Thus, the text reveals the paradox: sexual chastity was not a measure of how truly virtuous a woman is, but rather was an important negotiation tool in securing a husband, getting paid off in a sense by said husband's wealth, and cementing a woman's societal status as a "proper" woman. ... To add to her troubles, her husband and lawful master, growing increasingly weary of his wife and easily influenced by the insidious rumors running rampant, "forgot he had married her; and hearing so many people talk of her as a mistress he kept, he imagined it was so"(153) an...

• Word Count: 1986
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Graduate