Jurado

Aimee Jurado

Dr. Norton

ENG 456

T/TH 11:30-12:45pm

5/5/19

The Demonstration of Power in Pamela Through the Psychological Space

Samuel Richardson’s 18th century epistolary novel, Pamela, illustrates the power

dynamics between the public sphere of upper-class men and private sphere of lower-class

women through the marriage of his characters Pamela and Mr. B. Pamela and Mr. B’s courtship

begins when Mr. B attempts to rape Pamela, who is also his maid. Despite his violence towards

her and his intimidating class status, Pamela rejects Mr. B as a way to keep her virtue. This

proves to be more challenging for Pamela as the novel progresses and her romantic feelings

towards Mr. B grows. Eventually, Pamela is able to marry Mr. B while staying virtuous.

Throughout the novel and their courtship, Richardson characterizes Pamela and Mr. B has hyper-

representations of their sexes and social class. In doing so, he defines the power that each hold

within their respective social spheres. Mr. B, who represents upper-class men, occupies the

physical space within marriage which includes physical strength as well as tangible objects that

can be bought with money. Pamela occupies the emotional and spiritual space, being a model of

morality and good Christian values. On the surface, it seems as though Mr. B dominates Pamela

in his exertion of power within their marriage. Through his writing however, Richardson

introduces a new space, the psychological space, within marriage that appears to be unclaimed.

Richardson’s writing of Pamela introduces the psychological space to suggest that there are other

ways to demonstrate power between the sexes, classes, or simply within marriage, and he
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entertains this possibility through Pamela and her ability to manipulate the psychological sphere,

as represented through the epistolary form and the symbolism of the lumber-room.

In her article, “Richardson’s Characterization of Mr. B and Double Purpose in Pamela,”

Gwendolyn B. Needham discusses Richardson’s characterization of Pamela and Mr. B by

looking specifically at how their class positions and their gender’s motivation and psyche are

represented in the novel. Needham argues that Richardson writes both Pamela and Mr. B are

hyper-representative of their genders and classes as a way to juxtapose the power demonstrated

by each character. To Needham, Mr. B is characterized as a “proud possessor of good birth, land,

power and wealth” and as “supremely confident of his physical and mental powers – distinctly a

man of action” (Needham 444). Conversely, “Pamela, despite ambivalence, temptations, doubt,

despair, never wavers in her hear-and-soul belief in the righteousness of defending her virtue,

and therein lies her strength” (447). Focusing on Richardson’s characterization of Pamela and

Mr. B, Needham argues that the intensity of each character and the polarity between their

personalities clarify the societal expectations placed on each of them. Similarly, Michaela Culea

of the University of Bacau also argues in her article, “Means of Exercising Power in

Richardson’s Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded,” that both Mr. B and Pamela represent the

generalizations society had towards male and female genders. Culea argues that distinct qualities

are not only socially noticeable between men and women are are also socially distributed and

that Mr. B’s attempt to rape Pamela is the result of a power imbalance happening between them.

This imbalance, Culea suggests, is Pamela demonstrating more power than Mr. B, leading him to

pursue rape as a means to “reaffirm” their societal roles and to “subdue” Pamela’s power (Culea

151-152). Other critics however, feel that Richardson’s writing of Pamela demonstrates a new
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and unique way of representing this power dynamic between genders and classes by his use of

the epistolary form and the symbolism of the lumber-room.

In his article, “The Power of the Quill: Epistolary Technique in Richardson’s Pamela,”

Scott Dale believes that the novel’s form is also a way in which Pamela demonstrates power and

that Richardson’s “subtle yet poignant mechanics of Pamela’s epistolary format… [shows] how

the protagonist’s at of writing journals enables her to improve her self-esteem and, eventually,

her socio-economic status” (Dale 62). By focusing on her internal thoughts and feelings, Dale

believes that Richardson’s use of the epistolary format “helps [Pamela] to structure a

sympathetic yet empowered version of her consciousness” which ultimately helps her “better

understand and accept the world in which she lives” (54). Through her writing then, Pamela

expresses her thoughts in a way that benefits her wellbeing, thus bettering and empowering

herself. Likewise, Needham also believes that the epistolary form “rivets attention on the

heroine-narrator that the hero’s true characterization may escape the average reader” (Needham

436). To Needham, this focus then on Pamela adds to not only her empowerment but also to her

characterization. John Sung Han in his article, “A Lumber-Room of Her Own: Attics in Pamela

and Jane Eyre” also brings to light the use of the lumber-room as another unique means in which

Pamela exercises her power. “The lumber-room” Han argues, “functions internally and

externally… the sheer exiguity of the lumber-room’s reference in Pamela (it is only mentioned

twice in the course of 503 pages of the novel and offers little if any narrative details) demands

that it operates implicitly and behind the scenes” (Han 531). Han argues that the lumber-room,

though addressed seldom, is symbolic of potential and by her converting the lumber-room into a

chapel, Han believes Pamela demonstrates an ability to manipulate the lumber-room’s potential.

Keeping Dale and Han’s belief of Pamela’s unique power demonstration in mind, along with the
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more traditional interpretations of Pamela and Mr. B’s power demonstration by Needham and

Culea, it can be argued that Richardson creates Pamela and Mr. B as hyper-representations of

their social classes as a way to introduce the psychological space.

In agreement with the aforementioned articles by Needham and Culea, Richardson

characterizes Pamela and Mr. B as hyper-representative of their genders and classes, and in

doing so, Richardson defines the expected roles of men, women, upper-class, and lower-class

citizens. Richardson also contextualizes how power is traditionally exchanged between these

different genders and classes, focusing specifically at the exchange of power between Pamela

and Mr. B. Early in the novel, Pamela informs readers of her character saying, “my Lady’s

Goodness had put me to write and cast Accompts, and made me a little expert at my Needle, and

other Qualifications above my Degree” (Richardson 11). From this description, Richardson

informs readers that Pamela not only has the skills of a lady but that Pamela has expert skills as a

lady. An apprentice to her “Lady’s Goodness,” Pamela not only becomes an “expert” in her

gender but also obtains “qualifications above [her] degree,” further emphasizing how Richardson

characterizes Pamela as a hyper-representation of a “good woman.” Pamela describes the extent

of her virtue further when Mr. B attempts to pursue her, to which she says “I am honest, tho’

poor; And if you was a Prince, I would not be otherwise” (23). Pamela tells Mr. B that though

she is below him, she is honest, and even if he were far above his own social rank, she would

still do what was right. This hyperbolic comparison of Mr. B to a prince further demonstrates

Pamela’s hyperbolic devotion to virtue.

Similar to Pamela’s hyperbolic characterization, Mr. B is also presented as a hyper-

representation of upper-class men. When attacking Pamela, Mr. B’s describes himself as

“content to take all the Blame upon me; as I have already borne too great a Share for what I have
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deserv’d” (31). By this description, Richardson represents Mr. B as “greater in share” than others

like him. Not only does Mr. B have a great share, he has too great a share. Richardson’s choice

of words when describing Mr. B suggests that Mr. B not only has wealth, but that he has a

surplus of wealth. Mr. B further demonstrates his social abilities when he tells Pamela “If you

can keep this Matter secret, you’ll give me the better Opinion of your Prudence; and here’s

something, said he, putting some Gold in my Hand, to make you Amends for the Fright I put you

to” (24). Within this interaction, Mr. B openly demonstrates not only his social and physical

power over Pamela but his economic power as well. By defining Pamela and Mr. B in this way,

Richardson suggests that upper-class men like Mr. B are expected to be socially, physically, and

economically dominant to working-class women like Pamela. Though this is the expectation,

Richardson does not make this the case. Although Mr. B harnesses all the social and physical

advantages of his breed, it only allows him to subdue Pamela’s physical power and not her

expression of psychological power. Jessica L. Leiman in her article “Booby’s Fruitless

operations: The crisis of Male Authority in Richardson’s Pamela” describes this phenomenon as

“Mr. B’s inability to acquit himself as a rake [which] is cruicially linked to his desire to silence

Pamela’s narrative” (Leiman 223). This is however, intentional of Richardson who through the

epistolary form looks to introduce the psychological space and Pamela’s power over Mr. B

within it.

By focusing on Pamela’s narration only, Richardson situates the reader in close proximity

to Pamela, giving them access to her thoughts and her interpretation of Mr. B, thus creating a

narration that not only sympathizes with Pamela but also gives her room in the psychological

space. When weighing her options, Pamela writes:

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“Sometimes I thought to have them behind me, and only go with the Cloaths on

my Back; but then I had two Miles and a half, and a By-way, to go to the Town;

and being pretty well dress’d, I might come some harm, almost as bad as what I

would run away from; and then may-be, thought I, it will be reported, I have

stolen something, and so was forc’d to run away; and to carry a bad Name back

with me to my dear poor Parents” (Richardson 25).

Through her letters, Pamela not only expresses her emotions but also her thinking. From this

quotation, readers are able to see not only what Pamela is thinking but how she is thinking. They

are able to understand how Pamela’s experiences, relationships, and general knowledge affects

her decisions and interpretation of things, making her more relatable and in closer relation to the

reader. Because of this, readers tend to view Pamela more highly than they view Mr. B, despite

Mr. B being of higher class than Pamela and thus, of higher esteem. The epistolary form then

empowers Pamela and mimics her mind, which Richardson presents to readers as the

psychological space. Whether good or bad, Pamela’s demonstration of power in this space

always leads to a response, or in other words, a result due to her exertion of power. But although

the novel follows mostly Pamela, Richardson does not make the novel exclusively her own

thoughts. Within the novel, Richardson also includes the letters of other characters, like Pamela’s

parents, who also express their thoughts and feelings through the novel’s form.

Like Pamela’s letters, this expression from other characters act as an exertion of power

and leads to some type of response or result. Richardson then demonstrates what Dale would call

“the power of the quill.” When characters express their thoughts and feelings on a page, their

expression, or demonstration of psychological power, results in a response typically in their

favor. Compared to other characters, Pamela writes the most letters, demonstrating more
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psychological power than the others and thus causing more results that are usually in her favor.

This isn’t to say though that other characters like Mr. B do not have the ability to exert this

power. In his letter to Pamela, Mr. B asks if instead of going home she would “oblige me in her

Return” (252) to which Pamela asks her parents, “Should I go back, or should I not? – I doubt he

has got too great Hold in my Heart, for me to be easy presently, if I should refuse: And yet this

Gypsey Information makes me fearful. Well, I will, trust in his Generosity!” (252). Pamela here

admits that she “doubt he has too great hold in my heart,” meaning he does not have a hold of

her emotionally. Despite this, she still decides to go back to Mr. B. Although Mr. B is only

physically dominant, he is able to create a positive result for himself due to his exertion of

psychological power. Through the epistolary form, Richardson demonstrates how Mr. B is able

to do this but he does not to the extent that Pamela does. This suggests that men of Mr. B’s

esteem and women of Pamela’s are equally able to occupy this space and utilize its power. In the

case of Pamela and Mr. B, Pamela takes advantage of this potential and Mr. B does not. This

demonstration however is not the only way Richardson suggests potential points of power

between Pamela and Mr. B.

Along with the epistolary form, Richardson introduces the potential of psychological

space through his writing of the lumber-room. In deciding where to get married, Mr. B offers to

Pamela that “I ought to oblige you all I may. Therefore, I will order my own little Chapel, which

has not been us’d for two Generations, for anything but a Lumber-room, because our Family

seldom resided here long together, to be clear’d and clean’d” (276). Mr. B mentions how the

room has not been used in generations, since his “Great Great-Grandfather’s time” (277). He also

mentions how the room has not been used as a Chapel in so long that it had turned into a lumber-

room, or in other words, as storage. Similar to the mind, the lumber-room acts as storage for Mr.
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B. In this way, Mr. B’s psychological space exists and is functioning, however, he is not taking

advantage of it. This dismissal and misuse of the room suggests generations of the psychological

space being dismissed. Pamela’s adoption of the room then represents the potential available for

both men and women within this space. Han in his article describes the lumber-room as

“Between visibility and absence, reality and fiction, the lumber-room is suspended in a middle

state of disguised visibility, a status that can be shaped, formed, and re-formed by the viewer and

architectural designer… Within that negative space, the lumber-room made room for an implied

space that eighteenth-century writers mined for meaning” (Han 532). Interpreting the lumber-

room in this context, Richardson presents the psychological space as having unlimited potential

and meaning. Unlike the physical space or the moral space, the psychological space is

“unclaimed” by any sex or class and Richardson argues that any sex or class can exert

psychological power.

Richardson’s characterization of Pamela and Mr. B as hyper-representations of their

social classes is important in defining what is socially expected of them and how society expects

them to demonstrate power. Though it is expected that Mr. B should be dominant over Pamela,

Richardson does not necessarily make this the case. Through Pamela’s letters and her adoption

of the lumber-room, Richardson introduces the psychological space as another means for

different sexes or classes to demonstrate power outside of their societal expectations. Richardson

argues that like the lumber-room, the psychological space is not “claimed” by any particular sex

or social class. Because of this, people like Pamela, who is considered Mr. B’s lesser, can be

empowered. Through Pamela, Richardson entertains this idea and suggests that empowerment

among sexes and social classes can be obtained in more than one way.
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Works Cited

Culea, Mihaela. "Means of Exercising Power in Samuel Richardson's Pamela; Or, Virtue

Rewarded." Philologia: Naučno-Stručni Časopis za Jezik, Književnost i

Kulturu/Scientific-Professional Journal for Language, Literature and Cultural Studies 7

(2009): 151-7. ProQuest. Web. 9 May 2019.

Dale, Scott. "The Power of the Quill: Epistolary Technique in Richardson's Pamela." Revista

Letras 53 (2000): 53-64. ProQuest. Web. 9 May 2019.

Han, John Sung. "A Lumber-Room of Her Own: Attics in Pamela and Jane Eyre." Style 48.4

(2014): 529-42. Web.

Leiman, Jessica L."“Booby’s fruitless operations”: The Crisis of Male Authority in

Richardson’s Pamela." Eighteenth Century Fiction, vol. 22 no. 2, 2009, pp. 223-

248. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/ecf.0.0127

Needham, Gwendolyn B. "Richardson's Characterization of Mr. B. and Double Purpose

in Pamela." Eighteenth-Century Studies 3.4 (1970): 433-74. Web.

Richardson, Samuel. Pamela. Oxford University Press, 2008.