Roxana Summary

'Roxana' is the autobiographical account of a woman, born into a prosperous French Huguenot family, who through a series of unfortunate events, including abandonment by her first husband, resorts to prostitution and ultimately becomes a highly successful courtesan. The novel chronicles her rise to wealth and notoriety in 17th and early 18th century Europe, detailing her moral dilemmas and the societal constraints she navigates.

Roxana, also known as Lady Roxana, Susan, or the Countess de Wintz, is the protagonist and narrator. Her primary motivations evolve from initial survival for herself and her children after her first husband's desertion, to a powerful desire for financial independence, social status, and ultimately, a fear of losing her hard-won wealth and freedom. She is driven by a strong ambition to control her own destiny in a patriarchal society.

Roxana's relationship with the Dutch merchant begins as a transactional one, where he offers her financial support and a home after her destitution. It deepens into a complex bond, as he becomes her lover, business partner, and a source of stability. He genuinely loves her, and she, in turn, values his loyalty and practical wisdom, though she consistently resists formal marriage to him to maintain her independence.

Amy is Roxana's loyal and fiercely devoted maid, confidante, and accomplice. She is instrumental in Roxana's rise, often facilitating her encounters and schemes. Amy's own moral compass is often more flexible than Roxana's, and she is fiercely protective, even committing murder to safeguard Roxana's secrets, highlighting the dark underbelly of Roxana's seemingly glamorous life.

The Turkish dress and dance are pivotal to Roxana's public persona as 'Roxana.' They represent her exoticism, allure, and her ability to captivate and manipulate through performance. This disguise allows her to embody a different identity, separating her public persona from her private moral struggles, and becomes a symbol of her independence and power as a courtesan.

Defoe hints at Roxana's moral reckoning through her persistent internal monologues, where she expresses guilt and fear of divine judgment, particularly regarding the fate of her neglected children. The increasingly desperate measures she takes to conceal her past, especially involving Amy's actions, also foreshadow a coming crisis, suggesting that her accumulated sins will eventually catch up to her.

Yes, significant parallels exist. Both Roxana and Moll Flanders are female protagonists who narrate their lives of crime and moral compromise, driven by economic necessity and a desire for social advancement in a harsh society. Both explore themes of survival, marriage as a transaction, and the precariousness of female independence, though Roxana's ambition often appears more deliberate and less purely reactive than Moll's.

Roxana famously states, 'the Marriage Contract is [...] nothing but giving up Liberty, Estate, Authority, and every-thing, to the Man.' This quote encapsulates her proto-feminist stance and her profound skepticism towards traditional marriage, which she views as an institution that strips women of their autonomy and economic power. It underscores her fierce desire for independence and her rejection of patriarchal norms.

Roxana rationalizes her choices by framing them as necessary for survival and, later, as a means to maintain the liberty and financial independence she values above all else. She often expresses a fear of poverty and a reluctance to surrender her freedom through marriage. Her internal monologues reveal a constant negotiation between her conscience and her pragmatic desire for security and power.

Roxana is a complex and often contradictory character. Readers can sympathize with her initial plight and her struggle for survival in a society that offered few options for abandoned women. However, her increasing avarice, her willingness to exploit others, and her profound neglect of her children, especially her later actions regarding Susan, challenge that sympathy, presenting her as a morally ambiguous figure.

Roxana's relationship with her children is largely characterized by neglect and a profound sense of guilt. She consistently prioritizes her own freedom and wealth over motherhood, abandoning her first set of children and later actively avoiding her daughter Susan. This reflects her psychological detachment, her fear of exposure, and her deep-seated anxieties about her past catching up to her, ultimately contributing to her inner turmoil.

This is a key debate. While Roxana articulates powerful critiques of patriarchal marriage that resonate with feminist thought, her actions are often driven by self-interest and a desire for personal gain. Her refusal to marry the Dutch merchant, while framed as a pursuit of liberty, also allows her to maintain her wealth and avoid the legal entanglements of matrimony. Her feminism is arguably pragmatic and individualistic.

Defoe's stance is ambiguous, allowing for varied interpretations. While Roxana's narrative is framed with a moralistic preface and concludes with her 'unhappy end,' suggesting condemnation, the novel also vividly portrays the limited options for women and the hypocrisy of society. Defoe might be criticizing society's role in creating figures like Roxana, even as he shows the moral consequences of her choices, leaving the final judgment to the reader.

The 'unhappy end' is a crucial element, though its details are left somewhat vague. It typically refers to Roxana's eventual capture by her daughter Susan, the psychological torment she endures, and her ultimate imprisonment or ruin. This ambiguous ending serves as a moralistic warning, suggesting that despite her wealth and cunning, Roxana cannot escape the consequences of her past actions and her neglect of familial duties.

Roxana's first-person narrative voice is highly subjective and often unreliable. She frequently justifies her actions, expresses remorse that sometimes feels superficial, and directly addresses the reader, inviting sympathy while simultaneously revealing her calculating nature. This intimate yet manipulative voice forces the reader to constantly question her motivations and the veracity of her moral pronouncements, complicating their judgment of her.

Ultimately, Roxana's pursuit of wealth and independence does not bring her lasting fulfillment or peace. Despite her material success and the freedom she achieves, she is plagued by guilt, fear, and a constant need to conceal her past. The novel suggests that her chosen path, while offering temporary power, leads to an internal emptiness and an inability to form genuine, trusting relationships, culminating in an 'unhappy end.'

The novel extensively explores identity and disguise through Roxana's various aliases (Lady Roxana, Susan, Countess de Wintz) and her use of elaborate costumes, like the Turkish dress. These disguises allow her to inhabit different social roles, escape her past, and manipulate perceptions. However, they also create a fragmented sense of self, highlighting the difficulty of maintaining a coherent identity when one's life is built on deception.

London is a vital backdrop, serving as Roxana's primary stage for her social and financial ascent. It is a city of opportunity, anonymity, and moral ambiguity, allowing her to reinvent herself and operate within its bustling, often corrupt, social circles. The map of contemporary London in the edition underscores its importance as a character in itself, reflecting the period's burgeoning capitalism and social mobility.