write an essay on the plot structure of pamela

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Here end, at present, the letters of Pamela to her father and mother. They arrived at their daughter's house on Tuesday evening in the following week, and were received by her with the utmost joy and duty; and with great goodness and complaisance by Mr. B–.  And having resided there till every thing was put in order for them at the Kentish estate, they were carried down thither by himself, and their daughter, and put into possession of the pretty farm he had designed for them.

The action takes place in England in the first half of the 18th Century in the counties of Bedfordshire and Lincolnshire. Bedford, the capital of Bedfordshire, is about forty-five miles north of London. Lincoln, the capital of Lincolnshire, is about thirty miles north of Bedford. Squire B. recounts incidents occurring during his travels in Italy, Germany, and Austria; but all present action in the novel takes place in England. 

Pamela Andrews : Intelligent, beautiful, and morally upright fifteen-year-old servant in the employ of a wealthy squire who repeatedly attempts to seduce her but fails. Pamela helps to support her impoverished parents. Squire B. : Pamela's master, relentless pursuer, and eventually husband. He treats Pamela as one of his possessions. However, after she rebuffs his advances again and again, he comes to respect and love her.  Lady B. : Mother of Squire B. At the beginning of the novel, she dies, leaving her money and estates to her son, Squire B. She treated Pamela well and even saw to her education.  John and Elizabeth Andrews : Pamela's parents. Lady Davers : Sister of Squire B. She strongly opposes a marriage between her brother and Pamela. Lord Davers : Husband of Lady Davers. Mrs. Jervis : Housekeeper at the squire's Bedfordshire estate. She befriends Pamela and sympathizes with her in her struggle to maintain her virtue. Jonathan : Elderly butler at the squire's Bedfordshire estate. He respects Pamela and comforts her after overhearing a conversation in which the squire insults Pamela.  Mr. Longman : Steward at the squire's Bedfordshire estate. Like Jonathan, he treats Pamela respectfully. He provides her writing paper and pens.  Isaac, Benjamin : Servants at the squire's Bedfordshire estate. Jane, Hanna : Servants at the squire's Bedfordshire estate. Rachel : Housemaid at the squire's Bedfordshire estate. John : The squire's Bedfordshire footman. Arthur : Gardener at the Bedfordshire estate. Lady Arthur, Lady Brooks, Lady Towers, Countess : Guests of the squire at his Bedfordshire estate. They compliment Pamela on her remarkable beauty but also make innuendoes about her living under the same roof as the squire. Mrs. Jewkes : Housekeeper at the squire's Lincolnshire estate. She treats Pamela cruelly while overseeing her virtual imprisonment at Lincolnshire.  Robin : The squire's Lincolnshire footman. Rev. Arthur Williams : Young minister who operates a Latin school near the squire's Lincolnshire estate. Although he depends on the squire for his livelihood, he tries to help Pamela escape the clutches of the squire. When the squire learns Mr. Williams abetted Pamela in her attempt to escape from Lincolnshire, he brings charges against him that result in his imprisonment. Lady Jones : Neighbor whom Mr. Williams informs of Pamela's mistreatment by the squire at Lincolnshire. She tells Mr. Williams that she sympathizes with Pamela's plight but will not become involved in Williams's scheme to help Pamela escape. Sir Simon Darnford and Mrs. Darnford : Neighbors whom Mr. Williams informs of Pamela's mistreatment by the squire at Lincolnshire. When Williams asks Mrs. Darnford to become involved in the scheme to help Pamela escape, she says she must consult with her husband, Sir Simon, who says, "If he [the squire] takes care she [Pamela] wants for nothing, I don't see any great injury will be done her." Sir Simon informs the squire of the escape plan.  Mr. Peters : Minister acquainted with Mr. Williams. The latter tells him of Pamela's plight as a virtual captive of the squire and asks him to lodge Pamela if she escapes. He refuses to assist, however, for fear of arousing the wrath of the squire. Later, however, he becomes a friend and admirer of Pamela and gives her away at her wedding. Mrs. Peters : Wife of Mr. Peters. She says Pamela is a "worthy pattern for all the young ladies in the county." Nan, Mrs. Ann : Servants at the squire's Lincolnshire estate. Monsieur Colbrand : Gigantic man who helps Mrs. Jewkes monitor the activities of Pamela. He sides with Pamela when Mrs. Jewkes accuses her of attempting to escape. Mr. Martin, Mr. Arthur, Mr. Brooks, Mr.Chambers : Dinner guests at the Lincolnshire estate after Pamela and the Squire are married. They raise a toast to the health and happiness of the newlyweds. Mr. Shorter : The squire's attorney. He takes the legal measures necessary to jail Mr. Williams.  Sally Godfrey : Young lady with whom the squire was intimate while he was in college. Miss Goodwin : Illegitimate child of the squire and Sally Godfrey. Miss Goodwin is a student at a boarding school Miss Booth, Miss Burdoff, Miss Nugent : Fellow students of Miss Goodwin at the boarding school.  Miss Dobson : Governess at the boarding school.  Mr. Carlton : Dying man whom the squire visits while Lady Davers berates Pamela after Pamela and the squire are reconciled. Mr. Carlton's illness helps to bring out the squire's compassion for fellow human beings. Mrs. Worden : Servant of Lady Davers. Jackey : Impertinent and foul-mouthed nephew of Lady Davers. Upon becoming acquainted with Pamela, he attempts to kiss her. Abraham : Servant and footman of the squire. Thomas : The squire's groom (person who tends and feeds horses). Boroughs Sisters : Guests at the Lincolnshire estate who compliment Pamela. Mr. Perry : Guest at the Lincolnshire estate who says Pamela is "the loveliest person I ever saw." Farmer Nichols's Wife and Daughters : Persons from whom Pamela purchases material to make a gown and two petticoats. Farmer Norton, His Wife, His Daughter : People with whom Pamela lodges on her way to Lincolnshire. Farmer Jones : Man who helps Pamela's father. Various Other Acquaintances of Pamela and the Squire

Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded is an epistolary novel centering on the relationship between a beautiful servant girl and her aristocratic master. An epistolary novel is one in which a character (or characters) tells the story through letters (epistles) sent to a friend, relative, etc., and/or through journal entries. Samuel Richardson began writing Pamela in 1739 and completed and published it in 1740.

Richardson based the novel on an account of real-life events in which a serving maid resists the amorous advances of her employer.

Narration and Structure

Fifteen-year-old Pamela Andrews, the protagonist, tells the story in first-person point of view in (1) letters she writes to her parents and other characters and (2) in a journal in which she reports daily happenings as well as the contents of letters written to her. An omniscient narrator intrudes briefly to inform the reader of events outside the scope of Pamela’s purview. The author presents the chapters in the form of letters or journal entries. The rising action and development of the conflict take place at Squire B.'s Bedfordshire estate. The conflict intensifies after Pamela is taken against her will to the squire's Lincolnshire estate. The conflict reaches its climax when Pamela is at an inn between Lincolnshire and Bedfordshire and receives a letter in which the squire declares his love for her. The long denouement of the story takes place mainly at the Lincolnshire estate after Pamela returns to the squire. The story concludes when the newlyweds return to the Bedfordshire estate. After the conclusion, the author presents observations intended to instruct the reader.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Epistolary Writing

In Pamela , the central character reveals in her journal and letters the intimate details of her everyday life in language that is simple, straightforward, and conversational. This approach makes the novel easy to read and understand. Moreover, it creates a closeness with the reader, as if he or she were the recipient of the letters or the reader of the journal. There are obvious drawbacks to epistolary narration, however. As in other first-person accounts, the narrator cannot enter the minds of other characters (as in third-person omniscient narration). In addition, the narrator must be present for all the action or report it in accounts she receives secondhand. Finally, since the narrator writer her letters or journal entries after an event, the storytelling loses at least some of its air of immediacy. Nevertheless, Richardson's approach was popular with readers, and the novel sold out quickly.

Love: Romantic, Familial, Brotherly, and False

The novel is of course a love story, and Pamela is the fulcrum on which the story turns. One day, the story centers on familial love, which Pamela exchanges with her parents; the next day, on false love, or lust, which the squire attempts to inflict on Pamela; another day, on brotherly love, which Pamela exchanges with Mrs. Jervis and other coworkers; and on another day, true romantic love, which Pamela exchanges with the squire. Love conquers the cruel heart of Mrs. Jewkes and the proud heart of Lady Davers. It softens the heart of a fearsome giant, Monsieur Colbrand. It causes the squire to free the Rev. Arthur Williams from jail. It enables the squire to renounce his past wrongs. And, finally, it enables Pamela to embrace the squire's illegitimate daughter. 

Preservation of Virtue

In the face of the squire's attempts to seduce her, Pamela never once gives in to him. She turns down his offers of great sums of money, servants at her beck and call, and other favors in order to preserve her virtue. Although she discovers after a time that she loves him, she refuses to bed with him outside of marriage. 

Class and Gender Distinctions, Sexual Harassment

In protecting herself from the clutches of her male employer, Pamela is at a considerable disadvantage. The European culture of the 1700s gave every advantage to males, especially upper-class males. Pamela, of course, is a lower-class female servant. A pretty servant girl was easy prey for a wealthy master who took a fancy to her, for he could use his money and power to entice her or sexually harass her. After the squire begins treating Pamela as a young woman instead of a sexual object, he declares his love for her. However, his sister, Lady Davers, strongly opposes his relationship with Pamela on grounds that she is a mere servant from a lower-class family. Only after a long and painful struggle does she come to accept Pamela. 

Use and Misuse of Money and Material Possessions

At first, the squire attempts to buy Pamela's favors with money and clothes. When these attempts fail, he offers her more money, more clothes, jewels, and an estate for her father and mother. But Pamela is not for sale at any price. The squire uses money in the same way with others. For example, he controls and manipulates the Rev. Arthur Williams through the money he pays him. Then he jails the minister after he is unable to pay a debt. Pamela, on the other hand, gives large portions of the money she earns to her impoverished parents. Her generosity – and her rebuffs of his attempts to buy her – set an example for him that he eventually follows. After marrying Pamela, he freely shares his bounty, telling his wife, "Give her [Mrs. Jewkes], then . . .twenty guineas, as a compliment on your nuptials. Give Colbrand ten guineas: the two coachmen five guineas each; to the two maids at this house five guineas each; give Abraham five guineas; give Thomas five guineas; and give the gardeners, grooms, and helpers, twenty guineas among them." 

Author's Instructive Themes

At the end of the novel, the author presents observations intended to instruct the reader. Each of the observations focuses on a theme in the novel. Following are the author's observations:  

The reader will here indulge us in a few brief observations, which naturally result from the story and characters; and which will serve as so many applications of its most material incidents to the minds of YOUTH of BOTH SEXES. First, then, in the character of the GENTLEMAN, may be seen that of a fashionable libertine, who allowed himself in the free indulgence of his passions, especially to the fair sex; and found himself supported in his daring attempts, by an affluent fortune in possession, a personal bravery, as it is called, readier to give than take offence, and an imperious will: yet as he betimes sees his errors, and reforms in the bloom of youth, an edifying lesson may be drawn from it, for the use of such as are born to large fortunes; and who may be taught, by his example, the inexpressible difference between the hazards and remorse which attend a profligate course of life, and the pleasures which flow from virtuous love, and benevolent actions. In the character of Lady DAVERS, let the proud, and the high-born, see the deformity of unreasonable passion, and how weak and ridiculous such persons must appear, who suffer themselves, as is usually the case, to be hurried from the height of violence, to the most abject submission; and subject themselves to be outdone by the humble virtue they so much despise. Let good CLERGYMEN, in Mr. WILLIAMS, see, that whatever displeasure the doing of their duty may give, for a time, to their proud patrons, Providence will, at last, reward their piety, and turn their distresses to triumph; and make them even more valued for a conduct that gave offence while the violence of passion lasted, than if they had meanly stooped to flatter or soothe the vices of the great. In the examples of good old ANDREWS and his WIFE, let those, who are reduced to a low estate, see, that Providence never fails to reward their honesty and integrity: and that God will, in his own good time, extricate them, by means unforeseen, out of their present difficulties, and reward them with benefits unhoped for. The UPPER SERVANTS of great families may, from the odious character of Mrs. JEWKES, and the amiable ones of Mrs. JERVIS, Mr. LONGMAN, etc. learn what to avoid, and what to choose, to make themselves valued and esteemed by all who know them. And, from the double conduct of poor JOHN, the LOWER SERVANTS may learn fidelity, and how to distinguish between the lawful and unlawful commands of a superior. The poor deluded female, who, like the once unhappy Miss GODFREY, has given up her honour, and yielded to the allurements of her designing lover, may learn from her story, to stop at the first fault; and, by resolving to repent and amend, see the pardon and blessing which await her penitence, and a kind Providence ready to extend the arms of its mercy to receive and reward her returning duty: While the prostitute, pursuing the wicked courses, into which, perhaps, she was at first inadvertently drawn, hurries herself into filthy diseases, and an untimely death; and, too probably, into everlasting perdition. Let the desponding heart be comforted by the happy issue which the troubles and trials of PAMELA met with, when they see, in her case, that no danger nor distress, however inevitable, or deep to their apprehensions, can be out of the power of Providence to obviate or relieve; and which, as in various instances in her story, can turn the most seemingly grievous things to its own glory, and the reward of suffering innocence; and that too, at a time when all human prospects seem to fail. Let the rich, and those who are exalted from a low to a high estate, learn from her, that they are not promoted only for a single good; but that Providence has raised them, that they should dispense to all within their reach, the blessings it has heaped upon them; and that the greater the power is to which God hath raised them, the greater is the good that will be expected from them. From the low opinion she every where shews of herself, and her attributing all her excellencies to pious education, and her lady's virtuous instructions and bounty; let persons, even of genius and piety, learn not to arrogate to themselves those gifts and graces, which they owe least of all to themselves: Since the beauties of person are frail; and it is not in our power to give them to ourselves, or to be either prudent, wise, or good, without the assistance of divine grace. From the same good example, let children see what a blessing awaits their duty to their parents, though ever so low in the world; and that the only disgrace, is to be dishonest; but none at all to be poor. From the economy she purposes to observe in her elevation, let even ladies of condition learn, that there are family employments, in which they may and ought to make themselves useful, and give good examples to their inferiors, as well as equals: and that their duty to God, charity to the poor and sick, and the different branches of household management, ought to take up the most considerable portions of their time. From her signal veracity, which she never forfeited, in all the hardships she was tried with, though her answers, as she had reason to apprehend, would often make against her; and the innocence she preserved throughout all her stratagems and contrivances to save herself from violation: Persons, even sorely tempted, may learn to preserve a sacred regard to truth; which always begets a reverence for them, even in the corruptest minds. In short, Her obliging behaviour to her equals, before her exaltation; her kindness to them afterwards; her forgiving spirit, and her generosity; Her meekness, in every circumstance where her virtue was not concerned; Her charitable allowances for others, as in the case of Miss Godfrey, for faults she would not have forgiven in herself; Her kindness and prudence to the offspring of that melancholy adventure; Her maiden and bridal purity, which extended as well to her thoughts as to her words and actions; Her signal affiance in God; Her thankful spirit; Her grateful heart; Her diffusive charity to the poor, which made her blessed by them whenever she appeared abroad; The cheerful ease and freedom of her deportment; Her parental, conjugal, and maternal duty; Her social virtues; Are all so many signal instances of the excellency of her mind, which may make her character worthy of the imitation of her sex.  And the Editor of these sheets will have his end, if it inspires a laudable emulation in the minds of any worthy persons, who may thereby entitle themselves to the rewards, the praises, and the blessings, by which PAMELA was so deservedly distinguished.

1. In her letters and journal entries, Pamela often reports the compliments others give her. For example, in Letter IV (to her mother) she .... writes that Lady Davers "thought me the prettiest wench she ever saw in her life." Later in the novel, she reports that Sir Simon .... Darnford "swore he never saw so easy an air, so fine a shape, and so graceful a presence" as Pamela's and that he referred to her as .... "the loveliest maiden in England." Do Pamela's frequent references to such compliments indicate that she is vain? Explain your .... answer. 2. Does Pamela distort in any way the events she reports in her letters and journal entries? Explain your answer. 3. In an informative essay, write a psychological profile of Pamela, the squire, or Lady Davers. 4. How commonplace was sexual harassment of young women in England in the mid-1700s? 5. In the following statement, the squire describes the typical upbringing of a male or female born into a life of wealth and privilege. Read .... the statement, then write an essay arguing that the squire's observations still apply today in some families.

....... We people of fortune, or such as are born to large expectations, of both sexes, are generally educated wrong. You have occasionally touched upon this, Pamela, several times in your journal, so justly, that I need say the less to you. We are usually so headstrong, so violent in our wills, that we very little bear control. ....... Humoured by our nurses, through the faults of our parents, we practise first upon them; and shew the gratitude of our dispositions, in an insolence that ought rather to be checked and restrained, than encouraged. ....... Next, we are to be indulged in every thing at school; and our masters and mistresses are rewarded with further grateful instances of our boisterous behaviour. ....... But, in our wise parents' eyes, all looks well, all is forgiven and excused; and for no other reason, but because we are theirs. Our next progression is, we exercise our spirits, when brought home, to the torment and regret of our parents themselves, and torture their hearts by our undutiful and perverse behaviour to them, which, however ungrateful in us, is but the natural consequence of their culpable indulgence to us, from infancy upwards. ....... And then, next, after we have, perhaps, half broken their hearts, a wife is looked out for: convenience, or birth, or fortune, are the first motives, affection the last (if it is at all consulted): and two people thus educated, thus trained up, in a course of unnatural ingratitude, and who have been headstrong torments to every one who has had a share in their education, as well as to those to whom they owe their being, are brought together; and what can be expected, but that they should pursue, and carry on, the same comfortable conduct in matrimony, and join most heartily to plague one another? And, in some measure, indeed, this is right; because hereby they revenge the cause of all those who have been aggrieved and insulted by them, upon one another.

“Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded”, analysis of the novel by Samuel Richardson

This  is a novel that published around 1740 by an English writer called Samuel Richardson. Many consider it to be a great English novel and it is reputed to have sold many copies when it was written.

The books main character is Pamela Andrews who is a 15-year-old maidservant to Mr. B. He is a wealthy man with a lot of land. He makes makes advances to her in bad taste immediately after his mother’s demise.

Pamela is conflicted by the advances. She has strong religious beliefs that she doesn’t want to go against but at the same time desires to get approval from her employer. In several letters and journal entries that appear in the second volume of the book, she discloses this conflict. She also writes to her poor and dejected parents  about the situation.

Following many seduction attempts that were unsuccessful, sexual assaults, kidnappings on Pamela, Mr. B reforms and makes a sincere marriage proposal to Pamela which she accepts. In her marriage, Pamela tries to blend into the upper-class society as a wife of a wealthy man; Mr. B which is the second part of the book.

Samuel Richardson is reputed to be the first male writers to have taken a feminist view in his work. The role of Pamela rejected the traditional view of women at the time by portraying her as independent and one with her own thoughts and ideas. At that time, the role of women was very conservative and their thoughts and ideas were not taken into account.

The letters and journals written by Pamela give the reader a glimpse of her emotions, like of thought rather than seeing women at a shallow level. The letters also allow readers to see how Pamela felt about the events that were occurring in her life and how she handled them and hence portrayed as brave, witty and opinionated. This is not the position that women had at the time hence the credit given to this author.

Plot of Work

The book is divided into volumes 1 and 2. Volume 1 starts with portraying Pamela Andrews as an innocent 15-year-old girl working as lady B’s servant. No sooner had Lady B had died than Mr. begins to pay more attention to Pamela by giving her clothes belonging to his late mum. He continues to try and seduce her and requests her to keep it a secret but she doesn’t. She confides in Mrs. Jervis who is a housekeeper and her good friend. When the seduction continues, she thinks of returning to her poor parents for her to stay pure but is undecided.

Pamela is kidnapped by Mr. B after he learned that she planned to run away. This information comes out from the contents of her letters.. She stays in a house in Lincolnshire Estate where the housekeeper there is unfriendly and owes her allegiance to Mr. B and cannot help her escape. While there, Mr. B stays away from visiting for a while. Volume 2 starts with a fortuneteller discouraging Pamela from entering into a marriage with Mr. B. By this time, Mr. B reads all the letters that Pamela had been writing and hiding them under a rosebush. He feels bad for what he had made her go through and felt very guilty. This makes her decide to marry her.

Pamela doesn’t trust him and asks to her go to her parents to which he agrees. However, she realizes that she loved him and when he asks her to return she accepts where they discuss together as a married couple.

The wedding between Pamela and Mr. B happens in a chapel but his sister called  Davers boycotts attending it and is against the wedding which she doesn’t recognize and insults Pamela who plays cool and does not insult her sister in law. She escapes instead to avoid confrontation. She later accepts Pamela as the brothers’ wife and they return to live in Bedfordshire. Pamela becomes a submissive wife and she is happy. Her parents are also happy because she is happy. Their neighbors are full of admiration for her too.

After the wedding, Pamela learns that MR. B had sire a child with a lady who later got married in Jamaica and encourages him to go for her so that they could adopt the child. This portrayed the good hearted nature of Pamela who had by now already forgiven Mr B for all the bad things to her.

Key characters

Pamela Andrews : She is the protagonist of the novel who narrates the story. She is a 15-year-old naive girl who worked for Mrs. B. She is inherited by her son after her demise. Mr. B the son, puts through sexual advances to her to the extent of assaulting and kidnapping her. She eventually falls in love with him and changes her mind about it and marries him.

Elizabeth and John Andrews : They are Pamela’s parents to whom she sends letters about her experiences in the hands of Mr. B are addressed. Mr. John Andrews is the only parent to appear later in the book when he goes to pick Pamela only to find out that she is happy in her marriage.

Mr. B: He is Pamela’s employer who harasses her sexually, kidnaps her and finally arrives at a decision of marrying her and proposes. His proposal is accepted and they get married in a chapel.

Mr. Williams : He is Pamela’s friend who attempts to  help her to escape from Mr. and delivers her letters of anguish to her family. He had offered to marry Pamela a request she declined. Later in the book, Mr. B finds out about the actions of Mr. Williams and had him taken into prison.

Mrs. Jevis : She is an elderly housekeeper at Mr.’s Bedfordshire estate who becomes Pamela’s best friend. Their friendship is stated in Pamela’s correspondences to her folks. While she pities Pamela, she has no way of stopping the harassment from Mr. B.

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68 pages • 2 hours read

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Chapters 1-15

Chapters 16-31

Chapters 32-51

Chapters 52-70

Chapters 71-84

Chapters 85-96

Character Analysis

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Pamela Andrews

Content warning: This Character Analysis section includes references to attempted rape and sexual harassment.

Pamela Andrews is the protagonist of the novel; the plot follows her struggles to maintain her chastity and integrity. Pamela is 15 years old at the start of the novel. Though she comes from a working-class family that has struggled financially, Pamela occupies a liminal social position: Because of the time she has spent with the wealthy Lady B (Mr. B’s late mother), Pamela has learned the refined skills associated with upper-class life. Moreover, she is highly skilled at expressing herself verbally. Throughout the novel, characters praise her eloquence in speaking and writing with comments such as “I enjoin you, Pamela, to continue your narrative” (335). In addition, Pamela is strikingly beautiful and elegant. These attributes enable Mr. B to marry her, despite her lower social status.

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33 The Pamela Debate

• Published: October 2017
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This chapter examines the impact and influence of Samuel Richardson’s first novel, Pamela . While Richardson was writing on his own account well before Pamela , the novel’s impact was dramatic and sudden, and its aesthetic achievement proved revolutionary, particularly in its emotionally intimate character-creation. Richardson was a true believer in literature’s didactic imperative and was immediately both admired and challenged on the moral purpose of his stories. Pamela created a buzzing subgenre of intensely knowing responses unlike anything previously seen following a provocative new literary work, and in scope and duration the print debate compares with religious or political controversies. Henry Fielding derided Pamela in Shamela , the most famous of all these responses, and yet he also discovered there the freedom and representational authority of an ironically inflected narrative voice, as well as a model for writing directly about modern life, which he more fully pursued with Joseph Andrews .

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Samuel Richardson

Ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Samuel Richardson’s Pamela has the subtitle “Virtue Rewarded,” making it clear that virtue is important to the story. In the novel, “virtue” is most often synonymous with virginity, reflecting how most of the novel revolves around protagonist Pamela ’s efforts to remain a virgin despite the tricks, assaults, and threats of rape from her master, Mr. B . As the novel goes on, however, particularly after the wedding of Pamela and Mr. B, it soon becomes clear that chastity isn’t Pamela’s only virtue. The Editor himself states directly that he hopes audience will see Pamela as an all-around role model and strive to emulate her virtuous behavior. Among Pamela’s many good qualities are her patience, open-mindedness, and ability to forgive—all of which are tenets of the Christian faith. Even after enduring all of Mr. B’s abuse, for instance, Pamela never hates him, and she ultimately forgives him and all his accomplices, like John and Mrs. Jewkes . Pamela’s behavior, the novel suggests, shows what virtue looks like in action.

Although Pamela suffers during much of the novel—even while acting virtuously—she eventually reaps incredible rewards for her virtue. While Pamela acts virtuously for spiritual reasons, the rewards that she and others receive in the book for good behavior are often material and tangible. For example, as a servant, Pamela was excited to obtain four guineas , but after winning over Mr. B with her good behavior and becoming his wife, she obtains hundreds of guineas to spend on herself or give away as charity. Pamela’s poor but dignified father and mother similarly receive a large income as a reward for their modest lifestyle (Mr. B gifts it to them following his marriage to Pamela), and many characters like Mr. Williams and Mrs. Jervis , who help Pamela, receive their own material rewards. Together, the fates of all these characters help make the case for a Christian God who actively intervenes in earthly life in order to help the virtuous who deserve it. Richardson’s Pamela demonstrates that the value of virtue is both spiritual and material, with the concrete rewards of wealth and status representing the less tangible but even more important spiritual benefits of virtuousness.

The Value of Virtue ThemeTracker

The Value of Virtue Quotes in Pamela

Dear Father and Mother ,

I have great Trouble, and some Comfort, to acquaint you with. The Trouble is, that my good Lady died of the Illness I mention’d to you, and left us all much griev’d for the loss of her; for she was a dear good lady, and kind to all us her servants.

I hope the good ’Squire has no Design: but when he has given you so much Money, and speaks so kindly to you, and praises your coming on; and, Oh, that fatal word! that he would be kind to you, if you would do as you should do, almost kills us with fears.

JOHN being to go your way, I am willing to write, because he is so willing to carry any thing for me. He says it does him good at his Heart to see you both, and to hear you talk. He says you are both so sensible, and so honest, that he always learns something from you to the Purpose.

I sobb’d and cry’d most sadly. What a foolish Hussy you are! said he: Have I done you any Harm? Yes, Sir, said I, the greatest Harm in the world: You have taught me to forget myself and what belongs to me, and have lessen’d the Distance that Fortune has made between us, by demeaning yourself, to be so free to a poor Servant.

Say no more, Mrs. Jervis; for by G—d I will have her!

Their Riches often are a Snare; At best, a pamper’d weighty Care: Their Servants far more happy are: At least, so thinketh Pamela.

Now I will give you a Picture of this Wretch: She is a broad, squat, pursy, fat thing, quite ugly, if any thing God made can be so called; about forty Years old. She has a huge Hand, and an Arm as thick as my Waist, I believe. […] So that with a Heart more ugly than her Face, she frightens me sadly: and I am undone to be sure, if God does not protect me; for she is very, very wicked—indeed she is.

This Act of Despondency, thought I, is a Sin, that, if I pursue it, admits of no Repentance, and can therefore claim no Forgiveness.—And wilt thou, to shorten thy transitory Griefs, heavy as they are, and weak as thou fanciest thyself, plunge both Body and Soul into everlasting Misery! Hitherto, Pamela , thought I, thou art the innocent, the suffering Pamela ; and wilt thou, to avoid thy sufferings, be the guilty Aggressor? And, because wicked Men persecute thee, wilt thou fly in the Face of the Almighty, and distrust his Grace and Goodness, who can still turn all these Sufferings to Benefits?

Your poor Pamela cannot answer for the Liberties taken with her in her deplorable State of Death.

IF, my dear Parents, I am not destin’d more surely than ever for Ruin, I have now more Comfort before me, than ever I yet knew. And am either nearer my Happiness or my Misery than ever I was.

Since you so much prize your Honour, and your Virtue; since all Attempts against that are so odious to you; and since I have avowedly made several of these Attempts, do you think it is possible for you to love me preferably to any other of my Sex?

Besides, said he, there is such a pretty air of romance, as you relate them, in your plots, and my plots, that I shall be better directed in what manner to wind up the catastrophe of the pretty novel.

My master kindly said, Come, Mr. Andrews , you and I will sit together. And so took his Place at the Bottom of the Table, and set my Father on his Right-hand; and Sir Simon would sit on his Left.

And thus, my dearest, dear Parents, is your happy, happy, thrice happy Pamela, at last, marry’d; and to who?—Why, to her beloved, gracious Master! The Lord of her Wishes!—And thus the dear, once naughty Assailer of her Innocence, by a blessed Turn of Providence, is become the kind, the generous Protector and Rewarder of it.

Oh! What a poor thing is human Life in its best Enjoyments!—subjected to imaginary Evils, when it has no real ones to disturb it!

Are all so many signal Instances of the Excellency of her mind, which may make her Character worthy of the Imitation of her Sex. And the Editor of these Sheets will have his End, if it inspires a laudable Emulation in the Minds of any worthy persons, who may thereby entitle themselves to the Rewards, the Praises, and the Blessings, by which she was so deservedly distinguished.