Pamela Or Virtue Rewarded Analysis

Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded is not at all a love story. A love story is filled with romantic elements displayed by both sides usually accompanied with a rival or issue which holds them apart, a story filled with adoration and bliss, and less of an overwhelming conflict between the two parties. Pamela instead is more of a social commentary on the 18th century cultural and societal strata because of the story focusing very much on her desire to maintain her virtue at the hands of a corrupting force and the social boundaries that Mr. B violates or attempts to break, at the very least. Pamela’s conflict with Mr. B demonstrates the need for the preservation of the self through her one true valuable asset in her virtue, which empowers her by emphasizing …show more content…
Therefore, the attraction she feels towards Mr. B at the end of Volume I stems from a twisted form of attachment that she has to Mr. B after having grown accustomed to over a long period of time to his abusive affections in a form of Stockholm syndrome.
The romantic aspects of Pamela are sorely lacking in every aspect as Pamela seems reluctant to reciprocate Mr. B’s affections and suffer immensely at the hands of his abuse according to her own account to her parents. Mr. B’s initial obsession with Pamela borders psychotic as he goes so far as to steal the letters she sends to her parents. Pamela recalls in Letter X “I have not been idle; but had writ from time to time, how he, by sly mean degrees, exposed his wicked views; but somebody stole my letter, and I know not what has become of it… I fear, he that was mean enough to do bad things… but be it as it will, all …show more content…
The marginalization of the self Pamela experiences at the hands of Mr. B results in the story becoming heavily focused on an unhealthy attachment and lustful one-sided relationship from Mr. B towards Pamela. He not only attempts to contaminate her body, but also seeks to envelope her entire mind and rational thought as her letters evidently become more and more focused on her desire to maintain her virtuosity, perhaps in an attempt to dissuade Mr. B should he intercept future letters. Pamela recalls, “I have been scared out of my senses; for just now, as I was folding up this letter in my late lady’s dressing-room, in comes young master… I went to hide the letter in my bosom… O how ashamed I was!” (119). Pamela clearly embarrassed that Mr. B would intrude upon her most intimate moments where she is trying to process the death of her former employer. Her complacent behavior she outwardly displays towards Mr. B in the initial encounter seemingly placates him in turn as he compliments her and encourages her to “be faithful and diligent”, although she could not display her horror publicly to him due to the social strata (119). His intrusions into her letters force her to acknowledge his feelings of lust for her, while she attempts to keep her mind clear of tainted thoughts. Mr. B’s