The Rape of the Lock

In the “Rape of the Lock,” the lock is not just a coil of Belinda’s hair. The lock becomes a symbol of value, power, and control. Belinda’s value and limited power as a woman in society is directly related to her intact hair. The final lines of Canto 4, “Oh hadst thou, cruel! been content to seize / Hairs less in sight, or any hairs but these!” (Lines 177-78) suggest Belinda’s hidden pubic hair. These lines directly relate the lock to Belinda’s virginity and therefore affect her social status and marriageability. If a suitor has stolen a lock of her hair, society might see Belinda as an unsuitable match and deem her unmarriable on the grounds of a compromised virginity. The possibility of this opinion arises during Thalestris’s rousing speech, where she rallies Sir Plume to demand the lock of the baron. In Pope’s time, women had very little civil rights or potential opportunities for social or economic advancement. Marriage was one of the only ways women could secure a respected position in society. Therefore, the scandal of the lock symbolizes Belinda’s potential social ostracization.

Belinda’s social predicament is even further addressed by the baron’s refusal to return the lock, as he believes it a token of masculine conquest. The lock becomes a symbol of power and domination in a patriarchal society that limits the opportunities available to women.