Trishan Mezbah

For my final essay I decided to write about the novel Roxana by Daniel Defoe and my argument is when is it okay for the main character Roxana do something in the story that could be considered alright or is there a justification about the acts she has done. Like for example is it right and reasonable reason for she has done throughout the story or the it’s mostly the opposite. All of what she has done could be looked as wrong and that theirs is no excuse for what she did; she could be looked at as mental derange woman. She could even be looked as a bad person by through religion because in the story there are activities and events that she does that just makes you say “No” or “Is she being hypocrite” But mostly throughout the story I have felt that she has been doing the wrong things then the right things, because every time she does something that can be right or justified; It somehow ends up being something that can be looked as wrong for doing it. For example in the story Roxana talks about being with her husband is the worst thing ever; because he is a fool. That’s ok because at the end that is your opinion and you can’t call someone a bad person if she just doesn’t like someone. However the part in the story were her husband leaves and is gone for away; the only people that are there are her children and her maid Amy. In her defense she realizes that she can’t feed herself, let alone the children so she; has to give them away to another family that can take care of them. In the novel Roxana states that “I was at first, sadly afflicted at the terrible thing, their being taken into the Parish-keeping; and then a hundred terrible things came into my thoughts […] this sunk my very Heart within me.”(Page 19) As you can see she shows care for her children well-being and wants them to at least be in a good state for their future. That can look good and all but literally later on the story she sleeps with a man and tries to have a kid but can’t; so she forces Amy to have a kid and make it her own baby. You’d get rid of your own children but later own make take another child and call it your child. Especially since religion wise this is heavily looked down upon for doing such when you didn’t get a divorce one man and get married to the other man. Also speaking of being with the man, she slept with him because he did all the favors and she felt like she was being a slut or whore. By making Amy sleep with; she was able to call her a whore/ slut and not feel completely guilty, “She was a whore, a Slut and she was undone!”(Page 47) In retro speck that was completely wrong to do because she degraded Amy and forced her to do something she didn’t want to do.