Sexuality and Morality in Samuel Richardson’s Novel Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded Essay Example

hard for the modern audience to understand the sacred value of virginity. She rejects Mr. B. 's offers of enormous amount of money, luxury dresses and jewellery in order to preserve her virtue.

Her innocence and intelligence fascinate him, but his high rank prevents him from proposing marriage. It makes sense that the word “virtue” is used by Richardson in a very narrow and negative meaning of physical situation of a virgin lady before she gets married. The protagonist makes a significant difference between losing her virginity unwittingly and acquiescing in a seduction, which is an offense against the sexual virtue. In addition, the second half of the novel deals with the explanation and eulogy of her positive qualities of goodness and charity.

These are actually the qualities that Mr. B. appreciates the most, and that brought him to propose marriage to a woman of a lower class. While reading Pamela's diary (letters), he has discovered her benevolence toward him, and as a result, Pamela's kindness deserve the “reward” of a happy marriage. One of the main themes of 18th century was the unequal sexual rights: apart from her husband a wife had no legal existence. The decision of the author to have the protagonist fall in love and marry to her seducer, to whom she become hostage and almost a victim of rape, had annoyed many sympathizers of women’s rights.

But there is no doubt, that Rochester is familiar with women's feelings and spirit, and this makes him unrivalled feminist writer. One of his main aims was to create a model for young generation for both sexes – to teach them to

be patient, dedicated and morally restrained in order to illuminate certain behavioural reactions. By emphasizing topics such as religion, virtue and morality, he expected the young readers to keep those values alive. In the novel he gives voice to a beautiful and intelligent young woman, but the features that he heavily underlines are Pamela's innocence and loyalty.

The code that he gives to young readership is simple and inspiring – if you preserve your values and do not indulge in seduction – you will be rewarded. Morality and religion play very important role in the novel. Moreover, they actually form the backbone of the educational task of the author. Pamela exemplifies to the young ladies from the working class how to act in a number of cases, and that's exactly what is needed in 18th century. When Mr. B. tries to seduce her, she resists, and the other important thing is that she writes to her parents for moral advice.

At the end of every letter she adds “Your dutiful (or honest) daughter” to highlight her devotedness to her parents on the one hand, and to God on the other. Pamela's steady faith makes her strong enough to stick to her guns and to refuse to Mr. B to make sex before marriage. This weakens him and he proposes to her, although she is not from an aristocratic family. The religion is a kind of link between the working class and the aristocracy and from this comes the another desire of Richardson – to ruin the boundaries between the classes.

Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded is a masterpiece of 18th century dealing with human

psychology, serving as a study of ethics, with innovative narrative form which had fundamental impact on the novel as a literary genre. Thus the novel represent a case of early connection between literature as education and literature as entertainment. As Thomas Keymer writes: “It would be little exaggeration to say that the brilliance of Pamela lay as much in commercial strategy as in literary achievement. ”