Just a few years later, Ahpra Behn published Oroonoko, which shows that even savages are able to be faithful when it comes to their marital relations. Oroonoko “made [Imoinda] vows she should be the only woman he would possess while he lived; that no age or wrinkles should incline him to change, for her soul would always be fine” (Longman 1C 2142). By making love to her in this way, he was sealing himself off and declaring civilized intentions, and claiming to be true to Imoinda and only Imoinda for the rest of his life. Even though fate does not go their way, he still stays faithful and mourns “her death,” the way he should as a great and noble man. Even after she has been brought into slavery, Imoinda (now Clemene) stays chaste in honor of her promises to Oroonoko (now Caesar) and continues to keep her body and relationships honorable, despite feelings that the two of them should never meet again. Ahpra Behn appears to be openly applauding the commitment of both Oroonoko and Imoinda, even though her own personal life was quite scandalous in its own right. This could mean that she either thought that traits of a happy and faithful marriage were to be yearned for or that it was something she wanted but was never able to find and “only those of noble, fantastic blood were able to achieve such a standard.”
Even though Oroonoko is the main character in this novel, Imoinda is treated as a character worthy of respect for her ability to respond fully to his love. Her chasteness is treated as similar to that of European ladies in Romances, but her strength in being able to hold on to her "virginity," since as Clemene, she was still untouched, showcases her strength as a woman and as a character.
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