamela demonstrates, life in 18th-century England wasn’t the same for men and women. The novel portrays a patriarchal society where men generally held more power and had more independence than women. Protagonist Pamela’s situation hints at many of the problems that women in that era faced. Pamela notes in her letters and journal that women face a double standard. For instance, she suggests that it’s worse for a woman to lose…