Virtue Rewarded

Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded, is a novel that provokes substantial ambiguity, uncertainty, and criticism regarding the narratives controversy when attempting to categorize the genuine intentions, and authenticity of virtue of the novel’s protagonist; Pamela. Importantly, the readers doubt stems from a variety of stylistic techniques that Richardson applies throughout the novel, consistently forcing his audience to shift their approach in drawing conclusions regarding the hidden character behind Pamela’s words, and actions. Much like Pamela, who finds herself in an atmosphere of secrecy which forces her to interpret the motives of others to preserve her purity, the reader must also interpret the paradoxical information they are given through; …show more content…
B’s advances do not always fall in a similar …show more content…
Although this may seem a fairly obvious statement given what the reader is alleged to expect of Pamela, our ambiguity regarding her chastity would fall away if we were solely given a character that simply proclaimed her innocence, but was not able to demonstrate her conviction through action. Importantly, the novel is heavily criticized and condemned to controversy as Richardson consistently plays with the dynamics of Pamela’s character, and accordingly, the reader cannot simply assume Pamela’s virtuousness from the opening letter without substantial evidence of noted action, otherwise our inherent categorization of Pamela’s character would be formed on the basis of gullible intuition. Therefore, Richardson must equally designate portions in the novel that speak to Pamela’s ability to validate the moral claims she declares through speech, and through her letters. A significant example that conveys Pamela’s authenticity amid her passivity in close circumstance with Mr. B can be seen how she chooses to use clothing as a symbol of identity. Significantly, Mr. B attempts to exercise his