Poor Pitied Pathetic Pamela

Usually when I read a novel with a female protagonist, she is strong and independent in one way or another. Pamela does not seem to possess these qualities because she is always crying, fainting, and/or submitting to the rules of others. She is upset because her master has wronged her but she continues to refer to him in a positive way along with ’naughty’ or ’wicked.’ It seems to me that she likes the attention and the only reason she is upset is because she is expected to be by society. I suspect that internally she loves the attention and her master.
If she wanted to runaway because her virtue was to be stolen she would have but no she stays crying and loathing the event that has not happened yet. It is as if she feels she has no control over her destiny. What would happen if she were to walk out the front door? Aside from the robbers and the bulls plotting against her, I doubt very much that anyone would shoot her. Although, I have reason to fear Mrs. Jewkes just because she was referred to as the devil and no one seems to like her.
I laughed at letter XXV, this is where Pamela’s master is hiding in the closet while Mrs. Jervis and Pamela are sitting on the bed talking and undressing. I could see this scene happening in a movie today. It seems so cliché for a modern comedy film but I don’t know if I was suppose to laugh because the entire book makes such a serious affair out of “poor” or “distressed” (times one hundred) Pamela’s virtue. One section that caught my eye was after Pamela finds out that honest John is dishonest. (Its page 124 in my copy) Under Tuesday and Wednesday. Pamela gets a moment alone with the Reverend and they create the plan of leaving notes in the garden. Well when Mrs. Jewkes joins the conversation, they mislead her to think that they are discussing the town. Pamela says, “But my deceit intended no hurt to any body.” Does this make deceit better if intentions were harmless? It seems that Pamela may be preserving her virtue of virginity but what about the other moral standards of society? Virtue could singularly mean sexual purity and chastity and I am just reading too much into it. Anyways, Pamela does seem to be coming ’undone’ in other ways. On page 116, there was another comical moment when Pamela says, “if I will accept her company to walk with me in the garden.--To waddle with me, rather, thought I.” Pamela’s attitude completely shifts once the text does. She becomes more sarcastic and dramatic towards people. At first she was writing letters and was a perfect angel but once she reaches the mansion she begins writing in a journalistic style and must be watched over constantly.
I cant help but wonder if it was appropriate for masters or the elite to kidnap women they felt entitled to and imprison them until they submitted to their will. Was this acceptable behavior in this time period or was there even a possibility of this happening? It strikes me as odd that none of the characters in the country care to help Pamela while she is locked up in the mansion (besides the Reverend). I suppose that the novel was written for a specific purpose and if events occurred as I wanted it wouldn’t be much of a novel. So I am going to try and read the rest just accepting what may come (and it looks like a lot since this book is 533 pages). Thinking about the trials Pamela is being exposed to reminds me of Arthurian legend. Up until this point I have been looking at Pamela as trying to preserve her virtue maybe if I look at it as her virtue is repeatedly being tested she will appear to be more of a heroine.