The scared man
Both the narrator and Severin are described as being extremely scared of their impulses int the beginning of the novel. They both try to deny their feelings and to reject them but in time, this becomes impossible. The image of the scared man is an extremely important one because it speaks volumes about the society in which the characters lived. Both men were scared and terrified of being judged and because of this, they tried to deny their true nature and to conform to the social norms and to the behaviors which were seen as normal at that time.
Women as opportunistic
Wanda is an extremely complex character who grows tremendously throughout the novel. At first, she is a shy woman who does not understand how she can help Severin and who wants to stay as far away from him as possible. But, as time progresses, Wanda realizes that she has a lot to gain if she takes Severin as a servant. At this moment, Wanda is no longer a shy and unexperienced woman but rather an opportunistic one. This characteristic remains a common one present in almost every female in the novel. Thus, the common image which characterizes the female character is that of the opportunistic person.
The superior man
Severin is the only man present in the novel up until the end when another character, Alexis is introduced. Alexis is Severin's complete opposite, a man who knows what he wants and who does not let himself be controlled by a woman. He quickly attracts all the attention of the women around him and this sets him aside from the rest of the characters. Alexis represents the perfect image of the perfect man, according to the time when the action takes place. By comparing Severin with Alexis, the reader is also able to understand better while Severin failed to attract the attention of almost any woman around him.
Black sensuality
While in Florence, in an attempt to humiliate Severin even further, Wanda hires a few black women to dominate him. It is important to note that these women are described very differently from the way Wanda is. For starters, while Wanda is seen as sophisticated and educated, black women are almost animalistic and extremely primal. These qualities also make them more sensual and more sexually driven, especially when compared with their white counterparts. This image of the black woman is an extremely racist one at times but it embodies perfectly the ideas promoted during the 18th century.
