The document analyzes the characters of Pamela from Samuel Richardson's novel and Amrita from the Bollywood film 'Thappad' to explore themes of women's struggles against societal norms and domestic abuse. While Pamela ultimately marries her abuser, reflecting societal pressures and the importance of social status, Amrita fights against her husband's violent behavior and chooses independence, highlighting a shift in women's empowerment. The comparison emphasizes the ongoing battle for gender equality and the need for women to confront socio-cultural constraints.

1. RICHARDSON’S PAMELA
AND SELECT BOLLYWOOD
CHARACTER: A STUDY
Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.
Paper no.: 102 Literature of the Neo- classicals
Presented by- Jheel Barad

2. Presented by: Jheel Barad
Roll No.:18
Enrollment no.: 4069206420210003
Submitted to: Smt S.B. Gardi Department
of English, M.K.B.U

3. Introduction to Pamela
Pamela or Virtue Rewarded is an Eighteenth century Epistolary Novel of Samuel
Richardson.
The story is about a 15 years old young girl from a poor family, working as a servant.
She is an economically independent girl.
After the death of Lady B, her son Mr. B makes unwanted and inappropriate advances
towards Pamela.
In the second Volume of the Novel she gets attracted to him by marking his changed
behavior.
Gets married to him.

4. would Pamela
Loose her Dignity
if she would not
marry Mr. B?

5. Mr. B’s Behavior Towards Pamela
Mr. B attempted to seduce her multiple times, but she rejected it by fleeing and locking
herself in bedroom.
Once she fainted and found the laces of her stay cut.
Mr. B also hid himself in the Pamela's closet and kisses her when she undresses for bed.
She decided to leave the place in order to preserve her innocence but she was demand to
remain at the estate to finish embroidering a waistcoat for Mr. B with a hope that by doing
so he will let her leave on good terms.
She was paid by Mr. B to keep his failed seduction a secret yet Pamela confined it to Mrs.
Jervis.

6. Angry on Pamela Mr. B Intends to marry her to Mr. Williams and pays her parents to give
consent but Pamela refuses and decided to leave Estate.
Mr. B intercepts her letter to her parents and lies about her affair and writes to send her to
a safe place to preserve her innocence.
She if forcibly taken to Mr. B’s Lincolnshire Estate.

7. Mr. William proposes a marriage to help Pamela to escape from estate and Mr. B’s advances
but is attacked and beaten
Pamela attempts to flee to her parents but is terrified by two cows to which she mistakes as
bulls.
Mr. Williams' get arrested by Mr. B and announces to marry Pamela with one of his Servants.
Pamela tries to climb a wall, gets injured and gives up.
But at the end, in second volume we find sudden change in Mr. B
behavior after he reads Pamela’s letters to her parents he feels
sympathized to her. This brings change in Pamela’s view on
Mr. B and she gets married to him.
Later it is also found that Mr. has a child with Sally Godfrey.
Pamela’s efforts

8. Amrita was a woman who had been serving as a dutiful wife. She has made a peace with her unending
routine but has a regret of what she could have been, a dancer can even a professional. But after marriage
she has created a morning slot for herself and fulfills her duties as daughter-in-law and wife.
Amrita’s husband Vikram ‘slaps’ her unthinkably in the party in front of guests and family members. Vikram
got some issues in office and Amrita was just trying to break his argument with his colleague in party.
तुम अपनी क
ं पनी में इतना इमोशनली डूबे हुवे थे की आगे नहीं बढ़ सक
े , मैने तो अपनी पुरी लाइफ
इन्वेस्ट की है तुम्हारे साथ... क
ै से आगेबढ़ु?
Later no one tries to talk with her and understand her situation but expects her to work normally. But she
decides to end the marriage and have divorce.
Selected Bollywood Characters
Amrita- Thappad (2020) – Anubhav Sinha

9. Husband- “Shit happens. People move on” insensitivity in men.
Mother talks about the importance of ‘रिश्ते निभािा’ and ‘वोही तुम्हािा घि है’. After marriage,
The ‘मायका’ is no longer the girl’s by right.
Ideology of the Lawyer (well- educated person)
“थोडी बहुत मार- पीट तो एक्सप्रेशन ओफ लव ही है ना, सर?”
But Amrita is standing on her on point. She is not even asking for
any alimony and presents her notions powerfully with dialogues like-
“Just a Slap पर मार नहीं सकता ! ”
“उस एक थप्पड से मुझे वो सारी अनफ
े र चिजे साफ- साफ दीखने लग गई जीसको में
अनदेखा करक
े मुव-ओन करते जा रही थी”
In the end, Amrita gets pregnant, she decides to be single mother but made her mind to be out
of this toxic relation.

10. STUDY OF PAMELA AND BOLLYWOOD CHARACTER AMRITA
Pamela was assaulted by Mr. B several
times but still in the end with only one act of
love from Mr. B she gets married to him,
forgiving him all the physical and mental
trauma she went through.
Amrita stands strong against whole society,
even her mother. Vikram was perhaps not a
bad person but under the pressure of office
work he hit his wife. He hit her only once but
Amrita was not at all ready to accept it. She
was ready to forget their happy moment but
not to forgive his one slap.
Pamela was working as a maid, she was
financially independent woman but we can
say that in greed to be a part to upper class
society she got married.
Amrita was not financially independent woman,
She could have been. After she gets divorced
the society vision towards her would also
change but still she was ready to face
everything and give birth to a child.

11. We see that Pamela made efforts to move out of that life, estate. But we feel that she gave up
faster and didn't do any major efforts or second try. We interpret that she chose to marry
because is she wouldn’t society would comment on her character.
While Amrita very passionately and strongly even after
no-one except her father was supporting, she was ready to
fight and come out of relation.
By the study of Pamela's character we realize that women
are the prison of domestic walls.
Women locks herself and the key is also with herself. It is a difficult task of women to free
themselves from their socio- cultural construction. Women needs to fight against her family and
the construction society has inherent.
CONCLUSION

12. Simone de Beauvoir in her book ‘The second sex’ stated
‘One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.’
Women of 21st century are comparatively free than before, but it is not a moment to celebrate
there seems a long way to attain equality.
There are many ongoing battles to free oneself from the society’s social and culture chains
and taboos.
We can say that the attempts of great female representative like Virginia Woolf is not wasted
women are getting more space than before but fight is still on.

13. References:
Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex. New York: Vintage Books, 1989.
Doody, Margaret. “Samuel Richardson : Tercentenary Essays (Book, 2010) [WorldCat.Org].” Accessed
December 7, 2021. https://www.worldcat.org/title/samuel-richardson-tercentenary-
essays/oclc/769258602.
Joshi, Namrata. “‘Thappad’ Movie Review: Throwing a Punch at Patriarchy.” The Hindu, February 28, 2020,
sec. Movies. https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/thappad-review-throwing-a-punch-at-
patriarchy/article30940085.ece.
Richarson, Samuel. “Pamela, by Samuel Richardson.” Accessed December 7, 2021.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/6124/6124-h/6124-h.htm.
Sinha, Anubhav. “Thappad (2020) - IMDb.” Accessed December 7, 2021.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10964430/.