Assignment 2: Character study in the novel 'Pamela'

Topic of the Blog:

This blog is part of an assignment for the paper 102 - Literature of the Neo-classical Period, Sem - 1, 2023.

Personal Information: 

Name: Yashrajsinh Sodha

Batch: M.A. sem-1 (2023-25)

Enrollment Number: 5108230043

Email: yashrajsinhsodha0000@gmail.com

Roll Number: 34

Assignment Details: 

Topic:- Character study in the novel 'Pamela'

Paper & subject code:- 102- Literature of the Neo-classical Period & 22393

Submitted to:- Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar

Date of Submission:- 27th November, 2023

Samuel Richardson:

Samuel Richardson, (baptised Aug. 19, 1689, Mackworth, near Derby, Derbyshire, Eng.—died July 4, 1761, Parson’s Green, near London), English novelist who expanded the dramatic possibilities of the novel by his invention and use of the letter form (“epistolary novel”). His major novels were Pamela and Clarissa. 

Richardson was 50 years old when he wrote Pamela, but of his first 50 years little is known. His ancestors were of yeoman stock. His father, also Samuel, and his mother’s father, Stephen Hall, became London tradesmen, and his father, after the death of his first wife, married Stephen’s daughter, Elizabeth, in 1682. A temporary move of the Richardsons to Derbyshire accounts for the fact that the novelist was born in Mackworth. They returned to London when Richardson was 10. He had at best what he called “only Common School-Learning.” The perceived inadequacy of his education was later to preoccupy him and some of his critics.

In his professional life Richardson was hardworking and successful. With the growth in prominence of his press went his steady increase in prestige as a member, an officer, and later master, of the Stationers’ Company (the guild for those in the book trade). During the 1730s his press became known as one of the three best in London, and with prosperity he moved to a more spacious London house and leased the first of three country houses in which he entertained a circle of friends that included Dr. Johnson, the painter William Hogarth, the actors Colley Cibber and David Garrick, Edward Young, and Arthur Onslow, speaker of the House of Commons, whose influence in 1733 helped to secure for Richardson lucrative contracts for government printing that later included the journals of the House. (Sale)

Pamela (novel):

Pamela, novel in epistolary style by Samuel Richardson, published in 1740 and based on a story about a servant and the man who, failing to seduce her, marries her.

Pamela Andrews is a 15-year-old servant. On the death of her mistress, her mistress’s son, “Mr. B,” begins a series of stratagems designed to seduce her. These failing, he abducts her and ultimately threatens to rape her. Pamela resists, and soon afterward Mr. B offers marriage—an outcome that Richardson presents as a reward for her virtue. The second half of the novel shows Pamela winning over those who had disapproved of the misalliance.

Pamela is often credited with being the first English novel. Although the validity of this claim depends on the definition of the term novel, Richardson was clearly innovative in his concentration on a single action. (Britannica)

Character Analysis:

Pamela:

Pamela Andrews is a 15-year-old servant girl from a relatively impoverished background who, after the death of her old master, Lady B, starts a new job working for Lady B’s son, Mr. B. Pamela is a skilled and prolific writer, and she conveys her story through journal entries and through letters she writes to with her mother and father. Pamela’s other important trait is her “virtue”—she has a strong faith in God and as a result, she feels that she must remain chaste until marriage. This puts her in constant conflict with Mr. B, who lusts for Pamela—but initially has no desire to marry her. When Pamela refuses Mr. B’s advances, he kidnaps and imprisons her, straining the limits of Pamela’s willpower. Pamela often lacks agency in her own story; she’s repeatedly unable to escape Mr. B and depends on the aid of characters who try to help her, like Mrs. Jewkes and Mr. Williams. Nevertheless, she accomplishes something extraordinary: when the rakish Mr. B finally reads Pamela’s journal entries about her imprisonment, he’s so moved that he begins to treat her better.

After a long period of virtuous suffering, Pamela finally gets rewarded when Mr. B agrees to marry her. Pamela takes her new role seriously, trying to be as charitable as she can with her husband’s money. As the Editor states directly in the epilogue, Pamela is a role model: both for other characters in the story and for the audience. Pamela’s life story suggests that people who endure suffering with grace will eventually reap the benefits of their good behavior.

Mr.B:

Mr. B is a rich libertine who is the son of Lady B and the brother of Lady Davers. When the death of Lady B leaves him in charge of the servant girl Pamela, Mr. B wastes no time before taking “liberties” with her, repeatedly holding her and giving her unwanted kisses. As Pamela later learns, Mr. B has a scandalous past—in his younger days, he used to get into duels and even fathered a child (Miss Goodwin) with the unmarried Sally Godfrey.

As Mr. B spends more time with Pamela, his actions become increasingly aggressive—at one point, he kidnaps her, imprisons her at his Lincolnshire country estate, then impersonates a maid (Nan) in order to get into bed with Pamela. But perhaps the most important characteristic of Mr. B is his ability to change. While Mr. B plans to trick Pamela into a sham-marriage, he ultimately changes his plans after reading several of Pamela’s letters and journal entries, which make him more sympathetic to her situation. He reforms his old ways and marries her properly in his family chapel, and with Pamela’s help, he starts to finally live up to his reputation as a gentleman. Mr. B represents the flaws and hypocrisies of the gentry in 18th-century Britain, but he also shows the potential of people to change, particularly after being exposed to a positive role model.

Mrs. Jewkes:

Mrs. Jewkes is a servant at Mr. B’s Lincolnshire estate who helps keep Pamela trapped there. At first, she seems like an evil version of the similarly-named Mrs. Jervis. Unlike Mrs. Jervis, Mrs. Jewkes doesn’t care about Pamela’s virtue and is willing to do whatever her master tells her to do, even if that involves locking Pamela in a room or holding Pamela down while her master assaults her. Pamela notes that Mrs. Jewkes isn’t attractive and makes frequent comments about Mrs. Jewkes’s weight, invoking the stereotype that “ugly” people are evil. But by the end of the novel, Mrs. Jewkes proves to have surprising depth. Almost as soon as Mr. B decides he wants to marry Pamela for real, Mrs. Jewkes begins treating Pamela with respect. When Pamela becomes mistress of the house, she not only decides not to fire Mrs. Jewkes, but she also rewards Mrs. Jewkes with more money.

Mr. Wlliams:

Mr. Williams is a preacher who lives near the Lincolnshire estate of Mr. B. Mr. Williams is in line to inherit a position from another elderly gentleman in the area, but to do so, he needs to keep Mr. B happy. This proves difficult when Mr. B involves Mr. Williams in his scheme to imprison Pamela. At first, Mr. B tells Pamela that Mr. B wants to marry her, but this was only an excuse to control her, and Mr. B gets angry when he suspects that Pamela might actually want to marry Mr. Williams. Mr. Williams feels sympathy for Pamela and wants to do whatever he can to help her without upsetting Mr. B, and so Mr. Williams and Pamela work out a system of exchanging secret messages with each other. When Mr. B finds out, he stages a robbery against Mr. Williams and then throws him in jail. After Pamela reforms Mr. B, however, he lets Mr. Williams go free, and he also lets him inherit the position he was originally going to get after all. Mr. Williams’s story mirrors Pamela’s, demonstrating how doing the right thing, even when it’s difficult, will ultimately lead to rewards.

Pamela's Father:

Pamela’s father is a simple man who comes from a family of respectable farmers but who more recently fell into debt. He and Pamela’s mother are the intended audience for many of Pamela’s writings, and they both worry about her safety as she starts to work for her new employer, Mr. B. They refuse to spend the four guineas Pamela sends them until they know she’s safe. Their concerns about Mr. B prove to be correct, and eventually Pamela’s father goes to see Pamela in person. By that time, however, Pamela and Mr. B have resolved their differences and decided to marry. While Pamela’s father feels out of place among Mr. B’s noble guests, he nevertheless earns their approval, particularly for his knowledge of religion. Pamela’s father is the classic example of a poor but noble person, and his character demonstrates how people can rise above their economic circumstances.

Lady Davers:

Lady Davers is the daughter of Lady B and the sister of Mr. B. Initially, she doesn’t appear in the novel but represents an escape—a person to whom Pamela might be able to turn to escape her abusive boss, Mr. B. But by the end of the novel, things have reversed: Mr. B takes care of his new wife Pamela while Lady Davers refuses to accept the legitimacy of the marriage. Lady Davers’s poor treatment of Pamela reflects the prejudices of the upper class against the lower class and how class concerns dominated life for people in 18th-century Britain. Nevertheless, Lady Davers eventually comes around to liking Pamela, providing further evidence of how Pamela’s virtuous behaviour has a positive effect on those around her.

Pamela's Mother:

Like Pamela’s father, Pamela’s mother is simple but virtuous. She seems to leave most of the correspondence with Pamela to Pamela’s father, even on the letters that she signs with her name, suggesting she plays a more passive role in the marriage. Still, Pamela prefers to write to her mother about certain sensitive topics, and she also continues to write to her mother after her father comes to visit in person. Like Pamela’s father, Pamela’s mother demonstrates how supportive parents can help raise virtuous children.

Sally Godfrey:

Sally Godfrey is the mother of Mr. B’s first child, Miss Goodwin, although the two of them never married. As Mr. B tells it, Sally’s family tried to trick Mr. B into marrying her with violence, and Mr. B left Sally when he found out she was in on the scheme. Sally eventually moved to Jamaica, leaving the care of Miss Goodwin to Lady Davers and eventually to a boarding school. Just the mention of Sally’s name now upsets Mr. B. Sally demonstrates the trickery that marriage could involve, and her backstory provides more context for Mr. B’s character and his libertine past.

Lady B:

Lady B is a kind, wealthy woman, who on her deathbed recommends her trusted servant Pamela to her son Mr. B. Lady B’s selfless, caring behaviour provides a contrast for the initially selfish behaviour of her son, Mr. B, showing how he fails to live up to his mother’s example.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the analysis of characters in "Pamela" provides a nuanced understanding of the intricate relationships and complexities within the novel. From the virtuous resilience of Pamela to the multifaceted personalities of Mr. B and other characters, each individual contributes to the thematic depth and social commentary of the narrative. The exploration of their motives, actions, and transformations illuminates the broader societal norms and values of the time, making "Pamela" not only a tale of personal growth but also a reflection of the intricacies of 18th-century society.

References:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Pamela". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Mar. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pamela-novel-by-Richardson. Accessed 26 November 2023.

Sale, William Merritt. "Samuel Richardson". Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Jun. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Richardson. Accessed 26 November 2023.

Word Count: 1992

Photos: 2