Pamela: The Journal Summary & Analysis

SATURDAY. At night, Mrs. Jewkes locks both Pamela and herself in, keeping the keys around her wrist. The next morning at breakfast, Pamela wonders if she’ll ever actually see Mr. Williams. Although Pamela knows Mr. B was lying about Mr. Williams wanting to marry her, she nevertheless hopes a clergyman might help her escape her current situation. In fact, he comes that afternoon. Nothing comes of the first meeting, but she learns that he lives only a few miles away and so thinks he could be a helpful ally.

Pamela asks for writing materials to keep herself busy since she doesn’t have any other work to do. She hides the materials around her room in case anyone tries to take them away from her.

SUNDAY. Writing helps Pamela pass the time until Sunday, when Mrs. Jewkes informs Pamela that she can’t go to church. When Pamela asks to go on a walk instead, Mrs. Jewkes also forbids this. Mr. Williams comes in the morning and seems like he might be willing to help Pamela escape, but he would risk losing his position by going against the powerful Mr. B, and Pamela doesn’t want to force him to take that risk. Later that day, John comes, and Pamela is happy to see him (since she still doesn’t know he’s been sharing her letters with Mr. B). John has new letters for both Pamela and Mrs. Jewkes.

Pamela goes to read her letter in private and sees that it’s from Mr. B. He writes to her that he knows the way he’s imprisoned her has caused her stress, so he wants to take steps to reassure her father and mother that she’s OK. To do so, he orders Pamela to write a letter to Mrs. Jervis, telling her exactly what to write. Pamela is so worried for her parents that she does write the letter, making only a few changes, along with another letter to Mr. B where she says she’s been obedient and asks him to have pity on her.

MONDAY. Pamela hopes to speak with John the next time he comes, but Mrs. Jewkes makes sure that John just drops off the letters and doesn’t have a chance to talk. As it turns out, one of the letters is from John himself, and he confesses that he has been showing her letters to Mr. B. Pamela is upset that one of the few people she still trusted has betrayed her. Pamela wonders why John did what he did and supposed he just wanted to please his master. She reflects that many gentlemen don’t act like gentlemen at all.

TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY. Pamela didn’t get to write on Tuesday because Mrs. Jewkes was watching her too closely. On Wednesday, Mr. Williams comes with them for a walk, and while Mrs. Jewkes is distracted, Pamela and Mr. Williams work out a place in the garden where they can hide secret notes to each other.

Pamela gets some more paper form Mrs. Jewkes, who is reluctant to provide it, then uses it to write a letter to Mr. Williams. In the letter, Pamela pleads for Mr. Williams to help her find someone new to stay with who is more virtuous, perhaps Lady Davers. She promises to keep her correspondence with Mr. Williams secret.

THURSDAY. Pamela reflects how it’s been a week since she thought she was going to see her father and mother. Due to Mrs. Jewkes’s watchful eye, Pamela isn’t able to go to the secret hiding space in the garden to check for a reply from Mr. Williams. Frustrated, Pamela gets in an argument with Mrs. Jewkes about how Mr. B can’t rightfully imprison her. She calls Mrs. Jewkes “Jezebel,” and Mrs. Jewkes slaps her for being insolent. Pamela is shocked because she hasn’t been hit before.

Back in the house, Mrs. Jewkes is still angry about Pamela calling her “Jezebel,” but Pamela begs her for forgiveness. At last, Mrs. Jewkes forgives her, kissing her to show it. After pacifying Mrs. Jewkes, Pamela sends her to talk to the gardener, then she sneaks over to the hiding place to check for a new message.

Pamela has a new letter from Mr. Williams. He writes that, although he risks his own status by opposing Mr. B, he has found some local women who might be able to host Pamela. He’ll also discreetly sent a letter to Lady Davers. Pamela instantly writes back to praise him for his good character. She also asks if she can send some money back to her mother and father. Later, Pamela goes fishing with Mrs. Jewkes. She feels sympathy for the carp that they catch but chooses the activity because it gives her access to the secret hiding spot in the garden.

FRIDAY, SATURDAY. While Pamela is developing tricks to evade Mrs. Jewkes, Mrs. Jewkes develops her own tricks. She borrows money from Pamela then doesn’t pay it back, and she also gets the key to Pamela’s portmanteau. Without access to money or her things, it’ll be harder for Pamela to escape.

That evening, Pamela and Mrs. Jewkes get letters from Mr. B. In his letter to Pamela, Mr. B expresses his hope Pamela is doing well. He says that if Mrs. Jewkes hasn’t been treating Pamela respectfully, she’ll soon have to power to fire her. He reassures her that her father and mother are doing well. Later, Pamela checks her secret place and finds a letter from Mr. Williams.

In his letter, Mr. Williams writes that one of Pamela’s potential new employers has turned her down, but he’s still looking for others. But despite this disappointment, he also hints that it may be possible to get Pamela a key and help her escape the house. The next chance she gets, Pamela writes a reply and leaves it at the secret place. She tells him she’s desperate and ready to get out as soon as possible.

Pamela then drafts a letter to Mr. B, where she compliments him before asking him to stop treating her like a prisoner and let her visit her mother and father as soon as possible. After Pamela finishes writing that letter, Mrs. Jewkes comes in and asks her read the letter to her. Mrs. Jewkes agrees to send the letter.

SUNDAY. Pamela has learned not to even expect to get to church anymore. Mr. Williams has kept coming to the house to pick up and drop off messages, but he and Pamela haven’t had time to speak alone again. Pamela rewrites a Biblical psalm about being a prisoner that she feels relates to her predicament in Lincolnshire.

MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY. Pamela gets her writing thus far to Mr. Williams, where she hopes it will be safe. While Mr. Williams has managed to get Pamela a key, she still needs a horse to get away, and she’s also afraid because her escape route involves going through a pasture and past a bull that recently injured one of the maids. Meanwhile, Mrs. Jewkes begins to wonder if Mr. Williams is in love with Pamela, based on how often he comes by. Pamela replies that there’s no man alive she wants to marry.

When Pamela opens her most recent letter from Mr. Williams, however, she is shocked to discover that he actually has proposed to marry her. He does so as a way to “disengage” her from her current situation. He also begs her not to rush back with an answer. While Pamela can see some of his good qualities, she still doesn’t want to be a wife, so she writes back to thank him but decline his proposal.

THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY. Mrs. Jewkes has been nicer to Pamela after receiving a letter recently. Mr. B hasn’t responded yet to Pamela’s latest letter. Meanwhile, Mr. Williams accepts Pamela’s rejection and still plans to help her.

SUNDAY. Pamela is shocked to find both Mrs. Jewkes and Mr. Williams coming to her at the same time and promising that something good is about to happen. They congratulate her for agreeing to marry Mr. Williams, which surprises Pamela, because she doesn’t remember saying yes. They each give Pamela the letter they received from Mr. B, and Pamela realizes Mr. B was seemingly serious about her marrying Mr. Williams after all.

Unsure what to do after this turn of events, Pamela claims she needs her father and mother’s approval before doing anything. When she writes to her parents, however, she asks them not to answer until she gets to see them in person again. Soon after, she sends her parents another letter telling them that Mrs. Jewkes has let her sleep alone but has been advising her to be encouraging toward Mr. Williams. Pamela, however, asks her parents not to encourage Mr. Williams if he comes to see them.

MONDAY Morning. Mr. Williams writes to Mrs. Jewkes, saying he got robbed on the road. He injured his knees during the robbery and won’t be able to move for a day or two. Pamela is horrified to hear Mrs. Jewkes laugh at the letter. When Mrs. Jewkes goes to visit Mr. Williams, Pamela sees an opportunity to escape, even though she worries about not having any money for her journey. She loses her courage, however, when she sees the bull that hurt one of the maids earlier. She turns back.

MONDAY Afternoon. Mrs. Jewkes comes back, saying that Mr. Williams seemed to be less injured than his letter suggested. Mrs. Jewkes says Mr. Williams still talks about her a lot. This worries Pamela as she wonders what else Mr. Williams and Mrs. Jewkes might have discussed. But after she talks for a while, Pamela feels relieved that Mrs. Jewkes doesn’t mention anything about her and Mr. Williams’s secret hiding place in the garden. Mr. Jewkes wants Pamela to write a thank-you letter to Mr. Williams, but Pamela insists on seeing her mother and father first.

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY. Mr. Williams comes to the house, but he and Pamela don’t get a chance to talk because Mrs. Jewkes forbids them from going on a walk. Pamela finds a way to hint to Mr. Williams that she’ll be hiding another secret message in the garden. In the note, she warns Mr. Williams not to talk so openly with Mrs. Jewkes, and she says they need to prioritize an escape plan for her.

THURSDAY. Mr. Williams writes back. He apologizes for perhaps saying too much to Mrs. Jewkes, but he reassures her that he told her the truth about Pamela turning down his proposal (meaning Mrs. Jewkes lied when she said Mr. Williams was still enthusiastic). Pamela responds, saying she believes Mrs. Jewkes and Mr. B are still plotting against her, and so she feels it’s urgent that they figure out at an escape for her.

FRIDAY. Mr. Williams writes back to Pamela, saying that she shouldn’t worry and that she should trust in God, who won’t desert the faithful. Enclosed with his letter is also a letter from Pamela’s father. Her father admits that, while he enjoyed reading her letters, he skipped to the end. While her father says nice things about Mr. Williams, he acknowledges Pamela’s decision not to get married and doesn’t try to force her. This letter reassures Pamela, so she writes to Mr. Williams to try to reassure him that she’ll be cooperative.

SATURDAY, SUNDAY. Mr. Williams comes both days, and Mrs. Jewkes doesn’t seem happy about seeing him. She seems to be waiting for a new letter from Mr. B.

MONDAY, TUESDAY. Two letters from Mr. B arrive at the house, one for Pamela and one for Mrs. Jewkes. In Mrs. Jewkes’s letter (which Pamela gets ahold of by mistake), Mr. B advises Mrs. Jewkes to stay vigilant about any escape attempts from Pamela. He threatens to throw Mr. Williams in jail if he causes too much trouble (even though Mr. B supposedly wants Mr. Williams and Pamela to marry). He plans to go to London with his sister, Lady Davers, for about three weeks, then will decide Pamela’s “fate” when he gets back.

Pamela is upset by the letter from Mr. B meant for Mrs. Jewkes, but she doesn’t find the one meant for her to be much better. He writes that Pamela has made him distrust all beautiful women. When Mrs. Jewkes goes back to Pamela, she finds Pamela in tears from the letter. She offers to help Pamela however she can, but Pamela hesitates to accept because she thinks it will result in even more surveillance over her. That evening at dinner, a big man named Monsieur Colbrand eats with them. He thinks perhaps he’s frightening Pamela because of her crying (which is really about Mr. B).

WEDNESDAY. Mr. B has Mr. Williams arrested. Pamela decides she will have to be more active herself about escaping. She plans to slip out the window and then leave some of her clothes in a pond, copying a trick she read in a book about a sea captain who makes his enemies think he’s drowned. She begs her parents not to get too afraid by what they read. Later, she also overhears Mrs. Jewkes tell Monsieur Colbrand that she is the one who planned the robbery of Mr. Williams, using her groom and his assistant. That evening, Mrs. Jewkes is drunk, which Pamela notes for a future escape attempt.

THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY. Pamela still hasn’t managed to escape. When she tries going out the window, she falls and sprains her ankle. Then when she gets to the gate, she finds that her key no longer works. Pamela is so disappointed that she contemplates suicide, but she knows God wouldn’t approve, along with her mother and father. She goes to the outhouse and tries to take solace in the fact that even if she’d managed to get through the gate, it wouldn’t have done much good in her current injured and penniless condition.

Mrs. Jewkes wakes the next morning and finds Pamela not in bed as usual. She rushes everywhere in search of her before one of the maids finally finds Pamela. Pamela is too injured to move, so they help her back to the house. There, even Monsieur Colbrand seems concerned. Pamela sleeps for a while as she tries to recover. Meanwhile, Mrs. Jewkes becomes stricter, limiting her access to pens and paper.

SUNDAY Afternoon. Mrs. Jewkes gives Pamela a rare chance to go outside. They hear that recently, Mr. B nearly drowned while crossing a stream, and Pamela is surprised that she feels glad to know he’s safe. On the other hand, she’s less glad to hear that Mr. B has fired John for his role in helping Pamela, with Mrs. Jervis also in trouble.

Mrs. Jewkes tells Pamela that Mr. B is considering forcing Pamela to marry Monsieur Colbrand, then “buying” her from him on the wedding day, all while forcing Mr. Williams to perform the ceremony.

MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY. Pamela continues to argue with Mrs. Jewkes. THURSDAY. Pamela believes Mr. B is coming soon. FRIDAY. Pamela walks to the edge of the property and soon finds a whole crew running after her (believing she’s trying to escape), including Monsieur Colbrand and Mrs. Jewkes.

As punishment, Mrs. Jewkes locks Pamela in her room and takes away her shoes. At night, she now must sleep between Mrs. Jewkes and the maid Nan. Soon, however, Mrs. Jewkes comes back and tells Pamela to put on her shoes and her nice clothes for some ladies who are about to visit. Pamela refuses to do so. As it turns out, no ladies come to the house, but Mr. B himself arrives later that evening in his chariot.

SATURDAY Morning.  Last night, Mr. B spoke to Mrs. Jewkes first, then he greeted Pamela in an accusatory way as an ungrateful guest. When he left, Pamela felt sick from the interaction. Later, Mr. B forced her to wait on him at dinner, and Monsieur Colbrand had to carry Pamela down the stairs due to her injury. At dinner, Pamela spilled the wine while pouring it and needed help from Mrs. Jewkes. Throughout dinner, Mr. B and Mrs. Jewkes insulted Pamela for her trickery.

Now today, Mr. B plans to have a man named Sir Simon Darnford over for dinner. Before that, Mr. B gives Pamela a long proposal document resembling a contract of all the things Pamela would get by marrying him. Pamela replies point-by-point with why she doesn’t want the things he’s offering. She pleads with Mr. B to finally let her go. While she’s handing her letter back to Mr. B, he kisses her against her will two or three times. About an hour after giving her refusal, Pamela hears Mr. B call Mrs. Jewkes over and talk angrily with her.

Almost Twelve o’Clock SATURDAY Night. At ten o’clock that night, Mrs. Jewkes comes to Pamela to tell her that Mr. B wants to see her in his chamber. Pamela refuses forcefully. When Pamela gets back to Mrs. Jewkes’s room (where Pamela also sleeps), Pamela doesn’t want to undress in case Mr. B comes in, but Mrs. Jewkes threatens to undress Pamela herself, with help from Mr. B if needed. Pamela finally goes to bed, but she stipulates that she has to wear two coats and be able to hold the keys to get out of the room.

SUNDAY Morning. As Mr. B gets ready for church, Pamela goes to her closet to write a prayer hoping her master will refrain from temptation. After church, Mr. B sends a message that he won’t be back for dinner, probably dining with Simon Darnford. Pamela wishes Mr. B wasn’t so evil, because he’s handsome otherwise. She wonders how Mr. Williams is doing.

SUNDAY Evening. Mrs. Jewkes receives a letter from Mr. B and leaves it on the table, so Pamela sneaks a look. She finds out from the letter that Mr. B is going to check on Mr. Williams (who was arrested at Mr. B’s request), so Pamela is relieved, even though the rest of the letter insults her.

TUESDAY. Pamela writes that she’s learned to trust appearances. It turns out that despite what he wrote, Mr. B wasn’t going to see Mr. Williams at all. Mrs. Jewkes left the letter out so Pamela would see it, and she also leaves out some brandy so that Nan, who normally sleeps in bed with Mrs. Jewkes and Pamela, will see it and get drunk. But drinking the brandy only makes Nan fall asleep in a chair.

As they get ready for bed that evening, Mrs. Jewkes asks Pamela why she seems so sad. Pamela describes her previous experiences with Mr. B. Pamela asks if they should wake Nan up to help her into bed too, but Mrs. Jewkes says to leave her. After they go to bed, Pamela thinks she feels Nan come to bed with them. The person who seems to be Nan is shaking when they come to bed, so Pamela allows them to put Pamela’s arm under their neck. As it turns out, however, “Nan” is Mr. B.

Mr. B holds Pamela’s one arm, while Mrs. Jewkes holds the other. Mr. B says now that Pamela is in his power, she should consider his proposal again. He promises leave her alone if she accepts. He then puts his hand on her bosom. Pamela is so terrified that she faints. She feels like she is dying and isn’t sure what “liberties” Mr. B took with her when she gets her senses back. Mr. B tries to comfort her, saying that he hasn’t done anything wrong. Eventually, Pamela starts to struggle and faints again.

When Pamela wakes up the second time, Mr. B has his arms around her, and Nan has a smelling-bottle under Pamela’s nose to revive her. Mr. B takes Pamela’s hand and says he sent Mrs. Jewkes away because he could tell Pamela disliked her. He promises to also go away without coming back that night.

Pamela wakes up the next morning and feels weak all day. Mr. B invites her to the parlor and tells her she frightened him last night. Pamela once again brings up her request to see her mother and father. Mr. B promises Pamela that if she does as he says for two weeks, he might consider giving her more liberty. He also asks her to forgive Mrs. Jewkes, who was only following Mr. B’s orders. Pamela doesn’t like these terms but agrees to them anyway. Mr. B once again kisses her without her permission. Pamela tries to put in a good word for Mr. Williams, but the subject angers Mr. B, so she drops it. For the rest of the day, Mr. B is nicer than usual, but he continues to kiss Pamela when she doesn’t want it.

WEDNESDAY Morning. Pamela feels people watching her. Mr. B takes Pamela on a walk, then he puts her on his knee and kisses her against her will. She thinks perhaps Mrs. Jewkes has been encouraging Mr. B to try to be nicer to her as a strategy to win her over. Pamela is so desperate for Mr. B to end his harassment that she begs on her knees. They argue, and she calls him “Lucifer,” which makes him mad. Eventually, Pamela apologizes, and Mr. B grudgingly accepts her apology.

WEDNESDAY Night. Pamela warns her mother and father that she isn’t sure whether she’s headed to shame and sadness or whether she’s on the verge of finally being happy. At dinner that evening, Mr. B forces Pamela to eat more chicken when she’s already full. Afterward, he walks around the room a few times, then he takes Pamela’s hand and says he has something important to say.

Mr. B claims that when he overheard Pamela talking to Mrs. Jewkes (on the night when he pretended to be Nan), he was moved by her complaints about him. Nevertheless, he maintains that he’s done nothing wrong. He feels he’s in a difficult position because he doesn’t want to get married, even to someone of the proper rank, but he still wants Pamela.

Pamela finds Mr. B surprisingly noble. She says her main concern has always been that Mr. B would treat her dishonorably. She says once again that she wants to see her mother and father. Mr. B keeps asking her questions about why she’s refusing him, including whether she’s in love with anyone else, like Mr. Williams. Pamela promises she isn’t and hopes she hasn’t done anything to lead Mr. Williams on.

Mr. B talks so much to try to justify his actions that at one point, Pamela puts a hand over his mouth so she can talk. She apologizes and then reminds him how difficult life would be for her if she lost her virginity but didn’t get married. Mr. B asks if she could ever imagine loving him more than any other man, but Pamela says she is too afraid that Mr. B would take advantage of her gullibility. Mr. B promises to be good to her and holds her close.

Pamela is grateful that Mr. B seems to finally be treating her well, but then he laments how he can’t marry Pamela because of how it would affect everyone’s public opinion of him. He leaves, and Pamela wonders if she can trust him.