Samuel Richardson's Feminist Portrayal of Men as Evil or Weak in Clarissa

Samuel Richardson's Clarissa is a novel about a virtuous young woman's betrayal by family, and her rape and subsequent death at the hands of an obsessive rake. The novel provides very few positive characters other than the protagonist. A compelling point to note about the novel is that the male characters in the story are portrayed as weak or evil. There is not a positive male figure in the novel, and the rape and death of Clarissa can be blamed specifically on male characters in the novel including Lovelace, the perpetrator of the rape, as well as others. The novel does not contain a male character that is without evil or weakness.

Richardson portrays the males as weak or evil to demonstrate the virtuousness of his heroine, Clarissa. The men are portrayed as such to illuminate the purity of the protagonist. The other female characters, contrastingly, are often portrayed as weak. These characters are also portrayed as mostly sympathetic, and their weaknesses almost display strength, such as with Clarissa's aunt, Mrs. Hervey, and her cousin, Dolly, as well as in the case of Anna Howe. "Lovelace shares with the other tyrannical misogynists in the novel-James and Mr. Harlowe, Uncle Antony, Solmes-a murderous, infantile rage at all signs of female intentionality, impulsivity, or independence (Hilliard 1090). The male characters must be weak and evil, so that the feminine qualities of Clarissa are solidified in the mind of the reader. Each male character, however significant or minor, displays a weakness or evil, to solidify in the reader's mind the idea of pure evil being responsible for Clarissa's demise.

The most obvious case of a negative male character in the novel is the antagonist, Robert Lovelace. Lovelace deceives Clarissa into leaving her home and subsequently rapes and defiles her, eventually leading to her death. The character of Lovelace does not have any redeeming qualities whatsoever. His role is solely that of the rake whose goal is to reduce Clarissa from her angelic state.

Lovelace is not portrayed as evil simply to fulfill an obligatory role. For Lovelace, Clarissa is an object. He must possess her, and as a result, after he commits the rape upon Clarissa, he does not feel satisfied. Clarissa does not submit to Lovelace, and he has not really gained possession of her. Lovelace compares Clarissa to a caged bird in his captivity, saying, "it beats and bruises again its pretty head and sides, bites the wires, and pecks at the fingers of its delighted tamer" (Richardson 557). Lovelace does not only hold Clarissa captive, he "delights" in it, as it is all part of Lovelace's plan to own Clarissa. "To Lovelace both seduction and rape are ways not of gratifying lust but of subduing the female will" (Hilliard 1090). Lovelace is described in the novel as bitter after being scorned at a young age by a woman he loved. The entire game of possession and evil for Lovelace is due to a childish retribution for the scorn received from a young lover.
Richardson is careful to detail Lovelace as purely evil so as not to confuse the reader as to his hero. Before Lovelace commits many of the heinous acts, the character could possibly be misconstrued. The reader is not privy to actual letters from Lovelace to his confidantes, such as Belford, until into the second volume. To assuage any confusion on the part of the reader as to the true intentions of Lovelace, Richardson makes it impossibly clear that the character is entirely evil. Any hint of caring and conscience is dashed when Lovelace confesses to Belford he has some hesitant feelings, "What's the matter!-What a double-But the uproar abates!-What a double coward am I?-Or is it that I am taken in a cowardly minute" (Richardson 722). Any hint of virtue that may have existed within Lovelace is erased from the reader and Lovelace's mind. Clarissa is merely a conquest for him.

Richardson is quite clear in his description of Clarissa's brother, James Harlowe, Jr. and his involvement in Clarissa's treatment and subsequent demise. James Jr. conspires with Clarissa's older, less virtuous and attractive sister Annabella, to paint Clarissa in a negative light. Jealousy over Clarissa's inheritance from her grandfather and her clear preference from within the Harlowe family are the reasons James Jr. conspires to bring about Clarissa's disgrace in the eyes of all she cares for.

Richardson establishes the reasons for James' jealousy as pertaining primarily to the large inheritance Clarissa received from her grandfather, an inheritance that included a modest, however large, estate. James is already threatened by Clarissa's favored role in the family, and does not like his patriarchal role threatened by the control his younger sister has over their parents. He is careful to exploit weaknesses within the elder members of the Harlowe family, as well as in Clarissa, to implement his plan. He easily sets up the supposed relationship between Clarissa and Lovelace after it is revealed that Lovelace injured James in a duel. Lovelace had already courted and denied Bella, and had turned his intentions upon Clarissa, when James returned with the disclosure of the duel. He deliberately exploited the financial aspirations of his parents by proposing Solmes as a suitor, a man who owned a large amount of property adjacent to the Harlowe property. James knew that Solmes was a repulsive man, particularly in the eyes of Clarissa. He was aware that by setting up the situation with a man as repulsive as Solmes, it would be easy to make it look like Clarissa was in love with Lovelace.

After Clarissa is raped and becomes ill, James still had the Harlowe family under his influence. He ignored all information pertaining to Clarissa's health and persuaded the family into believing Clarissa was lying to get her way back into the Harlowe home. Upon the notification of her death by Belford, James seemed to show some remorse, however, Richardson is also careful in his closure to detail the future of James Harlowe, Jr. It was logical to assume James Jr. would feel the slightest amount of guilt after his sister's death. To be sure the character was not redeemed in the slightest, Richardson fulfills James' fate in the conclusion. James ironically disavows the opinions of his family and marries a woman based on her financial situation. This situation does not work out for the best, and Richardson specifically writes that his marriage "must make him unhappy to the end of his life" (Richardson 1489). In the conclusion to the novel, Richardson is careful to dictate the happy endings granted to the weak females, and the unfortunate situations of the weak and evil male characters.
The character of James Harlowe, Sr. is portrayed as a weak man easily exploited by his evil son. A character that should have been a moral foundation for the novel is instead reduced to a stubborn, defiant old man who cannot make a decision for himself. James Sr. is easily exploited by his manipulative son, and is incapacitated to the point where he cannot perform his filial duties to his family. Richardson describes him in his list of principal characters as a "despotic, absolute" man (Richardson 37). Immediately, James Sr. is established as a tyrannical ruler over the Harlowe household. Any type of unbiased opinion about this character is impossible. Richardson dictates how these characters are portrayed without any room for debate or interpretation. James Hr. harbored "violent family pressure on a daughter" based on a notion put into his head by a deceitful son (Hilliard 1084).

The cunning James Jr. also exploits Clarissa's uncles, John and Antony. The wealthy, single men held Clarissa in the highest regard and doted upon the girl prior to her expulsion from the family. The brothers were each independently wealthy and successful. Again, seemingly stable, strong moral figures are reduced to weak idiots, following the logic of an evil young man who corrupted their niece. James Jr. took advantage of his sister's atypical role for a woman in her day and made the Harlowe brothers feel as if Clarissa had somehow taken advantage of them by being so closely in their favor for most of her life. The two men easily follow James Jr. and cannot figure out the reasoning behind his machinations.
Other minor male characters fulfill their individual roles in the novel, however, Richardson takes careful deliberation in making sure that each has a weakness or evil streak that is exposed during the course of Clarissa. Roger Solmes, Clarissa's intended betrothed, is foolishly talked into believing Clarissa's distaste for him is merely an act. Despite vicious encounters in which no man could be motivated, Solmes continues his pursuit on Clarissa, based on foolish proclamations from the Harlowe family. Clarissa knows that Solmes is a brute. After one encounter, she writes to Anna Howe, "He would have thrown himself in my way, once more: But I hurried up to my prison, in my return from my garden walk, to avoid him" (Richardson 352). Solmes does not acknowledge Clarissa's distaste for him, however, he does not make any move to protect her, despite the fact it is obvious her vicious brother is subjugating her.

The trio of minor characters consisting of Mr. Hickman, Lord M., and Belton also has its weaknesses or evils accounted for. Mr. Hickman is the determined suitor of young Anna Howe. The tenacious Anna is constantly denying him, however, he allows himself to be used. Anna Howe uses Hickman to deliver her letters to Clarissa once Mrs. Howe forbade the correspondence between the two. While Hickman is not an evil character, Anna Howe manipulates him for her purposes, and as a sort of prize for his good deeds, it is revealed in the conclusion that he indeed marries Anna. Richardson is not straying from his portrayal of weak or evil men in Clarissa by merely portraying Hickman as a wimpy suitor. Hickman is noted to be sympathetic to the cause of Clarissa and her horrible relationship with Lovelace. Why doesn't Hickman detail all he knows to the Harlowe family and fight to free Clarissa from the dangers she has been subjected to? Hickman is too weak to be of any real service to Clarissa other than as a mailman. He is an incredibly weak character, and although he may be seen only as the suitor for Anna Howe, his weakness has consequences in the novel.

Lord M. is the rich uncle who distrusts his nephew, Robert Lovelace. His is aware of the rakish behavior Lovelace has committed in the past, and he also knows of the incidents perpetrated upon the Harlowe family, yet, he does nothing to stop his nephew, even after he is enlightened as to the mistreatment of Clarissa. Lovelace's family professes to care for the virtuous Clarissa, however, none of them, particularly Lord M., the patriarch of the family, steps forward and stops Lovelace's behavior.

The group of friends Lovelace communicates with during the course of the novel includes the important character of Belford, however, the minor character of Belton is carefully constructed as a man who lived a life of rakish behavior. His long, painful death scene with Belford at his side is a careful plot point on the part of Richardson in that it dictates the nature of punishment for those who commit morally heinous crimes against innocents. The crimes Belton committed were against women, however, it is important to note that Belton did not ruin a woman of the moral stature of Clarissa. The whores and poor young women Belton took advantage of did not deserve their treatment, however, they were not virtuous young beauties such as Clarissa. Richardson's depiction of the miserable fate endured by Belton is significant in that it alerts the reader that the punishment for Lovelace ruining such an angel will be considerably worse.

Richardson may seem to stray from his depiction of men as evil or weak in the case of John Belford and Colonel Morden. Despite their seemingly noble actions and intents in the novel, both of these characters contribute to the demise of Clarissa with their weaknesses. This is important to note, as it seems Richardson is acknowledging that all men are not completely evil, however, they do have weaknesses that despite noble intentions, have negative effects on others.

John Belford can be seen as a sympathetic, almost moral example of a male character in Clarissa. Belford is respectfully speechless when he encounters Clarissa at the sponging house, declaring, "Something rose in my throat, I know not what, which made me for a moment guggle, as it were, for speech" (Richardson 1065). Belford even derides and condemns Lovelace for his behavior toward and treatment of Clarissa, warning his friend, "With what pleasure, at that moment, could I have given up my own life, could I but first have avenged this charming creature, and cut the throat of her destroyer" (Richardson 1066). Belford seems to be a moral man standing up for the innocent and virtuous Clarissa. Richardson carefully constructs Belford as such, however, he has also been true to his theme of men as weak or evil.

It is conflicting to note the character of Belford as good, especially after he defends and later comforts Clarissa in her last days. He accepts the offer to be executor of her will, however, she would not have needed a will if it were not for Belford's weaknesses. Lovelace detailed exactly what he planned on doing to Clarissa. Belford knew of all Lovelace's intentions, as well as his emotional and mental state, and he knew of the danger that posed to Clarissa. He warned Lovelace that it was wrong to commit such sins, however, he did absolutely nothing to actually prevent them. The seemingly reformed rake may have thought Lovelace's treatment of Clarissa despicable, but he did nothing to prevent it or try to save the life of the "charming creature" (Richardson 1066). Towards the end of the novel, Belford tries "to locate the blame exclusively in Lovelace and the Harlowes" (Hilliard 1094). Belford blames Lovelace and the Harlowes exclusively when he himself could have prevented Clarissa's death.

Colonel Morden is referred to during the course of the novel, as Clarissa hoped that his arrival would quell all dissention in the Harlowe household and give cause for her admittance back to he former residence. When Morden finally arrives, it is too late to save Clarissa's life, however he provides solace and comfort during her last hours. He also admonishes his cousin and uncles for their treatment of Clarissa, and their hand in her death. Morden is initially seen as the strong moral male figure the novel as eluded thus far, however, the novel ends with the unraveling of Morden's strength. Clarissa desired in her will for Lovelace to be left to feel the guilt bestowed for his crimes against her. She specifically asks that an act of retribution not be committed. Despite his love for Clarissa, Morden is unable to fulfill her only request of him. The novel ends with an act of weakness, the death of Lovelace in a duel with Morden. The one great male moral figure in the novel is shown to actually be weak and exploitable. Lovelace received a dramatic death with parting words, which is something he would not have been allowed for many years had he been left to wander, suffering as a result of his actions. Morden in effect does Lovelace a favor by killing him, and compromises the one strong male moral figure portrayed throughout the novel.

Samuel Richardson is extremely careful in his novel Clarissa to portray each male character, including seemingly insignificant ones, as weak or evil. Each character is carefully depicted as susceptible to exploitation and suffering as a result of these qualities, and each also contributes to the eventual death of Clarissa. To portray his protagonist in the most virtuous and pure light, it was necessary for Richardson to deliberately expose each character's weakness or evil. Richardson succeeds in utilizing each character, including very minor ones, in order to display the suffering endured by Clarissa at the hands of Lovelace. If one male character could be without evil, it could have been thought that perhaps there was a redeeming quality within his villain. Each male character's weakness or evil contributes to the overall evil that leads to Clarissa's demise.

Works Cited

Hilliard, Raymond. "Clarissa and Ritual Cannibalism." PMLA. 105.5 (1990): 1083-1097.
Richardson, Samuel. Clarissa. London: Penguin Books, 1985.