A Psychosexual Pattern in Defoe's Roxana 53 maternity is obviated Most important, perhaps, Amy remains ever-faithful, a ubiquitous shadow version of the self—"Amy was now a Woman of Business, not a servant, and eat always with us" (245) Yet this balance is disastrously upset, precisely as a result of the role substitution she and Amy have acted out in their "Complicity of Crime." Roxana is shocked from her sleep The murder of Roxana's daughter Susan by Amy is at once a logical function of plot in Roxana and a devastating symbolic revelation of the types of destruction wrought by the heroine's deep-seated transference onto Amy Amy, the speaker tells us, has played her part of mother-surrogate to the children so well that Susan, the cook-maid daughter, believes the servant to be her real parent Amy's denial prompts Susan to an agonized search for Roxana, whom Susan correctly discerns as the true mother hidden behind the "double." Susan's pursuit becomes importunate: Amy hints that she will kill the girl, Roxanna cannot openly tolerate this suggestion Amy leaves—as she has left so many times before on errands—and the daughter is silenced In these events Roxana and Amy enact their characteristic dynamic, but in its most terrifying form Despite Roxana's conscious outrage at Amy's murderous suggestions, it is hard not to see Susan's killing as an act that Roxana in some sense desires Amy, typically, becomes her mistress's instrument; she preserves Roxana's security The friend acts out Roxana's fantasy of violence—the fantasy which, as we have seen, has always been a hidden aspect of her feeling for her children The intense confusion in Roxana's surface narrative when she tries to discuss the killing testifies to her psychic implication in Amy's movements It is true, I wanted as much to be deliver'd from her, as ever a Sick-Man did from a Third-Day Ague; and had she dropp'd into the Grave by any fair Way, as I may call it; I mean had she died by any ordinary Distemper, I shou'd have shed but very few Tears for her: But I was not arriv'd to such a Pitch of obstinate Wickedness, as to commit Murther, especially such, as to murther my own Child, or so much as to harbour a Thought so barbarous, in my Mind: But, as I said, Amy effected all afterwards, without my Knowledge, for which I gave her my hearty Curse, tho' I cou'd little more; for to have fall'n upon Amy, had been to have murther'd myself (302) Seen from one perspective, the murder is then a simple effect of the structure of relationship we have already seen between Roxana and her maid Amy is doubling for her and protecting her Roxana herself admits that the terrible deed has been done "owing to her Excess of Care for my Safety," "her steddy Kindness to me" (317) Yet the meaning of the event goes much deeper Roxana's anxiety that she will be found out by her daughter seems far to exceed the stated reason for her fear—the shame she will face before her husband Rather, we suspect that this anxiety—which becomes almost unbearable to read about—is a consequence of her abbreviated psychic development Susan confirms Roxana's past role as mother—the role she rejects To accept maternity is in the social realm to accept