From
the movie, and probably the epistolary novel as well, Mrs. Howe is characterized
as an unsympathetic woman, equal to that of Clarissa’s own family.
In letter 317 from Anna Howe to Clarissa, Anna tells Clarissa about her
mother’s opinion of her predicament. In
this selection, I feel as though Mrs. Howe makes nothing but valid arguments.
She believes that Clarissa is experiencing this suffering due mostly in
part to her first error: leaving the family with Lovelace that first night.
While Clarissa cannot obviously repair that damage, she can, however,
persecute Lovelace for what he has done to her.
She makes a solid point when she states,
“what murderers, what ravishers, would be brought
to justice if modesty were to be a general plea, and allowable, against
appearing in a court to prosecute?”
Vile
creatures, like Lovelace, must be put in their place for their wrongdoings.
Since he committed heinous acts against Clarissa such as perjury,
forgery, and rape (only to name a few), Clarissa should gain the support from
the courts. Mrs. Howe also remarks that even if Clarissa remain
indifferent to taking action against Lovelace, “she ought to overcome her
scruples out of regard to her family, her acquaintance, and her sex, which are
all highly injured and scandalized by his villainy to her.”
Mrs.
Howe seems to embody much of today’s views regarding women and their right for
equality. She is a strong woman who
believes that if Clarissa were to fight for public justice against Lovelace, she
would then take it upon herself to reconcile the differences between Clarissa
and her own family. Mrs. Howe’s
character seems somewhat stifled in the book while it should be regarded as the
voice of fairness and reason during Clarissa’s time of instability.
Understandably, one must take into consideration that the 18th century was an era where women suffered greatly with inequality. Clarissa probably would struggle to get her voice heard within a society predominantly patriarchal, but Mrs. Howe attempts to force Clarissa that some action must be taken against Lovelace, regardless if she’s heard amongst the public or not. --Becky Knauer
A
helpful 18th century women’s rights link