Female Virtue and the Authentic Self

In the eighteenth century, a woman’s honesty or her virtue became her way prove her truth through her words and deeds and establish an authentic self. In Samuel Richardson’s letter Pamela, the author shows the power struggle between men and women of that time through a servant and master relationship in which the female protagonist is compelled to protect herself and her writing from being investigated by men who believed that virtue was a method to deceive men. Pamela is caught writing by her master Mr. B and in the process of trying to save her text from Mr. B, Pamela is rendered into nothing more than a body sexualized for her knowledge and honesty. In this instance, her body and the text become one, emphasizing the relation between the word and the self.This arose new questions at the same time: what language can portray this authentic self and how far must the virtuous female protagonist be tested and what is the role of the reader?

In the eighteenth century, there was a shift in the language of virtue. Although virtue originally implied a masculine disposition, the new emphasis accorded a pre-eminent place to women and the quality of virtue became established as feminine. With the increase in sentimental fiction, the 18th-century style of literature that valued emotions and sensations over logic and reason and women came to be thought of as having a more natural sentiment than men, since they are closer to nature. Therefore, their virtue was deemed purer than men because they were thought to be less susceptible to their "passions." The idea of the naturally virtuous woman found its way to the pages of literature and particularly to the novel form of sentimentalism, which was conducive to studying the moral role of women in society at large and how female virtue impacted the lives of others. The sentimental novel, a focus on plots, asks the reader to take a moral position. Richardson’s Pamela took the struggle between a virtuous woman and an unscrupulous man of superior birth and social status with no moral integrity as their focus to demonstrate how an elevated social position like Mr. B’s was more likely to endanger his position rather than the socially ambiguous woman.. However, with the decline of the aristocratic class during this time, the "Commercial Revolution" began to take place: more choice in commodity, more widely available-everyone can have fancy clothes, coffee and tea, and the latest novels, which increased social mobility for the people in the middle class because now working class types can learn the manners of those above them and nobility could marry commoners with large dowries. With an increase in social mobility there arose problems of how people should conduct themselves and how to differentiate classes and status. Therefore, the establishment of conduct books became widely popular in the markets.

Samuel Richardson’s sentimental novel, Pamela revolves around the repeated attempt of the aristocratic Mr. B to rape his servant, the honest and virtuous Pamela. Mr. B’s pursuit of Pamela’s body instigates this narrative but the objective of the novel is the investigation of Pamela’s authenticity. Mr. B’s actions convert him from admiring Pamela’s body into a disciple of her virtue; thus, relocating the feminine social value from virginity to virtue. Pamela’s virtue, so unexpectedly exorbitant for a servant girl, must be produced and proven to a skeptical Mr. B and the readers. Pamela’s epistolary accounts of her attempt to preserve her virginity from Mr. B produces evidence about her virtue and allows the reader to determine for themselves the truth. The "Pamela controversy" is centered on the status of the truth of Pamela’s words and not on her body.The anxiety surrounding this controversy is whether women have the power to elude male power or knowledge, basically if virginity can be counterfeited to deceive men. In short, concerns about Pamela’s virtue raises several complications because one it displaces the power from the male to the female, it evades the problem of the body by proposing that the women’s words, not their bodies, can escape men’s investigative means and lastly it positions the reader (not the woman or the man interested in her) as the one with access to the authentic evidence. In reality, the woman was usually socially powerless and this view was an actual reflection of the status of women in society; however, in sentimental fiction women were empowered, at least, by their virtue. Her virtue was a standard that could be used to judge the integrity of the men around her.

A woman’s virtue in the eighteenth century could enable her to move up the ranks of class and social status, but neither her money nor her name could entitle her to raise her husband’s social rank because she forfeits both during the marriage. Pamela must prove her worthiness as a bride for Mr. B, both in her ability to maintain a household and her purity, but she must avoid from Mr. B’s money in the courtship phase in their relationship in order to show that she possesses feminine virtue. In order for Pamela to protect her virtue, she must reject both Mr. B’s advances and any lurid association between sex and money. Richardson creates a scenario in which Pamela cannot discuss money with Mr. B without casting doubt on her virtue.

For example, Mr. B and Pamela have a debate on ‘honesty’ which highlights that money is always equated with power. In the letter to her parents, Pamela writes that Mr. B asks her, "have I done you any harm?"(Pamela, pp.55). With this question, the reader can insinuate that the power belongs to Mr. B because in an argument, typically, it is the person who asks the questions that holds the power. He also asks whether he had done her any harm which in the literal term, harm means any physical injury inflicted upon a person. Yet, Mr. B is asking about the harm done on Pamela’s honesty. However, Pamela counters that power dynamic with her answer, "yes sir, the greatest harm in the world: you have taught me to forget myself, and that which belongs me…" (Pamela, pp.55). Pamela begins her answer with a respectful "yes sir" proving that despite the fact that she countered Mr. B’s question of authority, she has not forgotten their places, of that of master and servant. Furthermore, she states that he has ‘taught’ her to forget herself. The word taught is a Middle English word that is defined as a systematic, structured method of imparting knowledge or skill. Again, we see that the power is rightfully held by Mr. B in this argument because he is the one resiliently helping her forget who she is. There is another relationship brought to light between them and that is the one between a teacher and student. Mr. B is the teacher who has brainwashed her into forgetting, which means that she no longer is aware of her true identity, herself; the Pamela that was the servant, the poor and honest girl, and the daughter.

Also, Pamela uses the word "belongs" which implies possession of, not only herself but also of her honesty. Why use the word belong and not just finish the sentence at forget? The word belong is defined as "property of." She is stating that she is the owner of her own body, of her virginity, and her integrity. Even more, the deeper meaning is that the word is ironic in that sense that since she is a servant of Mr. B, she is technically the property of his, someone he owns. The argument can ensue as Pamela trying to take back power from Mr. B retention over her by claiming sole ownership over herself.

There is an imbalance in the amount of power that belongs to Mr. B and Pamela. The reader is able to grasp that even though it seems that Pamela is the one with power because her writing this epistolary puts her in a biased position to alter the narrative in favor of herself, one can see that Mr. B never yields over his power of position, not only as her master but also as a man. Pamela answer continues on "and [you] have lessened the distance that fortune has made between us, by demeaning yourself, to be so free to a poor servant" (). There is a play on the word fortune. One fortune can be defined as the fate or a chance happening and thus Pamela can be referring to the fated encounter between her and Mr. B. However, there is another definition, in that fortune could be referring to the immense wealth of Mr. B or the fortune left behind for him by his late mother.

Although she is a servant, Pamela has a strong self-consciousness. Her chastity or honesty is not just a psychological right, but a human right to her which symbolizes her dignity and virtue. Pamela’s consciousness of her power over her body manifests through her language in her letters. She is very intentional in her letters to use such words as "I say" or "I am." Since Pamela’s struggle with Mr. B for power can only occur through language or words, she is able to gain power when she writes. Samuel Richardson’s sentimental novel, Pamela revolves around the repeated attempt of the aristocratic Mr. B to rape his servant, the honest and virtuous Pamela. Mr. B’s pursuit of Pamela’s body instigates this narrative but the objective of the novel is the investigation of Pamela’s authenticity. Mr. B’s actions convert him from an admirer of Pamela’s body into a disciple of her virtue; thus, relocating the feminine social value from virginity to virtue. Pamela’s virtue, so unexpectedly exorbitant for a servant girl, must be produced and proven to a skeptical Mr. B and the readers. Pamela’s epistolary accounts of her heroic attempt to preserve her virginity from Mr. B produces evidence about her authenticity and allows the reader to evaluate her virtue. The "Pamela controversy" is centered on the status of the truth of Pamela’s words (and virtue) and not on her body (and virginity). The anxiety surrounding this controversy is whether women have the power to elude male power or knowledge, basically if virginity can be counterfeited to deceive men. In short, concerns about Pamela’s virtue raises several complications because one it displaces the power from the male to the female, it evades the problem of the body by proposing that the women’s words, not their bodies, can escape men’s investigative means and lastly it positions the reader (not the woman or the man interested in her) as the one with access to the authentic evidence. In reality, the woman was usually socially powerless and this view was an actual reflection of the status of women in society; however, in sentimental fiction women were empowered, at least, by their virtue. Her virtue was a standard that could be used to judge the integrity of the men around her.

A woman’s virtue in the eighteenth century could enable her to move up the ranks of class and social status, but neither her money nor her name could entitle her to raise her husband’s social rank because she forfeits both during the marriage. Pamela must prove her worthiness as a bride for Mr. B, both in her ability to maintain a household and her purity, but she must avoid from Mr. B’s money in the courtship phase in their relationship in order to show that she possesses feminine virtue. In order for Pamela to protect her virtue, she must reject both Mr. B’s advances and any lurid association between sex and money. Richardson creates a scenario in which Pamela cannot discuss money with Mr. B without casting doubt on her virtue.

Samuel Richardson paid attention to the problem of women’s status in the eighteenth century and was described as a sympathetic writer to the plight of women’s struggle against male chauvinistic ideologies. His views began to emerge primarily when he modified the traditional romance in Pamela. Richardson’s middle-class status made him sensitive to the inferiority of women and of the snobbish characteristics of the aristocrats. Therefore, Pamela became an outlet for him to express his inner thoughts of social equality and agreement to personal capability. Katherine Rodgers in her work, Novel: A Forum on Fiction, argues that Richardson’s women are capable of thinking for themselves because of equal capacities to men and that, "his emphasis on the intellectual capacity of women shows unusual commitment" (Pg.265). Pamela is one of his work that was populated with women capable of holding their own and of equal or superior intellect to their male counterpart.

In Richardson’s novel, it is forbidden to limit the freedom of an opportunity to write. Mr. B hiding Pamela’s letters and trying to prevent her from writing is an attempt to suppress her mind and power over herself. Language is Pamela’s most authoritative power that she controls and Mr. B hinderance with it, is his acknowledgment of her power and his inability to change the narrative of her story. Pamela is a novel split of Samuel Richardson’s desire to make a connection between truth and literature and persuade the readers that the moral of Pamela’s character’s story is real, and therefore an efficient tool of ethical edification of women. Pamela has been condemned as a representation of the lowly and a guide for servant women to climb the ladders of social class. However, the book became popular and stayed relevant because it did not undermine the intelligence of women and gave them a way to prove their virtue through their words and deeds rather than through a man’s investigative methods. Women in the eighteenth century were excluded from all authority, domesticity, and otherwise were left ignorant in discussions of any political spheres. Therefore, the decline of the aristocratic class and the rise of the middle class gave way for the popularity of Richardson’s book to succeed. One would wonder why Richardson was so interested in the plight of women and sympathetic to their oppression. One idea, revealed by Katherine Rogers, is that he was not exposed to the privileged London life; therefore, he was not insulated to the complacency that the ruling class was superior and deserved their privileges. Also, his lack of relationships with women allowed him to view them as people rather than idealized sexual partners.

In conclusion, Pamela was a courageous woman who sought equality from her master despite being a lowly servant. Richardson was able to portray the problems that women in the eighteenth century were facing through an epistolary of a young female servant, who disobeyed her master and found writing as her form of power. Her writing gave her the freedom to judge everyone around her based on her own moral compass. Also, Pamela was a way for women to find representation in an unequal world. Even more, women could learn from Pamela how to authentically exist in their truth, as honest and virtuous women, without depending on a male intermediary to back up their words and actions.