Daniel Defoe characterizes Roxana as a vain and immoral person. In the introduction of the text, the editor states the following:

Roxana, like Moll Flanders, offers a morally much more complex story of making money by deception and harlotry. Roxana herself tells the reader in passage after passage that she repents her history of whoring, theft, false pretences and veniality, but this does not stop her rejoicing in the amount of money she has gained from her immoral activity. (Clark, xxix)

Roxana is the prominent character in this text. She merely surpasses all the other characters that seem to be no more than pieces of setting within the text. She overshadows all, even Amy. At the beginning of the story, Roxana, our main devilish character, marries a “fool.” This marriage is only the beginning of bad decisions that are made on Roxana’s part. These strings of bad decisions are the effects that snowball throughout the text.

For example, every time she makes a bad decision, she ends up with another child. Though Roxana had abandoned her children from her first marriage, she continues to bear them with multiple lovers. She could not even begin to take care

I thought, you could not have dress’d to more Advantage, than you had done before; but now, you Charm me a thousand times more, if that be possible. (59)

My Quality sets me at a Distance from you, and makes you ceremonious; your Beauty exalts you to more than an Equality, speak the Language; ‘tis enough to tell you, how agreeable you are to me; how I am surpriz’d at your Beauty, and resolve to make you happy, and to be happy with you. (57)

Roxana’s character and Amy’s character do not posses many common attributes. Where Roxana is full of vain, Amy shows no pride in her appearance. She did as she was told and remained true to her duties as a servant to Roxana. When Roxana first met the Prince, he suggested that she take residence in a Country-House in a village. Amy protected her and hid her away from the world.

Though the morality of this deed is questionable, the reasoning behind it is just. Roxana could by no means care for those children due to the lack of motherly intuition, money, heart and love. Amy, who posses each of those qualities, had no way of caring for those children by herself. She was so devoted to Roxana that she was even working for her for free.

Taking in stride Roxana’s sexuality, Defoe identifies the idea of fidelity. This text is filled with both infidelity and fidelity. Amy, for instance is a devote and concrete character within the novel. She is loyal to Roxana through thick and thin. She, like I mentioned earlier, sleeps with Roxana’s lover just to appease her.

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