Foil

Character Role Analysis

Pamela Andrews

Okay, so we barely see Pamela in this book, but Joseph is constantly writing to her, thinking about her, and judging how his actions stack up to hers. You might even say that she influences his every action. Let's tackle the obvious difference first: Joseph is a guy, and Pamela is a girl. In the eighteenth-century terms, a story about an ultra-virtuous, ultra-virginal dude was, well, quite a bit funnier than a story about an ultra-virtuous, ultra-virginal lady—although double standards still exist, natch. Perhaps Fielding is poking a little fun at this standard and how much it dominates his culture.