Clarissa · Chapter
Letter 152: Mr. Lovelace, to John Belford, Esq. explained
Lovelace writes to Belford, describing how a violent letter from Clarissa's family, including a father's curse, has driven her into his arms.
What happens
Lovelace writes to Belford, describing how a violent letter from Clarissa's family, including a father's curse, has driven her into his arms. He recounts how he found her in fits and brought her back to life, leading her to acknowledge her preference for him and agree to marry him, though she postpones the ceremony and insists on going to London. Lovelace exults in his progress but hints at his continued duplicity, debating whether to remain honest or resume his schemes.
Themes in this chapter
Power and Manipulation
Lovelace boasts of his intricate schemes to trap Clarissa, using her family's cruelty to advance his own designs.
Family Obligation and Rebellion
Clarissa's father's curse and her family's rejection drive her into Lovelace's arms, highlighting the conflict between duty and survival.
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
Lovelace presents himself as a savior while secretly plotting to test Clarissa's virtue, blurring the line between genuine affection and manipulation.
Characters to notice
- Robert Lovelace
Narrates the letter, exulting in his manipulative success and conflicted about marrying Clarissa.
- John Belford
Recipient of the letter; Lovelace mocks his moralizing advice about marriage and temptation.
- Clarissa Harlowe
Devastated by her father's curse, she falls into fits and is revived by Lovelace; she now acknowledges her preference for him and agrees to marry.
- Arabella Harlowe
Accused by Lovelace of spitefully transmitting the father's curse to Clarissa.
- James Harlowe Jr.
His Singleton plot is abandoned by family request, but Lovelace considers using it for his own ends.
- Joseph Leman
Informs Lovelace that James Harlowe has dropped the Singleton project.
Key passages
“Fate is weaving a whimsical web for thy friend; and I see not but I shall be inevitably manacled.”
Lovelace feels that destiny is trapping him into marriage against his will.
He expresses ironic dread of being bound to Clarissa.
“She even avows an intention to be mine. —Mine! without reformation-conditions!”
Clarissa has declared she will marry Lovelace without demanding he reform his behavior.
Lovelace is astonished at her unconditional acceptance.
“I was in danger of losing my charmer forever! She was soaring upward to her native skies!”
Lovelace feared Clarissa would die and escape his control, so he intervened to keep her alive.
He frames his rescue as a way to maintain his power over her.
“The greater her disappointment from them, the greater must be her dependence on me.”
Lovelace plans to exploit Clarissa's family's refusal to send her belongings to increase her reliance on him.
He reveals his manipulative strategy.
“Is not calamity the test of virtue?”
Lovelace argues that adversity is the proper measure of a person's moral strength.
He justifies his plan to test Clarissa's virtue through suffering.
