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Vanity Fair
Study Guide by Course Hero
What's Inside
j Book Basics 1 …………………………………………………………………………………….
d In Context 1 ………………………………………………………………………………………..
a Author Biography 3 ………………………………………………………………………….
h Characters 4 ……………………………………………………………………………………..
k Plot Summary 10 ……………………………………………………………………………….
c Chapter Summaries 16 ……………………………………………………………………
g Quotes 54 …………………………………………………………………………………………..
l Symbols 57 …………………………………………………………………………………………
m Themes 58 …………………………………………………………………………………………
e Suggested Reading 59 ……………………………………………………………………
j Book Basics
AUTHOR
William Makepeace Thackeray
YEARS PUBLISHED
1847–48
GENRE
Satire
PERSPECTIVE AND NARRATOR
Vanity Fair is written from the third-person omniscient point of
view. However, the narrator's voice is rarely absent from the
novel. He sometimes directs the action and sometimes
observes the action, but he always comments in his
opinionated voice on everyone and everything. He swingsrepeatedly from being an omniscient narrator to having a
limited perspective, to being a bystander in some of the novel's
events.
TENSE
Vanity Fair is narrated in the past tense.
ABOUT THE TITLE
William Makepeace Thackeray took his title Vanity Fair from
English writer and preacher John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's
Progress (1678), an allegorical journey of a man named
Christian through earthly life to heaven. Christian encounters
temptations and detours, including the road through a city
called Vanity, where a yearlong fair is held. Citizens and visitors
to Vanity lose sight of eternal good as they jostle and fight for
the temporary—and often corrupt—delights of the world. The
book was enormously popular and read in many English and
early American households alongside the Bible, so Thackeray
could be sure many readers would understand the title's
allusion to The Pilgrim's Progress , with its theme of
humankind's self-destructive attraction to worldly delights
(vanities).
d In Context
Victorian Social Structures
Vanity Fair is set in the recent past for its mid-19th century
Victorian readership. The social structures, manners, and
expectations William Makepeace Thackeray observes and
satirizes in the novel formed the fabric of his readers' lives.
Although a middle class began to emerge during the Victorian
period, class structure was still fairly rigid. Despite the
increasing stability and political clout of the middle class by
midcentury when Vanity Fair was published, mobility among
classes was limited. Power and wealth were still concentrated

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in the hands of the aristocracy and gentry. It was traditionally
accepted that higher-class people were not just richer or more
educated—they were also better and more deserving.
However, this viewpoint was increasingly coming under fire, as
evidenced in Thackeray's often unflattering descriptions of
wealthy people. In addition, as class structures became more
destabilized, intelligent young men from the middle and even
lower classes might rise through education or military service if
they were fortunate enough to have patrons promoting their
interests. But for young women, marrying into a higher class
was the only way to rise socially.
To move among people in the upper classes required
knowledge of respectable behavior and elite etiquette, which is
why the Sedleys pay for years of schooling for their daughter,
Amelia. They are not seeking a traditional academic education,
but an education in social graces. Miss Pinkerton lists them in
her letter to the Sedleys. She writes that Amelia excels "in
music, in dancing … in every variety of embroidery," and in
spelling—essential for writing good letters. (No one seems
concerned that Amelia's grasp of geography leaves "much to
be desired.") Moreover, Amelia has learned obedience and
morality required of women in a "polished and refined circle."
Becky Sharp, too, benefits from this training, and then
weaponizes it in her assault on the upper classes. A ruthless,
charismatic opportunist, Becky uses her beauty and charm to
mingle with the elite as she hunts for patronage and a wealthy
husband. What readers make of her amoral and self-serving
behavior guides their understanding of the novel's themes.
The Mirror of Satire
Thackeray considered himself a satirist, even a moralist. He
argued that his satirical writing helped readers become aware
of their own frailties and vices—which he admitted to
sharing—and thus overcome them. As he expressed in a letter
to his mother, the writer's profession "seems to me as serious
as the Parson's own." Thackeray took seriously the function of
satire: to hold up the novel as a mirror in which readers see
something of themselves so they can address their
weaknesses, but to do so with humor so readers laugh as they
recognize their weaknesses. Thackeray is now considered one
of 19th-century England's finest satirical writers, on par with
Charles Dickens.
Thackeray's vision of humankind is generally not flattering.
Vanity Fair is, as its subtitle indicates, "a novel without a hero":no character acts as a reliable moral or emotional center for
the reader. Becky, while charming, clever, and high-spirited, is
disturbingly ruthless. Even Amelia, a paragon of sweetness and
gentleness, is weak and deluded, unable to see the true
natures of the people around her.
Vanity Fair was first published serially in Punch , a popular
British magazine known during Thackeray's life for its humor,
satire, and topical cartoons. Monthly installments of the novel
ran from January 1847 to July 1848. The series secured
Thackeray much-needed financial stability, and helped him
stand out from the throng of Victorian writers who wrote
amusing articles. Thackeray was part of Punch 's staff for a
time and drew the illustrations for Vanity Fair himself. He used
the popular periodical to dole out his satirical commentary on
19th-century English society three or four chapters at a time.
But the novel as a whole met with mixed reviews when it
debuted later in 1848. Some reviewers embraced Thackeray's
wide-ranging satire. Charlotte Brontë—writing under the
pseudonym Currer Bell—dedicated the second edition of Jane
Eyre (1847) to Thackeray. She regarded him as a writer whose
satire made him "the first social regenerator of the day." Brontë
acknowledges Thackeray's words can cut deeply and "are not
framed to tickle delicate ears." Yet if readers would take his
criticism to heart, she wrote, they might avoid painful
outcomes.
Other Victorian reviewers were not as thrilled with Thackeray's
satire, however. Harriet Martineau, a British writer and
intellectual, could not force herself to finish the novel because
of "moral disgust." Other reviewers complained that the
characters' vices were untruthfully exaggerated. However,
Charlotte Brontë's prediction about Thackeray, in a letter she
wrote in 1848, proved correct. As Vanity Fair became better
known, the genius of its author, "the legitimate High Priest of
Truth," became widely acknowledged.
Influence of the Picaresque
Form
A picaresque is a novel in which a main character, usually of
lower class, goes from place to place, surviving by wit and
observing society's vices and whims as he goes. The hero (or
picaro ) is usually a person of questionable morality, willing to
do what he or she must to get by. Most picaresque novels are
satirical first-person narratives. In Vanity Fair , however,

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Thackeray's narrator is a witty but snide third-person narrator
who comments on the events of the novel. He occasionally
hints that he has seen a particular event take place or heard
something from a character, but he is more frequently an
outside observer. Still, Becky Sharp is a picaresque
protagonist. She connives her way through life unrestrained by
conventional morality, and cynically measuring each person's
ability to help her rise in society. The plot's progression from
location to location, from high to low social settings, mirrors
Becky's status as an outsider, never really belonging to any
one group. It also allows the narrator to critique people in many
walks of life.
Thackeray the Historian
The events of Vanity Fair play out in a rich historical context.
Before Thackeray wrote novels, he was a journalist and
amateur historian who wrote and gave lectures on recent
English history. He moved among England's cultural and
political settings, using short pieces to observe and comment
on excesses he witnessed. Therefore, Thackeray set Vanity
Fair against a backdrop of the early-19th-century Napoleonic
conflict in Europe to report on human foibles. The conflict
affects the young characters who serve in the military, and it
leads, eventually, to George Osborne's death.
Because Thackeray knew history, and because he was versed
in cultural and political events, he peppers Vanity Fair with
many topical references. A topical reference is a mention—in
passing—of a real-world detail the novel's original readers were
likely to know. For today's readers, these references can be
frustrating and mystifying. Thackeray's approach is not unlike a
late-night comic's: both drop in references to current
happenings as a kind of shorthand, trusting the audience will
understand and draw meaning from the references. Some
editions of Vanity Fair provide footnotes to help today's
readers make sense of the many references, some of which
contain barbed critiques. However, readers don't need to
understand every reference to grasp Thackeray's satirical
comments on human nature, which, unlike celebrities and
politicians who come and go in each period, remains much the
same across time.a Author Biography
Early Life
William Makepeace Thackeray was born in Calcutta, India, on
July 18, 1811. When his father, an administrator in the East India
Company, died in 1815, young Thackeray was sent home to
England to attend boarding school—a common practice among
well-off families. He eventually entered the famous "public
school" (closer to what Americans call "private school")
Charterhouse, which he parodied as "Slaughterhouse" in a
satirical novel. In 1828 Thackeray began attending Trinity
College, Cambridge. Unsure of his professional goals, he left
Cambridge in 1830 to study law at the Middle Temple in
London. Thackeray eventually gave up law to paint and write.
Meanwhile, he supported himself with an inheritance from his
father, but was seduced by gambling and lost the money. He
shortly left for Paris to study art. While there, Thackeray
married a poor young woman from Ireland, with whom he had
three daughters; one died in infancy. Hard financial times drove
the family back to London, where Thackeray began to
establish himself as a journalist and commentator. He wrote for
popular publications under amusing pen names such as Mr.
Michael Angelo Titmarsh, Fitz-Boodle, and The Fat Contributor.
Thackeray was a keen observer of London's social scene and
an eager participant in its cultural life. In his early writings he
became a social chronicler of his time and place. He met the
great German writer and Renaissance man Johann Wolfgang
von Goethe in Weimar, Germany, and knew various artists from
Paris's École des Beaux-Arts. He rubbed shoulders with
politicians, and even once ran for Parliament, unsuccessfully.
He traveled to the United States to lecture, and maintained a
long-running argument on literary style with rival novelist and
journalist, Charles Dickens, whose style he found exaggerated
and unrealistic.
Writings
Thackeray wrote prolifically and on a variety of subjects.
Reviews and critiques of theater productions and art shows,
commentaries on London characters and trends, witty
travelogues, and other brief pieces flowed from his pen. These
efforts were snapped up by popular magazines of the period.

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Thackeray's first forays into fiction—in the style of faux
memoirs such as The Luck of Barry Lyndon (1844)—and crime
stories were often published under a pen name or even
unsigned. Not only was Thackeray developing his craft, but he
was also working hard to support his two surviving daughters,
and cover expenses for his wife, who was devolving into
insanity. Her mental illness required expensive medical care
and left him, in essence, a widower. Vanity Fair was the first
work Thackeray published under his own name. It was such a
commercial success that, after its serial run and subsequent
publication as a novel, Thackeray could set aside his
piecework to focus on other long fictional works. The History
of Pendennis (1850) introduced a fictional character based in
part on Thackeray himself. This character returns to narrate a
later novel, The Newcomes (1855), considered by some critics
his greatest work. A historical lecture tour through England,
Scotland, and the United States produced research Thackeray
used to write two related novels, Henry Esmond (1852) and The
Virginians (1859). A well-received collection of Christmas
stories, The Rose and the Ring , debuted in 1855. Late in life,
Thackeray returned to publishing in magazines, in particular
The Cornhill Magazine , which he helped to found and edit.
Vanity Fair
Out of Thackeray's entire body of work, Vanity Fair has
remained, for most critics and readers, his masterpiece, and is
the work most readers associate with Thackeray today. A
sprawling critique of class distinctions and social climbing, it is
narrated by a person who cannot be pinned down as either
wholly cynical or somewhat sentimental about human nature.
The novel's critical and financial success made it possible for
Thackeray to devote himself to writing fiction almost full time.
Thackeray died on December 24, 1863, at age 52. His final
manuscript, an unfinished adventure story called Denis Duval ,
was published in its partial state in 1864. Vanity Fair remains a
popular novel over 200 years after its publication. The book
has been adapted to television as a miniseries and made into a
Hollywood movie starring Reese Witherspoon as Becky Sharp.
h CharactersBecky Sharp
Becky Sharp is one of Victorian literature's most memorable
characters. The daughter of a starving artist and a French
opera dancer, she is determined to leave poverty behind. To
secure her future, she plays whatever role people
need—caretaker, confidante, temptress, admirer—to gain their
affection. Becky realizes the power of her beauty and uses it
ruthlessly, regardless of lasting damage to her friends and
acquaintances—even to her husband and child. Raised in
straightened circumstances, she seems unable to overcome
her fear of poverty. She is forever grasping and discontented
with her situation, even as she becomes financially secure and
marries an adoring husband.
Amelia Sedley
Amelia has been raised to be an ornament to the man she
marries—pretty, obedient, and graceful. But her descent into
poverty requires effort, budgeting, and sharp
judgment—abilities she utterly lacks. Even into motherhood,
Amelia is incompetent because she remains shallow and
childlike. Yet her loyalty to those she loves is deep.
Jos Sedley
Jos is the Sedley family's established bachelor. His job as
collector for the East India Company has made him
comfortably wealthy, and he spends money on food and drink
until he becomes obese. Despite his financial success, Jos
finds his father intimidating, and women in general unnerving.
Becky fails to ensnare Jos at first, but finally worms her way
into his affections through flattery, his weakness.
George Osborne
George, a handsome army captain who can rarely resist a
mirror, is the son of a banker, but feels inferior to young
noblemen. John Sedley is his godfather, and his betrothal to
Amelia has been understood since their childhood. George's
loyalty to Amelia is challenged when her family becomes poor,
and when Becky's charms attract him. Worse, George looks
down on William Dobbin, who has been his friend and protector

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since childhood, simply because Dobbin is not wealthy.
William Dobbin
William Dobbin's last name brings to mind the strength and
reliability of a farm horse. A capable, even-tempered man, he
thinks before he acts, puts others' happiness ahead of his own,
waits patiently for Amelia's love, and helps his friends through
one painful situation after another. Over the years he becomes
more confident about his place in the world, but he remains too
deeply moral and pragmatic to be tempted by the shallow
pleasures of Vanity Fair. Although a supporting character,
Dobbin comes closer than any other character to being a
traditional hero.
Rawdon Crawley
Rawdon Crawley has been his aunt Matilda's favorite for years,
and for good reason. Although not a particularly intelligent
man, Rawdon is charming and easy-going. Strong and athletic,
he has many friends among soldiers—his aunt purchased his
commission, and he takes quickly to life in the guard. But the
traits that make Rawdon such a likeable fellow also leave him
vulnerable to Becky's schemes. After he marries her, he loses
his aunt's favor, and begins a long slide that ends in virtual exile
from England and from his little boy. Yet even Becky
recognizes his bravery and selfless loyalty.

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Character Map
Main Character
Other Major Character
Minor Character

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Full Character List
Character Description
Becky SharpBecky Sharp, or Rebecca, is an
intelligent and ruthless adventuress.
She marries Rawdon Crawley, with
whom she has a son, is a long- ​lived but
insincere friend to Amelia, and
eventually becomes the companion of
Jos Sedley, controlling him and possibly
hastening his death.
Amelia SedleyAmelia Sedley, or "Emmy" as her family
calls her, is a pretty but passive and
naive young woman. She marries
George Osborne with whom she has a
son, Georgy.
Jos SedleyJoseph Sedley, called "Jos" by family
and friends, is an overweight, vain,
buffoonish young man who is
nevertheless fond and protective of his
sister, Amelia.
George
OsborneGeorge Osborne is a handsome young
man who is charismatic and fun- ​loving,
but also self- ​centered and shallow, with
fickle affections. He marries Amelia
because he wants to think of himself as
honorable, but his selfishness and lack
of good judgment prove devastating for
his wife and child.
William
DobbinWilliam Dobbin, George Osborne's army
buddy, is a capable and modest army
officer who is both George's and
Amelia's protector. His seemingly
unlimited loyalty to Amelia is finally
rewarded when, in the end, he marries
her, although by then his love for her
has diminished.
Rawdon
CrawleyRawdon Crawley, Sir Pitt's younger son,
is a large, imposing, and handsome man.
While genial and affectionate, he is
somewhat dull- ​witted, and unlike Becky,
he prefers playing with his son, and
gambling and fun with fellow soldiers, to
social climbing. He thinks the world of
his wife, Becky, although he is
frustrated by her lack of affection for
Rawdy, their son.Lady
BareacresLady Bareacres and her daughter
belong to a British family temporarily
living in Brussels. Lady Bareacres
befriends George in Brussels, where
higher- ​class people are few, but intends
to ignore him back in England.
Reverend Mr.
BinnyReverend Mr. Binny proposes to Amelia
after her husband's death, but his
proposal is rejected.
Mrs.
BlenkinsopMrs. Blenkinsop is the longtime
housekeeper for the Sedleys.
Miss BriggsMiss Briggs is Miss Matilda Crawley's
companion. Although easily taken in by
Becky's wiles, she never comes to
despise Becky, and repeatedly tries to
help her regain Miss Crawley's favor.
Frederick
BullockFrederick Bullock marries Maria
Osborne.
Mary ClappMary Clapp is the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Clapp, the Sedleys' landlord.
Mr. ClappFor years, Mr. Clapp was a clerk—an
office worker—whom Mr. Sedley
employed. After the Sedleys'
bankruptcy, he and his wife take the
family in.
Mrs. ClappMrs. Clapp, along with her husband,
takes the Sedleys in after their
bankruptcy.
Reverend
Bute CrawleyA convivial, athletic man, Reverend Bute
Crawley, brother to Sir Pitt Crawley, is
esteemed in Queen's Crawley and
never misses a social event. However,
his gambling habits keep him in debt.
James
CrawleySon of Reverend Bute and Martha
Crawley, James Crawley becomes
rector of Queen's Crawley after his
father's death.
Lady CrawleyLady Crawley, formerly Rose Dawson, is
Sir Pitt's frail and sad wife, and the
mother of Rosalind and Violet.

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Lady Jane
CrawleyLady Jane Crawley (formerly Jane
Sheepshanks) is Pitt's wife and the
capable mistress of Crawley estate.
She is not susceptible to Becky's ploys,
but welcomes Rawdon's son kindly
despite his mother's behavior.
Mrs. Bute
CrawleyMrs. Bute Crawley, whose first name is
Martha, is the wife of Reverend Bute
Crawley. Mrs. Crawley works hard to
advance her fortunes and those of her
daughters, mainly by trying to turn Miss
Matilda Crawley against her nephew
Rawdon, who was her favorite relative.
Miss Matilda
CrawleyMiss Matilda Crawley is the demanding,
prickly spinster aunt whom others in the
family try to please in hopes of getting
her money. She favors Rawdon at first,
until he disappoints her by marrying
Becky.
Pitt CrawleyBefore he inherits Crawley estate, Pitt is
self-​obsessed and cold, but he proves
to be a savvy politician and responsible
manager of his wealth. He inherits his
father's estate and becomes Sir Pitt.
Sir Pitt
CrawleySir Pitt Crawley hires Becky as
governess for his daughters, Rosalind
and Violet. Later he proposes to Becky
but is rebuffed.
Rosalind
CrawleyRosalind Crawley, also known as
"Rose," is the eldest daughter of Sir Pitt
Crawley, and is fond of books.
Violet
CrawleyViolet Crawley is the youngest daughter
of Sir Pitt Crawley, and her father's
favorite.
CuffCuff is a gentleman's son at Swishtail
Seminary where William Dobbin
attended school. He tries to bully
George Osborne.
Tom EavesTom Eaves is a character whom the
narrator refers to as "my informant."
The narrator learns about Lord Steyne
through Tom.
Mrs. FirkinMrs. Firkin is one of Miss Matilda
Crawley's maids.Lady Fitz-
WillisLady Fitz- ​Willis is a woman of high
society who visits the Crawleys, and
defends Becky against those who
resent her.
Lady GauntLady Gaunt is Lady Bareacres's
daughter.
GeorgyGeorgy is Amelia and George
Osborne's son. His existence reconciles
Amelia to the Osbornes and secures
her financial stability at last.
Mrs.
HaggistounMrs. Haggistoun is Miss Rhoda Swartz's
guardian.
Mr. HodsonMr. Hodson manages Sir Pitt Crawley's
sprawling estate.
John
HorrocksJohn Horrocks is Sir Pitt's butler.
Miss
HorrocksMiss Horrocks is butler John Horrocks's
daughter, and a servant of Sir Pitt.
IsidorIsidor is Jos Sedley's greedy, resentful
valet in Brussels.
JohnJohn is the Sedleys' groom who shows
little respect for Becky.
Captain
MacmurdoCaptain Macmurdo is a veteran officer,
and Rawdon's friend and comrade.
NarratorThe narrator of Vanity Fair is, in some
critics' opinion, an extension of William
Makepeace Thackeray himself, or at
least of Thackeray the satirical writer
and commentator on British life. The
narrator's powerful voice dominates the
novel. The characters speak far less
than he does, as he performs various
roles. He casts himself as the puppet
master, pulling the characters' strings.
Yet he also provides a running
commentary—at times scathing and at
other times gently sympathetic—of the
characters' choices, triumphs, and
sufferings. The narrator addresses
readers directly, confides in them,
warns them, and colludes with them as
he laughs at his puppets. He even steps
into the action from time to time.

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Glorvina
O'DowdGlorvina O'Dowd is Major O'Dowd's
sister. She is seeking a husband, and
for a while, William Dobbin seems a
likely choice.
Major O'DowdA likeable man who adores his wife and
has the trust of his soldiers, Major Mick
O'Dowd is commander of George and
Dobbin's regiment.
Mrs. O'DowdWife to Major O'Dowd, Mrs. Peggy
O'Dowd is a sprightly and capable
woman, proud of her Irish ancestry, and
kind to Amelia during her time in
Brussels, especially after George's
death.
Miss Jane
OsborneOne of George Osborne's two sisters,
Miss Jane Osborne is given to ideas of
romance. She sees Amelia's child
Georgy's resemblance to her brother
and alerts their father.
Mr. John
OsborneMr. John Osborne, George's stern,
wealthy father, is proud and protective
of his family's wealth and status. He is
angry when George marries Amelia, but
secures his grandson's upbringing and
future, and saves the Sedleys from
starvation.
Miss Maria
OsborneOne of George Osborne's two sisters,
Miss Maria Osborne plots—as does
Becky—to increase her wealth through
marriage. Unlike Becky, Maria is an
eligible catch, coming from a wealthy
family, and marries Frederick Bullock.
Parisian great
ladyA friend of Miss Crawley's, the Parisian
great lady is very fond of Becky, and
sends a letter to Miss Crawley praising
her wit and charm.
Miss Barbara
PinkertonMiss Barbara Pinkerton is the proud
head of Chiswick, an academy for
young ladies. She claims to be a friend
of Dr. Samuel Johnson and often
clashes with Becky, her strong- ​willed
charity pupil.
Miss Jemima
PinkertonMiss Jemima Pinkerton is the easily
flustered, big- ​hearted assistant at the
academy for young ladies. She is
appalled when Becky scoffs at her kind
actions.Charles
RagglesCharles Raggles is Miss Crawley's
butler. He is yet another victim of
Becky's scheming.
RawdyRawdy is Becky and Rawdon's son, who
is doted on by his father. He inherits the
Crawley estate and becomes close
friends with Georgy Osborne.
Mr. SamboMr. Sambo is the Sedleys' family
servant.
Mr. John
SedleyMr. John Sedley is Amelia's father, an
irresponsible man whose slide out of
the middle class speaks to the
instability of wealth not secured by
property and titles.
Mrs. SedleyMrs. Sedley is Amelia's mother, a
woman ill- ​equipped to deal with the
downturn in her fortunes.
Mr. SmeeMr. Smee is Jane Osborne's art teacher.
They engage in a secret romance,
which infuriates her father.
Lady
SouthdownLady Matilda Southdown, also known as
Countess Southdown, is the mother of
Lady Jane Crawley, Pitt's wife.
Lady SteyneLady Steyne is the Marquis of Steyne's
wife, whom he torments until she
withdraws into silence. She is kind to
Becky, and calls forth more affection
from Becky than perhaps any other
character.
Lord SteyneVicious, licentious, and vindictive, Lord
Steyne (the Marquis of Steyne) uses
Becky as his protégé to impress other
men of power, buying her expensive
gifts and inappropriately spending time
alone with her. After Rawdon's assault,
Steyne punishes Becky by destroying
her reputation wherever she goes.
Tom StubbleTom Stubble is an ensign serving under
Major O'Dowd. His injury gives Mrs.
O'Dowd someone to care for while her
husband is away at war.

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Miss SwartzMiss Rhoda Swartz is a wealthy young
woman from St. Kitts (an island in the
Caribbean). She is biracial, probably the
daughter of a slave, and her last name
indicates Jewish descent. Although she
completed school under Miss Pinkerton,
her dark skin puts off suitors. Because
of her money, Mr. Osborne wants
George to marry her.
Lord
TapewormLord Tapeworm is a friend of Jos
Sedley, and tries to woo Amelia during
their stay in Germany.
General TuftoGeneral Tufto, whom Rawdon serves as
aide- ​de-​camp, is one of the victims of
Becky's flirtations while she and
Rawdon are stationed in Brussels,
awaiting orders.
WenhamWenham is a lawyer and Lord Steyne's
close friend.
Miss WirtMiss Wirt is governess to the Osborne
sisters, Maria and Jane.
k Plot Summary
Vanity Fair is a frame story. The frame introduces a narrator
who refers to himself as the manager of a puppet show and his
characters as puppets. At the novel's end, the narrator returns
to make final comments on the show.
As the novel opens, two young women leave school to begin
their adult lives. Amelia Sedley is sweet but somewhat naive.
For her, adult life means marrying her informal fiancé, George
Osborne, whom she blindly adores, and living out a stable,
happy life as the children of wealthy merchants. Becky Sharp,
in contrast, had to work her way through school, and is to
become governess in the aristocratic Crawley family. Cunning
and unencumbered by morality, Becky has plans to claw her
way up in the world. Before taking her position, she visits
Amelia's family and meets her much older brother, Jos. Jos is
home on sick leave from his job with the East India Company.
Becky tries to catch Jos as a husband, but his awkwardness
around women makes him shy away from her. Before Becky
leaves to begin work as governess, she, Amelia, Jos, and
George attend a concert where they meet William Dobbin,
George's army friend. Two important plot events occur at theconcert. First, Dobbin falls in love with Amelia. Second, George,
a vain young man, sees Becky for the social climber she is and
mocks Jos for being attracted to her. Her chances with Jos
spoiled, Becky leaves for the Crawley estate.
Sir Pitt Crawley is a wealthy baronet, but his aristocratic
breeding has not produced good manners. Becky easily
manipulates her dissipated employer with her charm. In the
process, she often ignores his young daughters, whom she is
supposed to be teaching. She does manage to get her hands
on the estate's books under the guise of helping Sir Pitt
manage the estate. Becky adapts her charms to other
members of the family, as well. She feigns saintly behavior
around the older son, Pitt, a prim young man, and acts
standoffish around the younger son, Rawdon Crawley, to
provoke his admiration. Also in the Crawley household are Bute
Crawley, Sir Pitt's younger brother, and half-sister Miss Matilda
Crawley, a wealthy spinster. Both become targets of Becky's
machinations. Miss Crawley is impressed by Becky and takes
her to London, where Becky cares for her during an illness.
Becky is caught off guard when Sir Pitt visits London and
proposes to her. Wealth is within her reach—except that she is
already married, secretly, to Rawdon. Miss Crawley becomes
furious when she learns that her favorite nephew has married
without family approval. She had planned to leave her fortune
to Rawdon, but she changes her will to favor his older brother,
Pitt, instead.
Meanwhile, the Sedley household faces its own problems. As
Napoleon, having escaped exile, rebuilds his forces for another
assault on the continent, the stock market becomes jittery,
causing Mr. Sedley's investments to fail. The family faces
bankruptcy and ruin, and George's wealthy father insists his
son break off his engagement to Amelia, although George
considers such an action dishonorable. From their tiny new
home in a poorer part of the city, Mr. Sedley responds to Mr.
John Osborne's insult by forcing Amelia to return George's
letters. William Dobbin observes the family's slide into
desperate straits and, concerned for Amelia's health, tells
George she is dying. George, more in love with his own honor
than with Amelia, secretly marries her, against both families'
wishes.
The young couples' paths cross again at Bath, where George
and Amelia, with Jos in tow, go to honeymoon. Becky and
Rawdon are there, too. They hope to get Miss Crawley to
forgive them, and reinstate Rawdon in her will. The four young
people visit and try to enjoy their stay in Bath. However, only

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Rawdon, an easy-going man with an affinity for cards and
billiards, is content. Becky finds her access to Miss Crawley
blocked by Mrs. Bute Crawley, George loses money he doesn't
have to Rawdon, and poor Amelia is neglected by her husband.
Worse is yet to come: back in London, Dobbin informs the
Osbornes about the marriage, and George is promptly
disinherited.
These melancholy plot lines are interrupted when George,
Rawdon, and Dobbin are deployed to Brussels, Belgium, to
prepare to oppose Napoleon's forces. Mrs. O'Dowd, the
motherly, pragmatic wife of George and Dobbin's commanding
officer, Major O'Dowd, looks after Amelia. Becky, as wife to a
general's aide-de-camp (military aide), enjoys access to
Brussels's elite circles. There, George falls under her charms
and betrays his bride, offering to run away with Becky instead.
But when marching orders arrive, George renews his
affections with Amelia, leaving her pregnant and impoverished.
He dies in battle, and Amelia returns to her parents' home to
raise her son, named after his father. Dobbin, who has long
loved Amelia, supports her financially and becomes the child's
godfather. Nonetheless, he can't make a dent in her devoted
grief, and leaves to work abroad.
Meanwhile, Becky and Rawdon also have a son. Rawdon is
smitten by the boy, while Becky shows the child little affection.
They spend time in Paris and then return to London.
Throughout, Becky employs her beauty and charm to gain
access to people of wealth. She attracts the attention and
support of the Marquis of Steyne (also known as Lord Steyne),
and is presented at court. She also launches an assault on
Rawdon's older brother—now Sir Pitt—who has inherited the
estate, and his kind wife, Jane. Her manipulations work on Sir
Pitt, but Lady Jane sees how cold she is toward her son and is
repelled.
The Sedleys, meanwhile, continue to struggle financially,
despite a small allowance Jos sends. Amelia, naive as usual,
overspends on pretty clothes for her adored, increasingly
spoiled son. Soon, the family can't afford to eat. But about this
time, George's sister happens to see Amelia and the baby, who
looks like his father. For love of his grandson, Mr. Osborne
offers to raise the child in wealth, and to support the Sedleys.
Amelia hands the child over with regret. Not long after,
Amelia's parents die, and with the later death of Mr. Osborne,
Amelia inherits enough money to raise her son comfortably.
Back in London, Lord Steyne, a degenerate old man, uses hisprotégé, Becky, to impress and sway other powerful men. She,
in turn, plots to milk him for money and a better job for
Rawdon, who prefers to take care of his son and enjoy time at
cards with humble soldiers. But Becky pushes her good
fortune too far. Instead of using the money Lord Steyne gives
her to support her family, she allows Rawdon to go into debt—a
crime for which people could be imprisoned at the time. When
Rawdon ends up in jail, his brother and sister-in-law must bail
him out, and when he finds Becky dressed lavishly, singing for
Lord Steyne, he attacks the old man, assuming the two are
having an affair. Steyne, rather than challenging Rawdon to a
duel that might not end well for him, arranges for Rawdon to be
governor of an island under British control. Rawdon must leave
his son at the estate and go.
Rumors about Becky and Lord Steyne spread, and she is
forced to leave London. In the years that follow, she moves
from city to city, repeating the pattern of acquiring a wealthy
patron, rising in social circles, and then suffering when her
London reputation catches up with her, likely due to Steyne's
vindictiveness. Becky lands in a German town where, although
poor again, she enjoys the freedom of a Bohemian lifestyle.
Coincidentally, Jos, Amelia, and William Dobbin (who has
returned to London) decide to travel through Europe. They run
into Becky, who seizes the opportunity to take advantage of
Jos and Amelia, despite Dobbin's warnings. Dobbin, frustrated
that after over a decade Amelia still hasn't let go of her love for
George, declares his own love outright. When she refuses him,
he realizes that she is unworthy of his love, and departs. Becky
then performs an uncharacteristically kind act: she shows
Amelia the note George sent her in Brussels, offering to run
away with her. Finally aware that George is not worth her
heart's devotion, Amelia agrees to marry Dobbin. Later, they
have a daughter, and though the disillusioned Dobbin never
again loves Amelia as intensely as he did before, their marriage
endures.
Time passes. Rawdon, still stuck on the island, dies of yellow
fever. When his older brother, Sir Pitt, dies shortly after,
Rawdon and Becky's son Rawdy inherits the Crawley estate.
Becky, still in Europe with Jos, doesn't benefit from her son's
wealth at all. Jos dies under suspicious circumstances, and
Becky hires lawyers to collect his life insurance money. She
settles comfortably in Bath and turns to works of piety and
charity, but she never wins back her good reputation, or the
affection of those who once called her "friend." The narrator
closes the novel's frame by putting his puppets back in their
box, their story told.

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Plot Diagram

Introduction
1. Becky visits the Sedleys and fails to get Jos to propose.
Rising Action
2. Becky insinuates herself into the Crawley household.
3. Becky and Rawdon secretly marry; his aunt disinherits him.
4. The Sedleys lose their income and spiral toward
bankruptcy.
5. George marries Amelia and is disinherited.
6. George, Dobbin, and Rawdon are deployed to Brussels.
7. George dies; Amelia and their baby move in with herparents.
8. Rawdon dotes on his son, while Becky seeks patronage.
9. Amelia surrenders Georgy to be raised by her father-in-law.
10. Rawdon hits Steyne and finds himself assigned to an
island.
Climax
11. Becky travels to other cities seeking patronage.
Falling Action
12. Becky reveals George's betrayal; Amelia marries Dobbin.

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13. Rawdy inherits Queen's Crawley and befriends Georgy.
14. Jos dies mysteriously; Becky gets his life insurance payout.
Resolution
15. Becky settles into a new life in Bath.

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Timeline of Events
Early 1810s
Amelia and Becky complete school, and Becky launches
her plan to marry into wealth.
A few weeks later
Becky turns down Sir Pitt's marriage proposal because
she has already married Rawdon.
Around the same time
Dobbin has persuaded George to marry Amelia, but
George's father disinherits him.
Not long after
Dobbin, George, and Rawdon are deployed to Brussels
to prepare for the fight against Napoleon.
Soon after; Brussels
George wants to run away with Becky but spends the
night before battle with his wife.
June 1815
George dies fighting, but Dobbin and Rawdon survive.
Months later; England
Amelia returns to her parents, dotes on her son, and
drives Dobbin away.
At the same time
Rawdon adores and raises his son, while Becky flirts her
way into elite circles in Paris and London.
A few years later
Amelia lets Mr. Osborne raise Georgy.
About the same time
Becky gains Lord Steyne's patronage, and she and
Rawdon live on credit to appear wealthy.

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A few months later
Rawdon is jailed for debt, and the truth about Becky
begins to dawn on him.
After Rawdon makes bail
Because Rawdon struck him, Lord Steyne gets Rawdon
sent to a remote island as governor.
When Georgy is about 12
Dobbin returns from India to profess love for Amelia
again, but she still loves George's memory.
Soon after
Before he dies, Mr. Osborne leaves half of his estate to
Georgy and an income to Amelia.
After Mr. Osborne's death
Dobbin, Jos, and Amelia travel to Germany and
encounter Becky.
In Germany
Dobbin's disapproval of Becky leads to a fallout with
Amelia.
Soon after
Becky shows Amelia the letter George wrote to her, and
Amelia realizes Dobbin is the better man.
After the revelation
Dobbin and Amelia return to England and marry.
Meanwhile, in Europe
Becky and Jos stay behind, but Jos dies shortly after
signing his life insurance over to Becky.
Shortly afterward
Becky moves away to Bath and lives a circumspect life,
shunned by her former friends.

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c Chapter Summaries
William Makepeace Thackeray used 19 groups of chapters,
ranging from three to five chapters each, when the novel was
published serially.
Before the Curtain–Chapter 4
Summary
Before the Curtain
In this short preface, the narrator presents himself as the
"manager of the Performance" at a traveling fair—what today's
readers might call a carnival. Crowds of people talk, eat, flirt,
find themselves victims of pickpockets, and wait for a puppet
show to begin. Some folks, the manager knows, disapprove of
fairs—they don't attend, and they don't let their servants
attend, either. But others enjoy the spectacle and scenery. To
them, the manager commends his "puppets"—the characters in
the novel—and expresses gratitude for their warm reception
around the country. The curtain rises.
Chapter 1: Chiswick Mall
The Sedley family carriage arrives at Chiswick, Miss Jemima
Pinkerton's "academy for young ladies," near London. They
have come to bring Amelia Sedley and her friend Becky Sharp
back with them. The young women have completed school and
are ready to enter adult life, Amelia as a wife and Becky as a
governess. Snobby Miss Barbara Pinkerton's letter of dismissal
informs the Sedleys of the skills Amelia has mastered. Mostly
these consist of ornamental activities and social graces,
including "that dignified deportment and carriage so requisite
for every young lady of fashion ." She warns the Sedleys to
keep Becky's visit brief, not only because she has a job waiting,
but also because Miss Pinkerton privately despises her.
Although Miss Barbara Pinkerton refuses to give the poorer girl
a copy of Johnson's Dictionary —the prize all graduates
receive—kindhearted Jemima Pinkerton sneaks one to her. To
express her contempt for Chiswick, Becky flings it from the
carriage window into the garden.The narrator interrupts the story to praise Amelia as a sweet
young woman who easily wins others' affections. However, she
is also timid and tearful. She is not, the narrator says, the
novel's hero.
Chapter 2: In Which Miss Sharp and
Miss Sedley Prepare to Open the
Campaign
Becky revels in her rebellious action, and tells the shocked
Amelia, "Revenge may be wicked but it's natural … I'm no
angel." Becky hates Miss Pinkerton for treating her like a
servant while exploiting her intelligence and talents. Becky's
father had taught drawing at Chiswick until his gambling and
drinking habits ruined him; when drunk, he beat his wife and
daughter. Her mother was a Parisian "opera-girl"—a term for
young dancers in an opera company, who sometimes had
wealthy lovers and were associated with sexual scandal.
Nonetheless, her mother was educated, and taught her
daughter perfect French. Before Becky's father died, he asked
Miss Pinkerton to let Becky stay as a working pupil. Becky
taught French and did so many other tasks she hardly had time
to attend classes. She misses the Bohemian life she led with
her father, and cries when she compares her life to that of the
pampered students from wealthy families. When Miss
Pinkerton demands Becky add music lessons to her
tasks—with no extra pay—Becky's defiance frightens the
headmistress. She immediately seeks a governess position for
her unmanageable pupil to get her away from Chiswick.
Becky is petite and looks like a child, but she has already been
involved in a flirtation with a young curate. The narrator informs
us that her ruthless dishonesty is the result of her treatment at
Chiswick: "She had not been much of a dissembler, until now
her loneliness taught her to feign." Amelia is the only friend
Becky, who is dismissive and contemptuous of others, has
made at Chiswick. When the girls reach Russell Square, Amelia
proudly shows off her home and gives Becky clothing and
jewelry. Becky ferrets out information about Amelia's older
brother, Jos Sedley, who has made good money working for
the East India Company, and who is currently on sick leave at
his apartments nearby. Becky feigns sisterly love for Amelia as
she sets her sights on Jos.

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Chapter 3: Rebecca Is in Presence of
the Enemy
Jos Sedley, an overweight dandy of a man, sits by the fire
reading the paper. When the girls enter, he leaps up, blushing.
Amelia introduces her brother, and Becky whispers how
handsome he is—but loudly enough for him to hear. A shy
bachelor, Jos looks for reasons to flee the room, but as Mr.
John Sedley arrives, Becky makes eye contact with Jos, who
decides to skip dinner with a friend and escort Becky to the
family table instead. The narrator reminds readers that without
parents to make the proper arrangements, Becky must go
husband-hunting herself.
Mrs. Sedley has had spicy dishes of curry prepared for her son,
who has grown to like them in India. Becky agrees to try one
and pretends to like it as her mouth stings, so Jos feeds her a
chili as well. When she cries, "Water for heaven's sake, water!"
the male Sedleys laugh at their prank, and Becky plays along.
After dinner, Mr. Sedley warns his son about Becky's motives,
but Jos denies them. He hears the girls singing at the piano
and thinks to join them, but overcome by shyness, he decides
to attend a theater show instead.
Chapter 4: The Green Silk Purse
For a few days, Jos stays away from his parents' home. Becky
carries on her act as Amelia's loving friend, earning Mrs.
Sedley's gratitude. She even flatters the servants, earning their
goodwill. Jos shows up again on the day Amelia's drawings, the
results of her lessons from Becky's father, arrive from
Chiswick. Becky cries over them, persuading all of her loving
memory of her father, and thanks the family for their kindness.
But Jos, she teases, shouldn't have fed her the curry. She gives
his hand the smallest squeeze as she forgives him. At dinner
that evening, she teases him about every dish, to everyone's
delight. But Mr. Sedley enjoys a crueler humor and mocks his
son's weight. After dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Sedley talk about
Becky's designs on their son. Mrs. Sedley thinks Becky is not
good enough for her son, but Mr. Sedley is amused by Becky's
pursuit of Jos, and is also glad Becky is at least a white
Englishwoman, rather than a native Indian.
The next day, George Osborne—the Sedleys' godson and
informally betrothed to Amelia—arrives. The young people
recall old times and sigh over Becky's imminent departure.When George and Amelia go to the piano, Becky draws Jos out
and feigns breathless interest in his experiences in India. As
they talk, she knits a green silk purse "for any one who wants a
purse." Amelia persuades Becky to sing and play, which she
does well, ending with a song about friends who must part in
sorrow. Jos begins to think Becky is just the girl for him. In the
morning, he shows up before lunch—with flowers for both girls.
He asks Becky to sing again, but she must finish her purse and
asks him to hold the yarn. The chapter ends with Jos seated
across from Becky, "his arms stretched out … and his hands
bound in a web of green silk."
Analysis
Chapters 1–4 were the first installment of Vanity Fair when it
appeared serially. William Makepeace Thackeray knew he had
to hook readers fast to make sure they would be back to buy
the second installment, so he wastes no time. At a rapid pace,
the narrator introduces characters, presents their situations,
and hints at or states their goals; the particulars of people and
situations feel somewhat convoluted. He also peppers the
narrative with his comments and critiques. Most of all, he
draws readers' attention to the novel's central character,
Becky Sharp. After writing Vanity Fair , Thackeray confessed to
a particular fondness for his "little Becky doll"; clearly the
narrator admires Becky and excuses some of her actions. Yet
Becky is a problematic character—deceitful, manipulative, and
remorseless. Why she is that way is a major question in the
novel, but these early chapters suggest that early poverty and
the necessity of self-reliance have hardened her from a young
age.
The famous opening line of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
could easily apply to Becky: "It is a truth universally
acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good
fortune, must be in want of a wife." Becky is out to find that
man, come what may, and supply his want. Her goal is not only
socially acceptable but, for women of her time, socially
mandated. And as in Pride and Prejudice , it's a goal in which
parents invest heavily. The Osbornes and Sedleys have
reached an agreement regarding George Osborne and Amelia
Sedley's future, but later in the novel, this arrangement is
threatened when the Sedleys lose their wealth. But Becky has
no parent and no surrogate to help her find a husband.
Repeatedly, the narrator asks readers to excuse her behaviors.
When she squeezes Jos Sedley's hand, he takes it as a "little
involuntary, timid, gentle motion of regard on the part of the

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simple girl," but readers see it for the immodest manipulation it
is. The narrator reminds readers, "If a dear girl has no dear
Mamma to settle matters … she must do it for herself."
It is true that Becky has been disadvantaged and mistreated.
On the other hand, "poor dear Rebecca," as the narrator calls
her, has never learned a moral code to temper her strong
survival instinct. Self-preservation drives her, and "the dismal
precocity of poverty" equips her. Becky has her wits, her
eyes—which enthrall men young and old—and the social
graces she mastered at Chiswick. She is as smart or smarter,
as talented or more so, and certainly more capable than the
wealthy daughters at Chiswick, yet they all snub her—for no
reason but for accident of birth. This fact is not incidental: it is
a vital part of Thackeray's social criticism. Throughout the
novel, the narrator pauses at times to chide the wealthy for
thinking they deserve comfort and opportunity, while those
who are poor do not. Situations change suddenly, the narrator
points out, as readers see characters undergo reversals of
fortune. It's not Becky's fault she was born into poverty and
neglect, and to scorn her desire to better her circumstances is
unkind.
Still, Becky will spend the remaining 63 chapters of the novel
testing and breaching the limits of acceptable behavior, making
it impossible to see her as merely a victim of circumstance.
There is an important point to be gleaned here: people are not
inherently heroes or villains. Intelligence and capability, in
Becky, go hand in hand with contempt and deception. Amelia
has the good intentions that Becky lacks, but she is not
intelligent, and she is naive to the point of delusion.
Chapters 5–7
Summary
Chapter 5: Dobbin of Ours
The narrator takes readers to Swishtail Seminary to introduce
William Dobbin, another central character in Vanity Fair . Dobbin
is clumsy and shy, and a slow learner who is held back several
times—reasons enough to tease him. When the boys learn,
however, that his father is a grocer, they nickname him "Figs,"
and torment him for belonging to the merchant class. Alsoattending the school is a gentleman's son, Cuff, an athletic boy
to whom everything comes easily. Cuff lords it over other
students. One day, Dobbin prevents Cuff from bullying a
younger boy, George Osborne, for failing to sneak alcohol onto
school grounds. Dobbin and Cuff fight as the boys look on.
Dobbin finally prevails, winning the admiration of the boys and
becoming George's friend and protector for life. Dobbin
discovers George is good at math and finishes his education in
good form. This history explains why Dobbin is invited to the
young people's outing to Vauxhall. Dobbin is in town, home
from deployment in the West Indies because he came down
with yellow fever. He is as big and ungainly as a man as he was
as a boy, but is now a respected military man in George's
regiment.
When Dobbin sees Amelia Sedley, now a young woman, for the
first time in years, he is smitten. But Amelia's heart belongs to
George, and George has Dobbin's unending loyalty. As for
Becky Sharp, Dobbin knows immediately what sort of woman
she is.
Chapter 6: Vauxhall
George, Amelia, Jos Sedley, Becky and Dobbin go to Vauxhall,
a popular public garden where visitors eat, watch plays, and
are entertained by various musical acts. Amelia and Becky
hope Jos will propose. Only Dobbin, stuck carrying the girls'
shawls, is left out of the excitement. The couples separate to
stroll and talk, but when they join up again in a theater box, Jos
still has not proposed. Instead, he eats too much and then calls
for a bowl of rack punch—a sweet alcoholic mixture—and
drinks it all himself. Unsteady and belligerent, Jos makes a
scene, grabbing Becky by the waist and singing that she's his
"dearest diddle-diddle-darling." Dobbin must get him to a
carriage and back home.
The next morning, Becky nervously awaits the outcome of
events. Jos, hung over and unable to recall the previous
evening's events, stays at his apartment. George lies to Jos,
telling him he beat up a coachman while drunk, until Dobbin
explains what really happened. As they leave for Russell
Square, George tells Dobbin he won't let Becky make a fool of
the family. Ashamed of his behavior, Jos sends a note to
Amelia saying he is leaving for Scotland. It's the "death-
warrant" for Becky's hopes, and Amelia weeps as she gathers
little presents for Becky to take with her to her job. Mr. John
Sedley makes Becky a gift of cash, and even George adds a

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gift, at his sister's urging. But Becky knows George sabotaged
her plan.
Chapter 7: Crawley of Queen's Crawley
The narrator introduces Sir Pitt Crawley by mocking his family
lineage. The Crawleys became noble in the Renaissance, when
Queen Elizabeth I enjoyed the beer at Crawley during a
"progress"—a royal tour through the country. She raised
Crawley's ancestor to the bottom rank of nobility, a baronetcy,
and assigned the area two seats in Parliament—because of
beer. Now Queen's Crawley is a run-down country estate run
by a careless baronet.
As John, the Sedleys' groom, drives Becky to the Crawleys'
London house, she imagines the kind of man a baronet must
be—refined and elegant. At the house, a sloppily dressed,
poorly groomed man grudgingly helps her with her trunk, and
leads her into a grungy room. She is shocked to learn the
baronet is Sir Pitt Crawley, a man of poor appearance who
speaks in a low-class dialect. Crawley supplements his income
by bringing (and winning) lawsuits, and expects Becky to assist
him. For now, he sends her to bed, remarking, "It's a big bed …
Lady Crawley died in it." Becky inspects every cupboard and
drawer of the large room for information about the family. Early
the next morning, they take a coach to Queen's Crawley, and
Becky notices that Sir Pitt refuses to tip the driver.
Analysis
The long flashback to Swishtail Seminary not only introduces
William Dobbin, but also reveals much about George Osborne's
character. Even as a child, George displays the class snobbery
that marks so many of the novel's characters. When Dobbin
comes to his defense, George is "rather ashamed of his
champion." He'd almost rather take Cuff's bullying than be
associated with Dobbin. Their subsequent friendship is more a
matter of George letting Dobbin admire him. Even in young
adulthood, having seen Dobbin in capable service, George
downplays his friend's merits. Dobbin's father, the grocer, is
now a wealthy alderman (an elected city leader and an
example of the increasing power of the middle class), but he
still isn't a gentleman. As the novel progresses, readers
become aware that George's snobbishness also reveals his
insecurities. The class above his—the nobility—is much more
remote than his is from Dobbin's. Dobbin's father may be agrocer, but George's is a merchant—both are commercial
professions. The question of who is truly a gentleman or a lady
is a theme throughout the novel.
Chapter 5 also gives the narrator an opportunity to comment
on the education of children. Swishtail Seminary is a
fictionalized version of Charterhouse, a boys' school William
Makepeace Thackeray attended as a child. The names and
people and places in the novel carry a little extra meaning. The
headmaster at Charterhouse took every opportunity to whip
the students—to swish their tails. The endemic bullying and
discipline common in schools for boys leads the narrator to
comment, "If people would but leave children to themselves; if
teachers would cease to bully them … small harm would
accrue."
Chapter 5 makes clear how large and intrusive a role the
narrator plans to take in the novel. Not only does he narrate all
events, comment often on characters' behavior, and offer
social critiques, he also actively engages and even scolds
readers about their habits and expectations. The narrator is
hardly a detached observer, omnisciently relating characters'
thoughts and feelings. His is the dominant voice, and he often
gets right in the middle of the story. The narrator gets in sly
digs at writers of potboilers (an inferior work of art or literature
created merely to put food on the table) as he teases readers
about their preferences. This interruption is only one comic
device the narrator uses to suspend readers, delaying the
moment when Becky Sharp's plan is shattered. Unnecessary
character descriptions and interactions also postpone the
climax of this section as well. For example, the narrator
suggests that Jos Sedley's fast heartbeat might signify his
attraction to Becky or simply his unfitness, as an obese man, to
stroll through a garden.
Chapter 7 further develops the theme of what makes a
gentleman or a lady. Beyond the fact that the Crawleys are
noble merely because Queen Elizabeth I enjoyed a beer one
day, Sir Pitt disappoints Becky in every way as a baronet. In
addition to his sloppy appearance and poor diction, he is vulgar
and stingy. Even the choice to take a public coach to Queen's
Crawley speaks to his miserliness. Sir Pitt and Becky aren't
dissimilar, although this is disguised by the differences in their
manners and speech. Both grasp and wring every advantage
out of a situation, and both are driven by fear of want. In
addition, both lack the respect of the house's servants. Becky
had ingratiated herself with the Sedleys' servants initially, but
when she leaves, they are glad to see her go. They believe she

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stole many little things from the Sedleys (though Amelia Sedley
insists Becky's stash is a result of gifts). The servants also
resent that a girl not much above their own social rank set her
sights on Jos. It's an insult to the family, and thus to them.
Every social stratum depicted in the novel has its own
substrata—every person demands his or her own level of
respect.
The prominent presence of servants, however, implies
something hypocritical about Becky's "poverty." She cannot
live a life of leisure because of her poverty, and Amelia pities
her, but the servants who support these leisurely lives work
hard, and they are not pitied or considered "poor."
Chapters 8–11
Summary
Chapter 8: Private and Confidential
In this chapter, readers hear Becky Sharp's voice for more than
a few sentences at a time as she writes a long letter to her
"dearest, sweetest Amelia," detailing life at Queen's Crawley.
She opens by contrasting her lonely isolation to the happiness
of being near Amelia Sedley and sharing her happy days in
London. Then she paints an unattractive picture of the
Crawleys. Sir Pitt Crawley's estate is large and rich with timber,
but he manages it with an iron fist. He even orders his
manager, Mr. Hodson, to whip two little boys collecting fallen
branches. Sir Pitt's younger brother, Reverend Bute Crawley, is
the estate's parson. Sir Pitt wishes his brother would hurry up
and die so he can stop giving him his tithe of crops. The
mansion is old-fashioned and gloomy, and Sir Pitt won't allow
anyone the expense of a candle after 11 p.m., yet he also won't
allow anyone to open the shutters.
Sir Pitt's second wife is Rose Dawson, now Lady Crawley. Lady
Crawley and her daughters, Rosalind and Violet, are all thin,
pale, and quiet. Sir Pitt's older son, also named Pitt Crawley, is
a pious, snobby man who largely ignores Becky. At dinner, Pitt
tries to add a refined air to the scene, but Sir Pitt's insistence
on hearing his butler tell which sheep provided the mutton
makes it difficult to raise the tone. By the time the lengthy
evening prayers are said, Sir Pitt is clearly drunk, and everyoneretires. The narrator closes the chapter by reminding readers
that while Becky is clearly smart and funny, she is an inhabitant
of Vanity Fair, where "all sorts of humbugs and falsenesses
and pretentions" are common.
Chapter 9: Family Portraits
The narrator gives more information about the Crawleys in this
chapter. Sir Pitt's first wife was a lady of nobility whom he
hated, so when he married again, he chose a tradesman's
daughter. Families of wealth who hoped to marry into the
estate resent the second Lady Crawley. Her parents' common
friends envy her, and the Crawleys themselves snub her as
beneath them. Alone and lacking Becky's rebellious spirit, Lady
Crawley is a "mere machine in her husband's house." Had she
but stayed away from the enticements of Vanity Fair, however,
she could have been a cheerful, lively wife. Her daughters at
least find some happiness playing with the servants' children.
Pitt Crawley, having recently completed his university training,
is too staid and proper, but at least imposes some discipline in
his father's slipshod household. It is his idea to hire a
governess and to train the staff in polite ways. His younger
brother, Rawdon, often beat him up at school, but now he is
becoming a country gentleman and dabbles in politics. A
deeply religious man, Pitt subjects the household to long
sermons and prayers daily, and hopes to take his father's seat
in Parliament soon. The second seat has been sold because
the estate is poor.
Sir Pitt is a tireless but careless owner, whose various
attempts to shore up the estate often fail because of
incompetence and mistrust. Nowhere in England is there a
"more cunning, mean, selfish, foolish, disreputable old man," the
narrator insists as he muses that in Vanity Fair, a man like this
is "a dignitary of the land, and a pillar of the state." Finally, the
narrator gives the portrait of Sir Pitt's sister, Miss Matilda
Crawley, a wealthy spinster whose will is not settled, and
hence is the family favorite wherever she goes.
Chapter 10: Miss Sharp Begins to Make
Friends
Stung by her failure with Jos Sedley, Becky studies the
Crawleys, and begins to ingratiate herself with each family
member. She ignores the passive Lady Crawley and lets her

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daughters do what they like, whether reading French plays or
picking berries. She gratifies Pitt's desire to be admired and
respected by complimenting his political writings. But Becky
works hardest to win over Sir Pitt, serving as his secretary,
playing backgammon with him, and gradually displacing John
Horrocks as his confidante. She is careful not to offend the
servants, either—she learned this hard lesson at the Sedleys'
house. She also learns that Pitt and Rawdon despise each
other, and take care not to be home at the same time. Rawdon,
a soldier and man of action, is the favorite nephew of Matilda
Crawley, Sir Pitt's wealthy half-sister. She paid for his years at
Cambridge University and when he was expelled, bought his
military commission. She finds Pitt a pious prig, and he deems
her a godless libertine. Matilda is indeed radical in her beliefs, a
consumer of French political philosophy, and a free spirit.
Chapter 11: Arcadian Simplicity
This chapter mixes narrative with letters and introduces Mrs.
Bute Crawley—sometimes known as Martha—the Reverend
Bute Crawley's wife, and a woman on a mission (namely, to
inherit a chunk of Miss Matilda Crawley's money). Bute
Crawley is a large, outdoorsy man, popular among his flock as
an avid hunter and gambler. He preaches sermons his wife
writes for him, and lives large, dining with friends often, which
suits Mrs. Bute Crawley because it spares their budget. She's a
savvy manager, yet Bute's gambling debts keep outrunning her
careful planning. Mrs. Crawley has spent years plying Sir Pitt's
servants with good ale and other treats to keep up with what is
going on at the estate, so she soon learns of Becky's success
at inserting herself into the family's life. Worried that the "artful
hussy" will woo Sir Pitt, Mrs. Crawley writes a flattering letter to
Miss Jemima Pinkerton, bringing up fond memories of her own
years at Chiswick, and asks advice for a friend who wants to
hire a governess, like the one her brother-in-law just hired. Miss
Pinkerton takes the bait and writes a quick reply, to which she
adds a postscript about Becky, about whom she has "nothing
to say of her disfavor," except that her appearance is
distasteful, her parentage is disgraceful, and while she is
talented and thus far correct in her behavior, her improper
mother, the opera-dancer, may have passed down her poor
morals to Becky.
Becky also writes a letter to Amelia about recent events at
"Humdrum Hall," her nickname for boring Queen's Crawley,
where each day is "like its neighbor." Lady Crawley is ill, and
the doctor who attends her becomes smitten with Becky andproposes. She rejects him harshly because she is aiming much
higher, she hints. But some excitement has come to the
mansion at last with the arrival of Miss Matilda Crawley. When
Miss Crawley is in town, the family hosts dinner parties and
outings, and everyone is on his or her best behavior. "What a
charming reconciler and peace maker money is!" Becky writes
sarcastically. Even Miss Crawley knows the attention lavished
on her is a front, but she enjoys it nevertheless. And Captain
Rawdon Crawley has arrived, too, to visit his aunt. Tall,
generous, and talkative, he entertains friends and insists on
dancing with Becky. Becky closes her letter by hinting that the
gowns Amelia gave her are wearing out.
The narrator takes over again as the chapter closes to report
that as they returned to the Rectory, Mr. and Mrs. Bute
Crawley express their contempt for Rawdon and their hope
that Miss Crawley will die soon. They discuss their children's
futures anxiously, despairing at the thought that a scoundrel
like Rawdon might inherit the fortune. Meanwhile, Becky
ingratiates herself with Miss Crawley, who enjoys long gossip
sessions and makes the revolutionary argument that birth and
merit are unrelated—music to Becky's ears. Becky and Rawdon
take long walks to the Rectory, run into each other surprisingly
often, and raise Sir Pitt's suspicions. But Horrocks assures his
employer that "Miss Sharp's a match" for Rawdon, and the
narrator comments, "And so, in truth, she was—for father and
son too."
Analysis
Chapter 9 gives readers a break from the powerful narrator's
voice, and allows William Makepeace Thackeray to reveal a
good deal about the state of affairs at Queen's Crawley.
Readers meet Pitt Crawley, the eldest son and heir, a prissy
particular man who bullies those around him in a completely
different manner from his father. They also meet the shadow
of a woman who is Lady Crawley. They see that the people
with whom Sir Pitt Crawley is most comfortable are his
employees and servants, who willingly carry out his hard-
handedness. But readers also learn more about Becky Sharp.
They observe how she shapes her words not merely to report
information, but to manipulate her audience. She appeals to
Amelia Sedley's softhearted pity. She works in a dig at John,
the groom, for his impudent behavior. She hints at Amelia's
hopes of marrying George Osborne. She holds back any
comment on Jos Sedley until her closing lines, where she asks
about his health and scolds, "O dear! How men should beware

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of wicked punch!" Her intent is to rouse Amelia's pity on her
behalf. And readers will notice she hasn't completely given up
on Jos.
However, the narrator doesn't let Becky have the last word. He
warns readers not to buy too much into her carefully drafted
letter, which laughs at the Crawleys as characters whose
power to do harm is minor. "My rascals," he assures readers,
"are no milk-and-water rascals," and he asks permission to
leave the narrator's platform and take the most "wicked and
heartless" among them to task. He begins to do this in the next
chapter, especially in his long description of the deplorable Sir
Pitt Crawley, who beats his thin, sad wife, and who has a
tangled relationship with his older son, from whose inheritance
Sir Pitt has had to borrow money to keep the estate afloat.
The narrator's willingness to criticize characters continues in
Chapter 10, titled "Miss Sharp Begins to Make Friends." She is
not making friends but learning to manipulate her environment
to her best advantage, again motivated by fear of poverty. She
thinks it's unjust that "that little pink-faced chit Amelia" is well-
off, while she, with such a better figure and mind, must
struggle. Yet the narrator maintains his ambivalence about
Becky, whose past experience has led to a self-centered
prudence and who, he says again, has no mother to guide her.
When Miss Matilda Crawley and Rawdon Crawley arrive at the
estate, Becky has her best shot so far at marrying up. In
Chapter 11, money is not an undercurrent but a river flowing
through all the characters' plans. Sir Pitt needs to shore up the
estate. Pitt wants to take the second seat in Parliament,
impossible as long as selling it is bringing in yearly income.
Reverend Bute Crawley and Mrs. Bute Crawley worry about
their son at college, their son at military school, and their four
unattractive daughters. Rawdon is a generous man, spreading
tips around and spending freely, but he also has gambling
debts. And Becky has nothing—not enough money to replace
her worn clothing. These are practical, material concerns, the
narrator acknowledges, but they have spiritual consequences.
Money transactions are "speculations in life and death … silent
battles" fought by inhabitants of Vanity Fair as they grasp for
more.
Chapters 12–14Summary
Chapter 12: Quite a Sentimental Chapter
The narrator takes leave of Becky Sharp's story and brings the
narrative back to Amelia Sedley in London. He acknowledges
that many readers don't find Amelia's story as compelling as
Becky's, but believes there is interest to be found in the way
she is treated by others on the merits of her looks and
personality. George Osborne's sisters treat Amelia with
condescension because they believe she is stupid, which, in
turn, causes Amelia to act accordingly, out of boredom. Amelia,
for her part, finds George's sisters dull and dreary. The
narrator reveals that their treatment of Amelia stems from
resentment for stealing their brother's attention away from
them. William Dobbin decides not to tell George's sisters that
Amelia is often waiting around for George forlornly while he
plays billiards with his friends, and that as a consequence her
life is full of loneliness and waiting. When Amelia visits
George's sisters, she can't bring herself to tell them of her
troubles. Soon it is revealed that George's army regiment will
not be ordered to service, because peace has been declared,
and Amelia is ecstatic. Her ideas about love and marriage are
idealistic and impractical, and she thinks of nothing but how
marvelous, handsome, and clever her fiancé is. For his part,
when George is off duty he spends his time socializing with his
family and friends, and frequently brushes Amelia off. His
responses to Amelia's voluminous letters are "short and
soldierlike," but she doesn't seem to notice or care.
Chapter 13: Sentimental and Otherwise
George could not care less about Amelia's fawning, lengthy
love letters, going so far as to light his cigar with one of them.
He tries to keep their relationship a secret from his friends—he
has a reputation as a ladies' man, and because he is revered
and respected, he wants to keep it that way. His secrecy
causes much speculation around who is sending him all the
letters, until one day Dobbin accidentally reveals that Amelia is
the one George is engaged to, waxing on about her wonderful
qualities to the incredulous men. When George finds out, he
and Dobbin get into an argument, and Dobbin asks if he is
ashamed to be engaged to Amelia. He encourages George not
to take her for granted. George admits he does love Amelia but
wants to have more fun before he must settle down and be

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married. Dobbin tells him to go and comfort her, or at the very
least write her a long letter. He offers George some money to
buy her a gift, but George gets distracted and buys himself a
diamond shirt pin instead. When he finally visits Amelia, all is
forgiven, because she only wants his company and attention.
The narrator notes that George still has some wild oats to sow
and that Amelia would not do well as a soldier's wife.
Once again, George abandons Amelia to his sisters' company,
while he spends his one free day in town with his friends.
Amelia is forced to eat dinner alone with George's sisters and
their coarse, intimidating father. When George finally shows up,
he neglects Amelia yet again in favor of spending time with his
father. The senior Osborne quizzes George on his feelings for
Amelia, and encourages him to aim higher in marriage than a
stockbroker's daughter, despite the fact he arranged the
marriage with Amelia's father years ago. Mr. John Osborne
reveals that Amelia's father may not be doing well financially,
which is the basis of his concern. He tells George that he'll
"have no lame duck's daughter in my family." Strangely enough,
this conversation causes George to become considerably
more tender toward Amelia, although the narrator is uncertain
whether this is because he feels bad for her, or because the
idea of losing her has made him value her more.
Chapter 14: Miss Crawley at Home
Miss Matilda Crawley arrives at Park Lane, feeling unwell.
Rawdon Crawley rides up from the Knightsbridge Barracks
where he is stationed to check in on her. He catches a glimpse
of Becky in an upstairs window while he is outside, and
wonders who she is. That evening Becky eats her dinner with
Miss Briggs, a good friend and companion of Miss Crawley.
Miss Briggs is upset by Miss Crawley's illness, and despondent
that Miss Crawley refuses to see her. Becky hints she is able to
take better care of Miss Crawley herself, but she very much
wants to be Miss Briggs's friend. Later, Miss Briggs laments to
Mrs. Firkin that she has been replaced by Becky in Miss
Crawley's affections. Mrs. Firkin is certain Becky has
bewitched everyone. For her part, Becky makes light of Miss
Briggs' grief to Miss Crawley, who finds it funny. The doctors
and her family are shocked at her abrupt recovery—Rawdon
Crawley and other family members were beginning to suspect
she might die.
Rawdon takes leave in order to stay with Miss Crawley, and
soon finds himself smitten with Becky. He confides his feelingsto Miss Crawley who teases him about it but warns him not to
lead Becky on. He soon realizes that his father has also
developed feelings for Becky. He tells Becky what he has
learned, and she scoffs at him for thinking she didn't already
know, and that she doesn't know how to handle herself. The
narrator ponders whether or not Miss Crawley has realized
Becky might have ulterior motives—that she isn't nursing her
back to health out of the kindness of her heart. Regardless,
Miss Crawley lavishes Becky with gifts and intimate
confidences.
When Miss Crawley feels well enough to go on drives, she
takes Becky with her to Mr. John Sedley's house. The narrator
notes that in the passing months Becky and Amelia's friendship
has withered, while each has gone on with their lives. When
they see each other again it's as though something has shifted,
despite outward appearances. Later, Rawdon recalls that he
knows Amelia's fiancé, George Osborne, as a social-climbing
dupe who loses large sums at gambling, and plans to invite him
over. Becky invites Amelia over on the same day, even though
the dinner is just for the men. When George sees Becky, he
attempts to make a patronizing, grand gesture of being her
friend, but Becky beats him to the punch by offering him
nothing other than her right forefinger, and a "cool and killing"
nod. She also manages to insult George's patronizing behavior,
and his sisters for never having acknowledged her as Amelia's
friend. George is shocked by what a fool Becky makes of him,
and flees so that Amelia will not witness it. George confides in
Rawdon that he believes Becky is dangerous and "a desperate
flirt," accusations Becky finds out quickly, which only deepen
her disregard for George. George tells Amelia he has warned
Rawdon about Becky, and Amelia, who has noticed something
secretive between Becky and Rawdon, is horrified. Meanwhile,
Sir Pitt Crawley is widowed once more when his wife dies, and
the narrator claims, "Her heart was dead long before her body."
Sir Pitt visits Becky at Miss Crawley's and begs her to return,
telling her that everything is in disarray without her and he
wants her to be his new wife—he doesn't care about her
background. Becky, uncharacteristically agitated and in tears,
confesses that she is already married.
Analysis
Chapters 12–14 begin to amplify some of the quiet tensions
between Amelia Sedley and the Osbornes. George Osborne's
sisters treat Amelia with disdain, and it is clear George is not as
invested in Amelia as she is in him. Their treatment of Amelia

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only serves to highlight her sweet, innocent nature, contrasting
her yet again to Becky Sharp's manipulative tendencies.
Amelia's strong feelings for George also demonstrate the
tension between marrying for love and marrying for financial
reasons. Although Amelia and George's marriage is arranged,
Amelia seems to be the only one unaware of the financial
motives behind it, and so her sentiments surrounding George
seem amplified. Her idolization of George reveals her to be
incredibly naive, and the narrator does his best to cause the
reader to wince whenever she defends his behavior. Through
Amelia, it is clear that romantic, unselfish love is not a viable
solution to the problems of status-obsessed Vanity Fair.
Amelia comes across as gullible, not noble.
The narrator hints that one reason the Osborne sisters treat
Amelia with such disdain is because the purity of her feelings
for George makes them uncomfortable, and makes them all-
too-aware that their own marriages will likely be for financial
gain. Here, the narrator highlights yet again the "business
transaction quality" of marriage in the novel. For his part,
George shows himself to fall on the callous side of the
equation, taking Amelia for granted and treating her attention
as something he is entitled to ignore. He even tells Dobbin in
Chapter 13 regarding Amelia: "There's no fun in winning a thing
unless you play for it." George's feelings for Amelia are only
stoked when he realizes he might lose her. The narrator
ponders whether "the idea of losing the dear little prize made
him value it more?" If this is the case, then George's deepening
feelings for Amelia aren't sincere. William Makepeace
Thackeray teases out yet another contrast between George
and Dobbin, who is as tenderhearted and attentive as Amelia.
Sadly, Amelia doesn't care for Dobbin at all romantically. Many
of Thackeray's characters serve as foils to one another,
highlighting their extreme contrasts in a way that exaggerates
their good and bad qualities. With the possible exception of
Dobbin, the narrator leaves no character unscathed in showing
their unflattering side.
When the financial ruin of the Sedleys is brought to light,
Thackeray highlights that despite any romantic feelings,
financial motivations are never too far from the heart of any
marriage "transaction." Mr. Osborne cares little for how his son
or Amelia might feel when he insists that George break off the
engagement. The complicated relationship between George
and his father is echoed in the Crawleys' relationships, in which
a thin facade of civility masks the financial concerns of
everyone involved. None of the Crawleys seems to like each
other very much unless they are maneuvering their way intoMiss Crawley's good graces to get a piece of her inheritance
when she dies.
Becky's maneuvering to get herself close to Miss Crawley is
seen at once by the reader—and also by a few of the
characters around her—although she always seems to be able
to outsmart them. And although Becky's manipulation of the
situation is clear, her cleverness and agile maneuvering are, in
their way, admirable and winning—perhaps especially because
the people she manipulates aren't particularly worthy or good.
When Sir Pitt Crawley proposes to her, her upset over the
situation seems to be valid; while the narrator doesn't explain
why in this scene, we will soon learn that she was bitterly
disappointed to miss the opportunity for such an advantageous
marriage. Becky also establishes herself as a formidable
opponent to George in Chapter 14, and the two seem to be the
only characters who see each other for who they
are—something that only causes their suspicion of one another
to be raised.
Chapters 15–18
Summary
Chapter 15: In Which Rebecca's
Husband Appears for a Short Time
Sir Pitt Crawley is indignant at Becky Sharp's revelation that
she is already married, and asks, "Who'd ever go to marry you
without a shilling to your fortune?" Becky grows emotional, and
tells Sir Pitt she is still grateful to him for everything he has
done for her and to "let me be your daughter"—important and
foretelling words. He speculates that perhaps Becky's husband
has left her, and softens a bit toward her, telling her she can
still be the governess for his children. At that moment Miss
Matilda Crawley enters, having been informed of Sir Pitt's
proposal by Mrs. Firkin and Miss Briggs, who were
eavesdropping. Miss Crawley is confused to discover Becky
has turned down the proposal, and asks her if she doesn't think
their family is good enough for her to marry into. Neither Sir
Pitt nor Becky repeat the revelation that she is already married.
Miss Crawley posits that Becky must be in love with someone
else, and sets to find out who it is. Becky tells her she couldn't
accept Sir Pitt's proposal because of his age, not to mention

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the fact they haven't even held a funeral for his recently
deceased wife yet. Miss Crawley doesn't quite buy Becky's
excuse, and probes further to find out who the real object of
her affections is. Becky admits there is some truth to this, but
that she can't reveal whom just yet. By herself, Rebecca quietly
vents her frustration at having lost the opportunity to be "my
lady": she couldn't have known Lady Crawley would die so
soon. Once she is alone again, Becky pens a letter to Rawdon
Crawley telling him what has transpired, and to meet her the
next day "in the usual place"—for it is he to whom she is
married.
Chapter 16: The Letter on the
Pincushion
The narrator claims that "how [Rawdon and Becky] were
married is not of the slightest consequence to anybody,"
because where there is a will, there is a way. He also points out
that many men of high stations have fallen in love with their
cooks, maids, and governesses before. According to the
narrator, Rawdon's decision to marry Becky is actually one of
the most honest acts of his life. For his part, Rawdon, deeply
infatuated and pliable by nature, immediately agrees to follow
Becky's lead in revealing their marriage to everyone. At dinner,
Miss Crawley reassures Becky she can stay on with her
indefinitely, and that there is no need to return to Sir Pitt's
service. The two women have a close and happy evening, and
the narrator says that if Rebecca and Rawdon had begged
Miss Matilda Crawley for forgiveness at that moment, they
would have received it instantly. The next morning, the maid
discovers a note left in Becky's room. Miss Briggs reads the
letter, in which Becky reveals that she is married to Rawdon
and has gone to be with him. She also begs Miss Briggs to
break the news to Miss Crawley. Mrs. Bute Crawley arrives just
in time to hear the news, and claims she has always believed
that Becky was "an artful little hussy." After Miss Crawley
enters the drawing room, Martha breaks the news of Becky's
letter to her, but Miss Crawley can hardly fathom it and grows
hysterical, taking to her bed. Sir Pitt Crawley flies into a rage
when he finds out, and Rawdon asks Becky, in their new
lodgings, what will happen if Miss Crawley doesn't forgive
them. She promises him, "I'LL make your fortune."Chapter 17: How Captain Dobbin Bought
a Piano
An estate sale auction takes place at the home of the Sedleys,
who have recently vacated it and whose property is being sold
off—although the actual location only gradually becomes clear.
Dobbin is in attendance and spies Becky and Rawdon together
nearby, causing him to feel surprised and disappointed. He
outbids them on a piano, despite the fact he doesn't know how
to play one. Meanwhile, Amelia's father, Mr. John Sedley,
declares bankruptcy. Miss Matilda Crawley has yet to forgive
Rawdon and Becky, and refuses their letters and visits. Becky
has her own private reservations about Rawdon's level of
intelligence but keeps it to herself, feigning complete interest
in his stories and jokes. The narrator notes that "the best of
women … are hypocrites," hiding their true thoughts and
feelings in order to keep the peace.
Chapter 18: Who Played on the Piano
Captain Dobbin Bought
Amelia's preoccupation with George continues. Her mother
observes that he and the Osbornes have been neglecting
Amelia since the news and is determined to throw a party to
show they can keep up. Suddenly Mr. Sedley breaks the news
of his bankruptcy to her and is surprised when instead of
getting angry, she consoles him. However, she realizes the
news will break Amelia's heart. Amelia, for her part, has the
nagging sensation that George is perhaps more selfish and
indifferent than she gives him credit for. One of Mr. Sedley's
most ferocious creditors is also none other than George's
father, who also decides to break off George and Amelia's
engagement. Amelia is heartbroken, and the narrator advises
ladies to "be shy of loving frankly" if they want to be respected,
and to "have a virtuous character in Vanity Fair."
Meanwhile, Dobbin defends Amelia's honor and character to
his sisters, who mock his affection for her. Before they can
worry too much about whether Dobbin will propose to Amelia,
news breaks that Napoleon has escaped from Elba, and
Dobbin and George are called to battle. George shows Dobbin
the letters and gifts Amelia was forced to return to him, and
Dobbin is overcome with emotion by her sweet nature. Dobbin
had gifted Amelia the piano he bought at the auction, which
she believed came from George. For his part, George feels a

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pang of guilt for not appreciating Amelia enough while they
were engaged. He writes her a letter asking to see her, and
calling her his dearest love and wife, and delivers it to her
house in person.
Analysis
Chapters 15–18 deepen William Makepeace Thackeray's aim to
show the double-faced nature of many of Vanity Fair's
inhabitants. The stratified lines of society and class divide
deeply, and the inherent tension is never too far below the
surface of each character's actions and motivations, despite
how they might outwardly behave in order to get ahead. The
revelation that Rawdon Crawley has married Becky Sharp is a
shock and betrayal to the Crawleys, a scandal of huge
proportion due to her low standing in society as a governess.
Although the reader is well aware of Becky's manipulations to
gain access to the Crawley family and its social standing, the
narrator also hints that her determination is to be admired—she
has done what she set out to do, almost flawlessly. Moreover,
the entire episode reveals their hypocrisy, for Miss Matilda
Crawley has repeatedly insisted that birth and status are
meaningless, and Sir Pitt Crawley himself was willing to marry
his governess. Always thinking ahead, Becky even anticipates
Miss Crawley's rejection and has planned long-term on how to
win her back over. She believes that based on the foundation
she laid with Miss Crawley when she took care of her—and the
fact that Rawdon is her favorite heir—she will certainly leave
her estate to them.
The narrator reveals quite plainly that Becky has not entirely
married for love when it comes to Rawdon. Although she is
affectionate and in ways seems fond, her private dismissal of
his "lack of brains" is disdainful, as is her assumption that she
will have to do all the heavy lifting of social and financial
maneuvering. There is also no doubt that, despite being cut off
from Miss Crawley's fortune, Becky leads a more privileged life
with Rawdon than she did before. Rawdon, while not rich, is a
gentleman's son who can buy on credit, and is so in awe of her
wit and charm that he will do whatever she tells him to. The
narrator pays Rawdon, who is genial but also uses gambling to
fleece people (and isn't very concerned about the welfare of
others) a backhanded insult disguised as a compliment when
he notes that "Rawdon's marriage was one of the honestest
actions which we shall have to record in any portion of that
gentleman's biography." When their marriage is revealed,
Becky's true remorse at not being able to marry Sir Pittbecomes clearer—had she been able to accept Sir Pitt's
proposal she would have had a title (Rawdon, as a younger
son, will not inherit baronetcy or property) and been able to live
a much more comfortable existence than the one she will have
to fight for with Rawdon.
After the Sedleys' bankruptcy is revealed, the narrator
demonstrates how money is the main lens through which
characters in Vanity Fair view each other. Mr. John Sedley
becomes blacklisted from his social and business circles,
making it nearly impossible for him to regain any financial
footing. Mr. John Osborne wastes no time in abandoning his
old friend, and spreading harsh rumors about him in order to
justify George ending his engagement to Amelia. It is only
through Dobbin's involvement that George is convinced to
marry Amelia—a situation all the more heartbreaking for the
fact that it is Dobbin who is so tenderly in love with Amelia. His
concern for her is one of pure altruism and sacrifice—although
it is not flawless, either, because he encourages her marriage
to George, someone he knows to be unworthy and selfish. For
her part, Becky shows little concern for what she knows to be
Amelia Sedley's family's financial undoing, even bidding on their
auctioned-off goods. Perhaps even this one friendship of
Becky's was never more than a self-serving strategy.
Finally, Thackeray begins to set Vanity Fair against the
historical backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, and places each
character in contrast with it. How each character deals with
the revelations and outcomes of the war reveals a great deal
about their personality.
Chapters 19–22
Summary
Chapter 19: Miss Crawley at Nurse
Mrs. Bute Crawley installs herself at Miss Matilda Crawley's
London home as her nurse and confidante, part of her
campaign to divert part of the family fortune to her numerous
sons and daughters. Miss Briggs and Mrs. Firkin, who have
long been in Miss Crawley's pay as trusted household spies,
are glad to assist Mrs. Bute and spurn Rawdon Crawley, who
has always treated these servants with disdain (so did Miss

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Crawley, to be fair, but Rawdon gladly joined in).
Mrs. Bute fears Miss Crawley will miss Rawdon and Becky
Sharp (whose liveliness and charm she enjoys)—Mrs. Bute's
own children are hardly charming or entertaining, she admits.
So, she insists Miss Crawley is very ill and isolates her in her
bed, overmedicating and coddling her, and reading her
religious tracts that cause her to fear death. Mrs. Bute wishes
her husband, Reverend Bute Crawley, were a clever man who
could preach Miss Crawley into disowning Rawdon in favor of
her children, but she does her best to remind Miss Crawley of
every bad thing Rawdon has ever done. Some events she
relates are true enough to condemn Rawdon, but Mrs. Bute
also invents new sins for the young man. She speaks often of
Becky's low birth and immoral behavior, going so far as to get
letters and other documents from Miss Jemima Pinkerton. Her
sleuthing yields a summary judgment against Becky and
Rawdon, "a lost woman … married to a lost man."
But Mrs. Bute overreaches and nearly drives Miss Crawley to a
premature death with her nursing and informing. The
apothecary (a person who prepares and sells medicines), Mr.
Clump, and Dr. Squills warn her to ease off, to let Miss Crawley
have fresh air and company. But Mrs. Bute worries Miss
Crawley might see Rawdon if she goes out in her carriage, and
tells Mr. Clump, "She shall not go out as long as I remain to
watch over her." Mr. Clump grasps the situation and warns Mrs.
Bute that Miss Crawley won't live long enough to revise her will.
Later that evening, Clump and Squills talk over wine and
predict Miss Crawley will die within months if the "little harpy …
from Hampshire" keeps nursing her.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Bute approaches Miss Crawley directly about
revising her will and, rebuffed again by the terrified old lady,
decides she must take her out for fresh air to raise her
spirits—perhaps to church, where Rawdon and Becky aren't
likely to be seen. They finally tour the suburbs, but Mrs. Bute
can't quit her campaign, and talks nonstop about Rawdon's evil
ways. Secretly, Miss Crawley considers Mrs. Bute her
tormentor and wants to get away from her. But when they do
see Rawdon and Becky out driving one day, Miss Crawley
spurns her nephew's greeting, and triumphant Mrs. Bute
decides a holiday at the seaside resort of Brighton might cheer
up Miss Crawley.Chapter 20: In Which Captain Dobbin
Acts as the Messenger of Hymen
William Dobbin, oddly enough, is the reason Amelia finally
marries George Osborne—although he dislikes facing this
bitter fact. Dobbin accepts the painful duty of acting as go-
between for Hymen, god of marriage in Greek mythology,
because he believes Amelia will otherwise die of heartbreak.
Amelia is happy to be in George's arms again, while George
accepts her worshipful love, "Sultan as he was," as his due. But
Amelia's parents are opposed to her marrying George. Mrs.
Sedley promotes the match, but she fears Mr. Sedley's hatred
of Mr. John Osborne means he would "never, never, never,
never consent." Dobbin suspects Mr. Osborne will be the
greater obstacle, and hints that Amelia and George could
elope as Becky and Rawdon did. Or perhaps George will
distinguish himself in combat and impress his father.
Dobbin seeks out Mr. John Sedley at a coffee shop that serves
as his temporary office. Sedley is changed—worn down, bitter,
and slovenly dressed. He greets Dobbin as if the captain were
his superior, and complains that Napoleon has destroyed his
investments and his life. Dobbin assures him the army will take
care of Napoleon once and for all, and Sedley turns his bilious
anger against Osborne, the "purse-proud villain" he once aided
and now longs to see ruined. Dobbin insists George is as
affectionate toward the Sedleys as ever, unlike his father, and
urges Mr. Sedley not to oppose the marriage, which will
proclaim to the world the falseness of the rumors Osborne has
spread about Sedley. The chance to get back at his enemy
through this marriage appeals to Mr. Sedley.
Meanwhile, George and Amelia enjoy a long, gossipy chat
about Miss Swartz, one of his sisters' friends. A wealthy orphan
and heiress to a Jewish plantation magnate in the West Indies,
Miss Swartz just completed school at Chiswick but is
considered socially ungainly and physically unattractive—it is
implied that she is the daughter of a slave, as she has dark skin
and curly dark hair, which George says is "wool." The "Black
Princess," as George insultingly calls her, surely wears a nose
ring to court. Alert to others' appearances and his own as
always, George complains of having to hobnob with his father's
friends, "money-grubbing vulgarians," rather than with
gentlemen and "men of the world and fashion." Amelia is a
natural lady, he assures her, and Dobbin is glad to find her
happy and singing at the piano when he returns.

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Chapter 21: A Quarrel About an Heiress
Chapter 21 brings to a head the conflict between George and
his father about an appropriate marriage. Mr. Osborne has
pushed his daughters to befriend wealthy Miss Swartz and
now imagines the opportunities marriage to the heiress would
bring his only son, who could quit the army, earn a seat in
Parliament, ennoble the Osborne name by using their
combined incomes to purchase a title, and sire a line of
baronets. He uses his connections at the stock exchange to
verify that Miss Swartz's fortune is sound, and promises Mrs.
Haggistoun, Miss Swartz's guardian, a large check as a kind of
dowry, and then orders George to marry the heiress. George,
newly smitten by Amelia's sweet manners and beauty, abhors
the thought of being seen with—much less marrying—the
"mahogany charmer." Father and son clash stubbornly. When
George uses the excuse of deployment to dodge the issue,
Osborne warns some other man will get the prize, and a man
who could receive "ten thousand a year by staying … home,
was a fool to risk his life abroad." They part in anger, but
George is told to show up at Russell Square the next day to
dine with Miss Swartz.
Miss Swartz has already begun to fall for George, a handsome
man whom she romantically imagines harbors "passions,
secrets, and private harrowing griefs." She is already attached
to his sisters, too, and assumes everyone likes her for who she
is, not for her money. George arrives for dinner, having spent
hours in Amelia's company, and is repulsed by the bright-
colored jewelry, dress, and feathers Miss Swartz has worn just
for him. When she learns that Amelia, her friend from school, is
nearby, Miss Swartz is thrilled. However, Mr. Osborne doesn't
allow the Sedley name to be spoken in the house. George
bucks this rule, escorting Miss Swartz to the table as he
gushes over Amelia. Later, in the drawing room, father and son
argue ferociously over Amelia. George defends her and is
injured by his father's public and vicious campaign against the
Sedleys. John Osborne threatens to cut his son off if he
doesn't do what he is told. Captain Osborne leaves his father's
house in a rage, and tells Dobbin he has decided to elope with
Amelia the next day.
Chapter 22: A Marriage and Part of aHoneymoon
Mr. Osborne is confident George will return and obey him
soon—the young man needs his allowance, after all. But days
pass, and April is nearing its end when George, dressed
handsomely but pale and tired, meets Dobbin at the coffee-
house. Dobbin, also well dressed, has been waiting anxiously,
even biting his nails to the quick. They go by carriage through
heavy rain to meet Jos Sedley and then to the church, where
Amelia and Mrs. Sedley await. The narrator claims to have
learned details of the wedding from Dobbin himself. The
ceremony is brief, the guests few; Dobbin sees the newlyweds
off and is soon alone and sadder than he has been since he
was a bullied student at school. The couple honeymoons in
Brighton; Jos goes along on the trip and meets Becky and
Rawdon there. The men dine and ogle girls while Amelia and
Becky shop, and Jos cuts a splendid figure in his fancy clothes
and fine carriage. Amelia shares her concerns about what Mr.
Osborne will do when he learns of the marriage, and Becky
laughs about fooling creditors who chase her and Rawdon
down for payment, because he is still cut off from the family's
money. After some happy days, Dobbin arrives with
unwelcome news: the army is being deployed to Belgium next
week.
Analysis
In Vanity Fair, who knows whom and who can call in favors go
a long way toward material success. The narrator explains
clearly—if cynically—the importance of currying favor with
people high and low, even if it means engaging in white lies or
outright acting. Becky Sharp understands this lesson well, as
does Mrs. Bute Crawley, but Rawdon Crawley, accustomed to
class and gender superiority, does not. The narrator uses two
metaphors in Chapter 19 to describe how the successful
resident of Vanity Fair treats others: parsnips and acorns. He
attacks a proverb—"Fine words butter no parsnips"—by
pointing out how far a few flattering words and generous
gestures, which cost the giver next to nothing, go toward
forming alliances. Life is full of parsnips—bitter moments that
kind words, even if both speaker and hearer know are
insincere, make more palatable. And, the narrator adds, people
must take the long view, like the nobleman who carried acorns
to plant on every bare patch on his grounds: "An acorn costs
nothing; but it may sprout into a prodigious bit of timber." The
narrator is quite direct: ambitious people should praise others

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widely and loudly, in their presence and to others, regardless of
whether they believe what they say. Hypocrisy is useful, and
relationships are transactional in Vanity Fair.
Chapter 19 is also notable for its humorous descriptions of
Mrs. Bute's over-the-top treatment of Miss Matilda Crawley. To
modern sensibilities, her actions cross the line into elder abuse.
She essentially holds Miss Crawley prisoner in her own home,
keeping her just sick enough that she can't revolt. The narrator
classes Mrs. Bute with "managing women" who praise
themselves for their self-sacrifice, but, in fact, are seeking back
channels to control their lives and the lives of others. Becky,
Mrs. Bute, and female characters that readers meet later in the
novel employ these back channels because they are socially
handicapped in the race toward wealth and influence in Vanity
Fair.
Chapters 20, 21, and 22 tell the story of Amelia Sedley and
George Osborne's marriage, an event several characters have
hoped for since the novel's first chapter. Yet these chapters
are anything but happy or romantic. The narrator never lets
readers forget the competing interests of residents in Vanity
Fair, or the flaws of the main characters, which foreshadow
difficult times for the newlyweds and their friends.
Readers notice, for example, that although George appreciates
Amelia more than before, he is in love more with her devoted
affection than with her. When Amelia reunites with George, she
weeps as if she has done wrong and seeks his forgiveness,
with "prostration and sweet unrepining obedience." George's
"soul … thrilled secretly somehow at the knowledge of his
power" over this "slave," and like a wealthy, powerful king,
grants her wish.
The marriage fulfills other functions—most of them
unsavory—for other characters, too. It crushes William Dobbin,
who serves Amelia's happiness, not his own, as a go-between.
To bitter Mr. John Sedley, it's a weapon to wound his enemy,
Mr. John Osborne, deeply and permanently. For George, the
marriage is an affirmation of his independence from his father's
control.
The subject of marriage in general brings out the worst in most
residents of Vanity Fair. It awakens a "great dream of
ambition," for example, in John Osborne. The same desire to
enter the nobility that corrupts George affects his father as
well. His family, name, and future are tied up with marriage, and
his hope that his son will be the first of "a glorious line of
baronets" leads him to feign true regard for wealthy MissSwartz, and to insist that his children share his hypocrisy. The
family's racism is atrocious; Mr. Osborne's willingness to
swallow his contempt to gain Miss Swartz's money makes him
seem even worse. Yet Mr. Osborne, who pushes the marriage
of his son and a woman whom his social circle will never
accept, mocks Rawdon Crawley for marrying a governess, and
maligns Amelia publicly because of her father's financial failure.
Only one criterion matters to Osborne—"no beggar-marriages
in [this] family." Amelia may behave as nicely as a high-born
lady, but her family's poverty trumps her kind and adoring
heart.
Chapter 22 presents a few happy days for the newlyweds and
Jos Sedley in Brighton. Becky and Rawdon live high in
Brighton, renting fine apartments, enjoying the best foods and
wines, and amusing themselves with questionable
entertainments such as billiards and cards. Yet they have no
cash flow—only Rawdon's family name to secure their many
loans, and the hope that Miss Matilda Crawley will soon
welcome her nephew home. They carry off their sham wealth
because Rawdon has "a manly appearance, faultless boots and
clothes, and a happy fierceness of manner" that signal wealth.
What lulls creditors and allows the couple to live so well is
mere force of appearance and the confidence to pull off the
sham without flinching.
Chapters 23–25
Summary
Chapter 23: Captain Dobbin Proceeds
on His Canvass
The narrator observes that even the most reserved person
may become "wise, active, and resolute" when acting on behalf
of someone he cares about. So, William Dobbin brings all his
wits to bear on the problem of informing the Osbornes about
George Osborne and Amelia Sedley's marriage. He
approaches George's sisters, Miss Jane Osborne and Miss
Maria Osborne, because "no woman ever was really angry at a
romantic marriage." Cleverly, he drops in at a ball they're
attending, dances with them, and politely asks Miss Jane if he
can visit Russell Square the next day.

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By the time he arrives the following day, Miss Jane is sure he
intends to propose, and Miss Maria and Miss Wirt (the
governess) eavesdrop by the door. William Dobbin tells Miss
Jane the most charming man in his regiment has just married,
and he is certain she will like his wife when they meet. Miss
Jane thinks Dobbin is easing his way toward a proposal by
bringing up marriage, especially as Dobbin's nervousness
increases. The regiment will travel to Europe any day, he says,
and surely Mr. John Osborne will want a friendly parting with
his son—who knows what may happen during war? And surely
Miss Maria and Miss Jane admire their brother's faithful love
for Amelia, who has done nothing wrong. Miss Jane does feel
sorry for Amelia, but her father will never relent on the subject,
she warns, and after all, good daughters and sons obey their
fathers. Finally, Dobbin blurts out the details of George and
Amelia's wedding, bows, and leaves. He knows Miss Jane and
Miss Maria will get the news out. Right away, Miss Jane, Miss
Maria, and Miss Wirt exclaim over the marriage, admiring
Amelia's pluck. Soon, Frederick Bullock, Miss Maria's beau,
arrives to hear the news. He mocks George for giving up a
fortune, and points out that Miss Maria and Miss Jane now
stand to inherit larger shares of the family's wealth—a thought
that, to their credit, hadn't crossed their minds.
Chapter 24: In Which Mr. Osborne
Takes Down the Family Bible
Burdened by guilt, Dobbin heads to Mr. Osborne's office in the
city to face the harder task—delivering the news and observing
George's father's reaction so he can report back to George.
Mr. Osborne greets Dobbin warmly, convinced he is bringing
George's obedient apologies. He imagines how his son's
marriage to Miss Swartz will increase the family's wealth and
prestige, as he looks at the uncouth "bumpkin" seated across
from him. Dobbin deflates Osborne's triumphant mood,
however, with news of the regiment's imminent departure for "a
tussle which may be fatal to many of us." He urges Osborne to
reconcile with his son before the soldiers deploy. But Osborne
maintains he is in the right. He has spent his life working for his
son's benefit and has given him more than he needs or
deserves, as everyone knows, and he asked for only one
thing—that George marry Miss Swartz. Dobbin counters that
George, as a gentleman, won't marry merely for money and
won't abandon the woman to whom he had long been engaged,
by Osborne and Sedley's doing. The mere mention of Sedley's
name enrages Osborne, whose attack on his enemy and thenon Amelia, "a beggar's girl out of a gutter," rouses Dobbin to
defend her. When Osborne threatens to call for "pistols for
two," Dobbin blurts out the truth: Amelia is Osborne's
daughter-in-law now.
That evening at dinner with his family, Mr. Osborne's foul mood
silences everyone. He orders the place set for George
removed and locks himself in his study, signaling a family crisis.
Rarely does anyone set foot in this room, other than servants
doing his bidding. Osborne takes out boxes containing papers
and mementos from George's childhood—from early
schoolwork and a lock of hair, to receipts and military
paperwork. As Osborne reviews these items, his sense of
outraged betrayal swells. He seals the lot in a storage box and
takes down the family Bible, in which births, christenings, and
deaths have been recorded over the years, and strikes out
George's name. Then he retrieves his will, crumples it, and
burns it. By the time Osborne dispatches a servant with a letter
and goes to bed, it's nearly dawn.
The next day, Dobbin dines with a former commander of the
regiment and other soldiers. The general urges the men to get
their affairs in order and say their farewells, and though Dobbin
immediately thinks of how the deployment will affect Amelia,
he also writes a quick note to Mr. Osborne, passing on the
general's advice. Dobbin comforts some fellow soldiers who
are writing "letters full of love and heartiness, and pluck and
bad spelling" to their mothers, as soldiers and sailors are doing
across England. He thinks of writing to George to let him know
deployment is imminent, but decides to give the newlyweds
one last happy night. The narrator closes this somber chapter
by noting that Miss Jane expects Dobbin to return to Russell
Park and propose to her, but he has his own affairs and familial
farewells to tend to before deployment. Had he proposed, the
narrator suggests, Osborne might have relented, but instead,
Osborne bars Dobbin from his home, and Miss Jane's hopes
are dashed. That evening, Frederick visits Miss Maria but finds
himself instead comforting Osborne, now a "visibly shattered"
man.
Chapter 25: In Which All the Principal
Personages Think Fit to Leave Brighton
When Dobbin returns to Brighton, his love for Amelia forces
him to pretend that all is well, and to withhold the truth about
the danger the regiment faces. But he levels with George, who
has never been tried in combat. As Becky observes Dobbin

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around Amelia, she sees not only that he loves her but that she
thinks little of him, especially compared to gentlemanly George,
and speaks kindly to him only because he has helped George.
Becky also realizes honest and devoted Dobbin is immune to
her charms, and she is fearful of someone she cannot
manipulate, but of course she feigns friendship.
When Dobbin and George talk alone, Dobbin delivers a letter
from Mr. Osborne's lawyer, which explains the "final and
irrevocable" decision not only to disinherit George, but also to
cut him from the family entirely. Osborne won't require George
to repay his extravagant expenses out of the inheritance he
received from his late mother, so he still has a small allowance.
George's response is anger—at Dobbin, for managing things
poorly. It's Dobbin's fault that George is "married and ruined,"
and George refuses to lower his living standards. Dobbin
insists George is "only a dethroned prince" for a while. Mr.
Osborne will likely relent when his son earns honor in battle.
Meanwhile, Becky and Rawdon talk as they dress for dinner.
Amelia's already crying over George's departure, but Becky is
not sad because she will still be with Rawdon, who, as aide-de-
camp (military aide) to General Tufto, won't be in much danger.
She suggests he collect the gambling debts George owes him
before they leave Brighton. She has worked hard to flatter and
tease George to keep him playing cards with Rawdon, who
wins often. Poor Amelia feels the contrast between her demure
demeanor and Becky's attractive sparkle—only a week into
their marriage, she thinks, George already finds her boring.
Amelia feels secretly proud to share George's misfortune with
him, but assures him his father will relent. Vainglorious as ever,
George claims poverty's fine for him, but he worries how she
will bear it. She will have to live in the barracks with common
soldiers' wives! But Amelia accepts it all. Having experienced
bankruptcy, Amelia thinks £2,000 a year is plenty to live on, but
George scoffs at her naïveté.
The young people are lively at dinner until Amelia pieces
together bits of conversation and realizes George is about to
be deployed. To Dobbin's dismay, Amelia insists she will go,
and George says Mrs. O'Dowd can act as her chaperone.
Acting on Becky's orders, Rawdon asks George to pay his
gambling debts to him. Jos Sedley, Dobbin, and George decide
to return to London the next day, but Becky and Rawdon stay
in Brighton because Becky has important news about Miss
Matilda Crawley who, with Miss Briggs, is convalescing
seaside. Mrs. Bute Crawley's medical reign of terror over Miss
Crawley has ended because Reverend Bute Crawley fell fromhis horse and broke his collarbone. Mrs. Bute has returned to
the Rectory to care for him.
Immediately, Miss Crawley's mood, health, and daily life
improve, and Becky knows the time is right for reconciliation.
She meets Miss Briggs on the beach, happy to see her dear
old friend, and shares juicy gossip about the hated Mrs. Bute.
She praises Miss Briggs and Mrs. Firkin's kind care of Miss
Crawley to the skies and takes her leave, assured that Miss
Briggs will tell Miss Crawley everything. She dictates a letter
from Rawdon to Miss Crawley, asking to see her before he
leaves for war, using short sentences so it will sound like
Rawdon wrote it. But Miss Crawley isn't fooled—Rawdon's
actual writing is replete with "bad spelling, and dashes," and
requests for money. She sends Miss Briggs with a note saying
she is willing to meet with Rawdon, but not with Becky. The
meeting takes place outdoors, and Rawdon finds himself
moved by signs of his aunt's recent ill health. He is pleased to
see her again, but doesn't accompany her back to her lodgings.
Becky, scheming to become a baronet's wife after all, screams
over this missed opportunity. Rawdon is not easily angered, but
he appears dangerous as he angrily tells his wife not to call him
a fool.
Miss Crawley is not pleased with Rawdon's appearance. He
seems heavier, aged, and "vulgarized." She dictates a note to
Miss Briggs that addresses Rawdon as "Dear Sir," and pleads
Miss Crawley's poor health as an excuse for not meeting again.
It's a polite lie, yet it's not far from the truth, the narrator says.
She is not long for this world, and knows those who attend her
do so only in hopes of inheriting her fortune. The letter ends
with instructions for Rawdon to stop by Miss Crawley's clerk in
London to pick up a check, a goodbye gesture. When Becky
sees the check is for only £20, she laughs, knowing she has
met her match in conniving.
Analysis
William Dobbin, who seems eternally tasked with performing
actions that bring him total anguish, is the one to have to tell
Mr. John Osborne of George Osborne and Amelia Sedley's
marriage. Mr. Osborne's stubborn and harsh reactions show
him to be someone who cares little about emotions, even when
it comes to his family. Dobbin, for his part, resembles Amelia as
an outlier with no ulterior motives, only a pure heart with
innocent tendencies. When Dobbin and Amelia are contrasted
with the other characters in Vanity Fair , their innocence seems

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almost painful to bear, as they are guided by their emotions
and altruism. However, unlike Amelia, Dobbin sees people as
they really are—with the possible exception of Amelia, whom
he idolizes.
William Makepeace Thackeray only digs the knife deeper when
Amelia doesn't return Dobbin's feelings for her—despite the
fact that their dispositions seem more suited to each other
than to any other couple in the novel. The narrator at times
portrays both Dobbin and Amelia as nearly masochistic in their
ability to succumb to the pain inflicted on them by others—even
offering themselves up, like the role Dobbin plays for George
as his messenger and caretaker of affairs. Through Dobbin and
Amelia, Thackeray highlights the apparent selfishness of nearly
every other character in the novel, making it all the more
apparent.
The mounting military actions against Napoleon serve as a
tense and anticipatory historical backdrop for the characters in
Vanity Fair . Concerns about money are also heightened, and
Becky takes charge with Rawdon in order to avoid their debts,
and worm their way back into Miss Matilda Crawley's good
graces. Yet she seems to have met her match in Miss Crawley,
who sees through her manipulations, down to the letter she
dictates to Rawdon to send. As ever, she is constantly and
vigilantly scanning the horizon for a way to get ahead,
financially and socially. One such instance is her insisting that
Rawdon collect on the bets George has lost to him before they
go off to war, despite knowing George is in dire financial straits
himself. The narrator constantly wavers between portraying
Becky as winningly clever and disturbingly manipulative—the
two seem to coexist within her.
Chapters 26–29
Summary
Chapter 26: Between London and
Chatham
George Osborne, Amelia Sedley, Jos Sedley, and William
Dobbin stay in a lavish hotel on their way back from Brighton,
causing George to grow nervous about the amount of money
they are spending. He turns down Amelia's invitation to visit hermother nearby, which puts her in a sad mood. Mrs. Sedley is
delighted to see Amelia. It's only been nine days since Amelia
left, but "what a gulf lay between her and that past life." Amelia
feels some guilt over taking her parents' kindness for granted
before she was married. The narrator notes that even though
most novelists close the curtain on a couple once they are
married, Amelia can be seen feeling anxious about her past
and uncertain about her future. The narrator also wonders
when she will be able to see the difference between the real
man she married and the "young hero whom she had
worshipped."
George goes to visit his attorneys in the hopes of withdrawing
the last of his inheritance, although he is confident his father
will relent and forgive him before long. Amelia goes shopping
with her mother in anticipation of her travels with George, and
does not seem alarmed that the reason they are going is
because of the war. The narrator notes, "People were going
not so much to a war as to a fashionable tour."
Chapter 27: In Which Amelia Joins Her
Regiment
The first face Amelia sees when she arrives at their
destination, Chatham, is Dobbin. Amelia charms the men in
George's regiment, thus raising George's status among them.
Amelia receives an invitation to a small party that evening from
Mrs. O'Dowd, the motherly, genial Irish wife of the regiment
leader, Major O'Dowd, who pays them a visit beforehand. Mrs.
O'Dowd tells Amelia her entire background and family history,
and welcomes her as a kind of honorary sister. She also gives
Amelia information about the other wives in the regiment,
whom Amelia meets that evening at the party. The men's
admiration of Amelia causes many of the wives to try to find
fault with her.
Chapter 28: In Which Amelia Invades the
Low Countries
Jos Sedley agrees to escort Amelia with the regiment's move
abroad to France, and then to Belgium. Their army arrives with
a great deal of confidence, causing Jos and Amelia to feel at
ease—Jos scoffs at the notion that Napoleon will try to attack
them. George grows increasingly ashamed of the rough, low-
society company he must keep in his regiment, but Amelia is

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merely amused and unruffled by them. Despite the increasing
political tensions, "the business of life and living and the
pursuits of pleasure" carry on without much concern given to
their end, or to the enemy. Amelia in particular is delighted by
her arrival in Brussels, because she has never seen a foreign
country before, and George spoils her with attention and
trinkets. One day George spots General Tufto, whom Rawdon
Crawley serves as an aide-de-camp—which means, Amelia
exclaims, that Rawdon and Becky will soon appear. This makes
her feel uneasy, although she doesn't know why.
Chapter 29: Brussels
Rawdon and Becky arrive in Brussels, where they run into
Amelia and George. Rawdon inquires about George's
relationship with his father, which is still strained. For his part,
Rawdon also reveals that Miss Matilda Crawley has not
forgiven him, either. George goes to pay his respects to Becky
when they attend the same opera, his ulterior motive being to
meet General Tufto. The general is dismissive of him and
seems jealous of George and Becky's friendship. George
escorts her back to his box to visit with Amelia, and the general
watches them through his opera glasses. After Dobbin finally
escorts Becky back, he mentions to George what a "humbug"
he finds her to be—it wasn't lost on him how she was behaving
with the general to get his attention. George defends Becky as
"the nicest little woman in England."
George and Rawdon continue to get together to gamble and
socialize, despite Dobbin's warning that George is losing too
much money to Rawdon. George and Amelia also quarrel about
her reluctance to visit Rawdon and Becky. For her part, Becky
doubles down on being affectionate toward Amelia, but
speculates to George that she must be jealous of her situation.
George allows Becky to belittle Amelia in her criticism,
because it appeals to his self-image that he is a "woman-killer,"
and that somehow Becky is attracted to him. George begins to
increase the amount of time he spends with the Crawleys,
leaving Amelia alone at home. Meanwhile, he continues to lose
money to Rawdon in their gambling, and the narrator
speculates that perhaps Rawdon and Becky have an unspoken
agreement to allow George to believe she is flirting with him in
order for Rawdon to continue winning his money.
A much-anticipated ball takes place, and there is a frenzy to
acquire an invitation because it is a high-society event. George
brings Amelia, but quickly leaves her to herself to socialize withothers. When Becky arrives, she impresses everyone with her
entrance. Becky makes her way over to Amelia and begins to
undermine her dress and hairstyle. She also admonishes
Amelia for allowing George to gamble and lose so much
money. To add insult to injury, when George makes his way
over to them, he takes Becky away to dance. When Becky
leaves, she sends George back to Amelia to collect her shawl
and flowers, and he places a note in them for her. Amelia has
Dobbin take her home, while George, feeling lucky, goes to the
betting tables. Dobbin goes back to find George, and reveals
that their regiment is to march on the front lines in three hours.
That night, George is fitful, wondering why he disobeyed his
father and got married, and why he has been so reckless with
his money. He writes a letter to his father, and checks in on a
sleeping Amelia, where he is overcome with guilt at how pure
and gentle she is. He feels "black with crime" before her loyalty
and innocence, and when he bends over her, she wraps her
arms around him, in a moment of reconciliation. Suddenly the
bugle sounds, signaling that the men must begin their march.
Analysis
The purity of Amelia Sedley and William Dobbin's nature is
contrasted yet again in the way that the single motivation for
both seems to be love—not money or society. This doesn't
make them wise, or shelter them from the nastier aspects of
Vanity Fair: the narrator frequently hints that this drive is what
causes both of them to be hurt over and over again by others.
However, this section finds Amelia growing suspicious of the
one friend she believed was on her side, when Becky Sharp
uses her charm and tactics on George Osborne. The fact that
Becky is willing to carelessly risk wounding Amelia—both
emotionally and financially—portrays her at her most callous
yet. George, for his part, reveals that his desire for Amelia
wasn't spurred by love but by the possibility of losing her.
Becky also continues her manipulations in order to live for free
with General Tufto, despite the social oddity and even potential
scandal of it.
Amelia seems to have a foreboding sense regarding the future
of her marriage, for when she returns home to visit her parents
she is struck by a sense of "looking anxiously back towards the
sad friendly figures waving farewell to her across the stream,
from the other distant shore." The narrator uses this analogy to
show that marriage is not a blissful new country she can
disappear into. Instead, she anxiously looks back on her past
as something that felt safer and more certain. Dobbin, for his

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part, seems to be the only one entirely aware of Becky's
motives, warning George that "she writhes and twists about
like a snake." He sees Becky for who she is, which makes him
the most dangerous person in the novel to her.
This section highlights how selfishness drives many characters
in Vanity Fair . Manipulation is a constant undercurrent in
everyone's interactions—from rich heirs, to social climbing, to
love affairs. The actions of Becky and George in this section
only serve to highlight Amelia's double-edged sword of
innocence and denial. Yet when the characters of Major
O'Dowd and Mrs. O'Dowd are introduced, they blow in some
fresh and honest air. While they are represented as a little bit
vulgar and unrefined, what you see is what you get with them.
It's reassuring to encounter, and a bit jarring due to the lack of
it elsewhere. It is telling that George finds Mrs. O'Dowd so
repellent, as she seems to represent an attitude and outlook
on life that is completely foreign to him. However, he tolerates
her just enough so that she might befriend Amelia and keep
her preoccupied while he pursues his affair with Becky. Yet in
the moments before he leaves for war, George seems to be
struck with regret for his actions. The narrator makes it
uncertain if this shift in George's worldview is permanent or
borne out of a new sense of mortality, but the possibility is
dangled that perhaps George will return from war with a new
sense of gratitude for what he already has.
Chapters 30–32
Summary
Chapter 30: "The Girl I Left Behind Me"
The narrator claims not to be a "military novelist," and as such,
hangs back from the regiment's experience at the front in
order to tell the story of the women left behind. Mrs. O'Dowd
prepares Major O'Dowd's travel kit for his imminent departure,
while Becky Sharp is able to see Rawdon Crawley off without
much feeling or sentiment. Before he leaves, they discuss their
finances, and Becky reassures him everything will work out.
Rawdon totals up his possessions and their worth for her,
displaying what the narrator characterizes as a newfound
selflessness and deep-seated concern for another. After his
departure with General Tufto, Becky gets ready for bed, andthe note George Osborne left her falls out of her dress. She
falls asleep comfortably, and when she wakes in the morning
she goes over everything Rawdon has left that can provide her
with income if he doesn't make it back from the front. The
narrator notes that "no man in the British army … could be more
cool or collected in the presence of doubts and difficulties"
than Becky.
William Dobbin pays Jos Sedley a visit to say goodbye before
he leaves, on the assumption that he is nervous he will never
see Amelia again, but his ulterior motive is to eavesdrop on
George and Amelia. He begs Jos to look after Amelia and
comfort her, and especially to escort her safely out of the
country if their troops are defeated. Dobbin catches a final
glimpse of Amelia, and is tortured that he can't soothe her
himself.
Chapter 31: In Which Jos Sedley Takes
Care of His Sister
Jos finds he is somewhat relieved by George's absence,
because he felt his brother-in-law overshadowed him in their
household and treated him dismissively. The servants in the
house furtively wonder what will become of all the expensive
items should George not return home from the front. Isidor, a
greedy and resentful servant of Jos, informs his master that
there are reports the French are winning. At that moment,
Becky drops in to visit Amelia, and fusses over Jos with great
concern for him not to join the army. Jos is annoyed, because
Becky has hardly paid him any attention since she and George
arrived—he believes she just wants his attention now that
everyone else has left. At the same time, he is flattered by her
attention. He reminds her he must stay in order to care for
Amelia, and Becky barbs him with the accusation that his heart
was once false to her. She also tells him that Rawdon Crawley
has spoken cruel words about him, because he is jealous that
Becky once had feelings for Jos. Becky sees how much this
revelation has entranced Jos, and thinks to herself that at least
now she has a seat in his carriage should they need to flee
Belgium.
Amelia is shocked to see Becky enter her room, but her
surprise quickly gives way to a feeling of anger, and she asks
Becky why she has come. Becky worries to herself that Amelia
has discovered the letter she slipped to George at the ball.
Amelia accuses Becky of coming between her and George,
despite what a good friend she has been to Becky. She tells

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Becky she is a "false friend and false wife." Becky leaves,
warning Jos that somebody should stay with Amelia because
she is unwell. The narrator says that Becky actually does like
Amelia rather than not, and doesn't wish her ill. In her own way,
Becky is flattered by Amelia's reproaches—they mean she
feels defeated by Becky's superior charm and merit. Mrs.
O'Dowd visits Amelia to offer her comfort, and stays to dine
with Jos. As they sit down to eat, they are alarmed to hear the
sound of cannons firing in the distance.
Chapter 32: In Which Jos Takes Flight,
and the War Is Brought to a Close
The scene in Brussels after the cannons are fired is one of
chaos and noise while everyone tries to figure out what is
happening. Friends of the French believe their triumph is near,
and as his servant reports back news to him, Jos grows fearful,
and asks Mrs. O'Dowd if she should get Amelia ready. Mrs.
O'Dowd doesn't understand that he is planning their escape,
and grows scornful when he invites her to join them. She tells
Jos she and Amelia will stay where they are until they hear
orders from Major O'Dowd. Jos's servant informs him there are
no horses left in Brussels anyhow. Regulus, a British soldier
and friend of one of the Osbornes' servants, flees the front and
reveals that the British army is overwhelmed and soon to be
defeated. He also claims that George's regiment was "cut in
pieces." Jos resolves to go out and get more information but
suddenly remembers that the mustache he has grown will
make him look like a soldier, and he instructs his servant to
shave it off, quickly.
Outside, the city is full of British soldiers straggling back in. On
the other side of the city, Becky is able to get her revenge on a
high-society neighbor, Lady Bareacres, by turning down her
offers to buy Rawdon's horses in order to flee. Becky taunts
Lady Bareacres by telling her she won't sell her horses for the
Lady's largest diamonds, but the French will surely enjoy them
when they arrive. Suddenly Becky spies Jos, and decides she
will allow him to buy her horses as long as she can ride one.
She bargains an enormous sum from him, and calculates that
between the horses, her possessions, and a widow's pension
she should be able to be independent if necessary. Jos
decides to flee at once, and tries to prepare for his departure
in secret so as not to face Amelia and Mrs. O'Dowd.
Wagons begin bringing the wounded back into the city, and
one stops in front of the Osbornes'—it's carrying Tom Stubble,an ensign serving under Major O'Dowd whom Dobbin had
instructed be taken in at his home to recover. George is still
safe, and Tom praises Dobbin for taking care of him. Tom's
arrival also helps distract and preoccupy Amelia from her
worry. Jos stays put for the moment, but brings his newly
purchased horses into the courtyard in case he needs to leave
quickly. After another cannon goes off, he makes the decision
and leaves alone, despite encouraging Amelia to come with
him. Only 10 miles away, George Osborne has finally been
killed in battle.
Analysis
The narrator's insistence that he is "not a military novelist," and
that he will focus on those left behind, is striking. The battle to
which the men are heading is, we will find out later, the Battle
of Waterloo, but the war itself is only shown to the reader
secondhand, through the reports of other characters, and
unless the reader is familiar with the context of the battle, it's
not clear what exactly is going on.
Nonetheless, the impending war brings out different aspects of
each character. As witnessed in the last section, George
Osborne finds himself repenting for his treatment of Amelia as
his sense of mortality looms, yet he is also excited for the
chance to experience battle. The narrator leads the reader to
wonder whether his change of heart over his actions is sincere
or merely spurred yet again by the possibility of loss. William
Dobbin, for his part, deals with his own sense of foreboding the
only way he knows how: by worrying about Amelia Sedley,
making Jos Sedley solemnly swear to take care of her should
anything bad happen to him or to George. When it comes to
the wives who will remain behind, the situation shines a
spotlight on the ways in which each woman approaches the
world in general: Becky Sharp is already scheming
unsentimentally about the possibility of Rawdon Crawley not
returning home; Amelia is beside herself with worry over
George's fate; and Mrs. O'Dowd, a career soldier's wide, seems
the most well-adjusted of them all.
Yet it also heightens many underlying tensions, such as when
Amelia at last confronts Becky over her emotional affair with
George. This confrontation portrays Amelia in a new and
somewhat impressive light, and changes the nature of her
relationship with Becky, who seems to suddenly realize she
has been seen for who she is. However, Becky does seem to
take some comfort in the fact that "even [Amelia's] hard words,

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reproachful as they were, were complimentary—the groans of
a person stinging under defeat." Scheming and selfish though
she is, Becky cares how other people see her—even if they are
not under her charms, she wants them to admire her and see
her superiority. Once Rawdon is gone, Becky turns her easy
charms on Jos in the event she will need him to help her flee
the city—there's even some suggestion that she is hedging her
bets in case she becomes a widow and needs another
husband. For his part, Jos is an easy target for her flattery. Jos
is increasingly depicted as being just as self-serving as Becky,
caring more about his own life than with keeping his sister
safe.
While the main characters sort out their affairs and
relationships, the narrator also takes care to highlight the ways
in which even those from a lower social class scheme to get
ahead. In Chapter 31, Jos's servant, Isidor, plots with little
emotion as to how he will take Jos's belongings if he is to flee
the city or come to any harm. Here, William Makepeace
Thackeray shows that in Vanity Fair , the main goal is to get
ahead, even if it means climbing over someone's body on the
way up.
Isidor's calculations are echoed in Becky's calm and cool
accounting of everything she will be able to sell if Rawdon
should die in battle, and she is pleased with the prospects. In
her defense, the narrator notes in Chapter 30, "Knowing how
useless regrets are … [Becky] wisely determined to give way to
no vain feelings of sorrow." From this the reader can infer that
Becky has learned this way of coping as a survival technique in
a world that seemingly cares little about her own outcome.
Therefore, she must keep a cool head so that not only can she
survive, she can flourish.
Then tragedy strikes: George dies in battle. Although the
narrator cautioned in Chapter 30 that this novel would not be
depicting any military or war scenes, these chapters make
clear that war affects everyone, not just those who fight it. As
the battle ramps up, the reader only hears tales of the fighting
from soldiers straggling back from the front, causing confusion
and panic. George's death isn't described in detail but rather as
a simple and concise statement: "Amelia was praying for
George, who was lying on his face, dead, with a bullet through
his heart."Chapters 33–35
Summary
Chapter 33: In Which Miss Crawley's
Relations Are Very Anxious About Her
Back in Brighton, Miss Matilda Crawley follows the news of the
war and continues to lament that Rawdon Crawley, who
earned distinction in battle and has been promoted, didn't
marry someone from the upper classes. Meanwhile, her other
relatives continue to shower her with presents and affection in
the hopes of being remembered in her will. Rawdon himself has
continued to send her letters, which Miss Matilda Crawley
encourages him to continue doing despite knowing full well
Becky Sharp is the one dictating them. He also sends her relics
from supposed opponents in battle—"the novelist, who knows
everything," also knows that Becky buys these from peddlers.
Meanwhile, Rawdon's brother, Pitt Crawley, is still engaged to
Miss Crawley's young neighbor, Lady Jane Crawley. He tries to
convince her family that—now that Rawdon has fallen from
Miss Crawley's good graces—a closer relationship between
them and Miss Crawley would be beneficial, because he stands
to inherit the most. Lady Jane Crawley's mother, Lady
Southdown, inquires into Miss Matilda Crawley's spiritual state,
intending to strengthen her religiosity before she dies. Pitt
Crawley cautions her against it, telling her that any attempts
will only "frighten and annoy her."
Chapter 34: James Crawley's Pipe Is Put
Out
Miss Crawley finds herself growing restless for company again,
so she welcomes Pitt Crawley, Lady Southdown, and Lady
Jane Crawley as visitors. Although she receives them
pleasantly and asks Lady Jane to visit her again, Miss Crawley
tells Pitt privately to never bring Lady Southdown again, as she
finds her "stupid and pompous." Meanwhile, Mrs. Bute Crawley
laments that she has fallen out of Miss Matilda Crawley's favor,
and therefore has a hard time getting information about the
events at her home. She and Mr. Bute devise a plan to have
their son James Crawley visit Miss Crawley in the hopes of
getting back in her good graces. After his arrival, Miss Crawley

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fawns over James and delights in Pitt's obvious jealousy of the
attention she pays to him. They stay up late after dinner,
drinking together and discussing their respective lives and
goals. The next day, James's favor quickly diminishes in Miss
Crawley's eyes after she looks over the bill from his hotel that
she paid for—which includes a great deal of alcohol he
purchased for other guests. He also leaves a poor impression
at dinner, and then makes a fatal decision to smoke a pipe in
his bedroom, which stinks up the house and offends Miss
Crawley. The next morning, she sends him back to his hotel.
Meanwhile, Becky and Rawdon are reunited after the Battle of
Waterloo, and are living well in Paris thanks to the amount of
money she earned selling their horses to Jos Sedley. The high-
society women in Paris admire Becky and receive her warmly.
One of Miss Crawley's Parisian friends writes her a letter
praising Becky, which only serves to infuriate Miss Crawley, as
Becky uses the Crawley name to further herself in society.
Miss Crawley dictates a letter back, warning the friend against
Becky's dangerous reputation, but Miss Briggs writes it down
in English, which the Parisian lady cannot read. Early in spring,
Miss Crawley discovers the announcement that Becky has
given birth to a son. This discovery propels Miss Crawley into
encouraging the marriage of Pitt Crawley and Lady Jane, with
the promise that she will bestow upon them a thousand
pounds a year while she is alive, and they will inherit the rest of
her money when she dies.
Chapter 35: Widow and Mother
Lists of the deceased soldiers are released in each day's
newspapers following the two great battles—and the Osbornes
finally receive word of George Osborne's death. George's
father is tormented and angered over the news, because now
they will never have a chance to make amends. A few weeks
later a letter from George finally reaches his father, written the
day before he went to battle. Mr. John Osborne reads it, but
George remains "beloved and unforgiven." A few months later
Mr. Osborne departs for Brussels in order to speak with the
surviving soldiers from George's regiment. The sergeant takes
him on a tour of the battlefields, and tells him how William
Dobbin was responsible for taking George's body back to
Brussels.
On his way home, Mr. Osborne runs into Amelia's carriage. He
is startled by the pale, sad sight of her—and is stricken with
feelings of hatred. Dobbin, who is riding in her carriage, seesMr. Osborne, although Amelia doesn't recognize him. Dobbin
disembarks to find him, and tells him he has a message from
George. He pleads for Mr. Osborne to take pity on Amelia's
widowed circumstances—and the fact that she is pregnant.
Dobbin asks Mr. Osborne to forgive George and Amelia on his
future grandchild's behalf. Mr. Osborne doesn't relent, and
Amelia soon gives birth to a boy. The baby reawakens Amelia's
sense of hope and delight, and Dobbin brings them both back
to her mother's house in England. Although Dobbin stays and
dotes on them, he also realizes she will never love him and
decides to leave.
Analysis
After the abrupt shock of George Osborne's death, William
Makepeace Thackeray teases out the suspense of its
aftermath—and provides a sharp change of tempo from the
intensity of the previous chapter—by returning the reader to
Miss Matilda Crawley, Pitt Crawley, and Lady Jane Crawley in
England. As Miss Crawley grows increasingly ill, her relatives
feign interest over her health, but the narrator reiterates that
their underlying motive is to get close to her wealth. But Pitt
has conveniently maneuvered his way into Miss Crawley's
good graces after Rawdon Crawley is kicked to the curb, and
even when a threat emerges in the form of James Crawley, he
is able to keep his place by highlighting James's rough nature.
Pitt's hypocrisy is on full display: for all his supposed piety and
concern for spiritual affairs, he has no concerns about reaping
the rewards of his brother's misfortune. Miss Crawley, for her
part, seems well aware of the ploys to curry favor with her, and
in a similar fashion to Becky, seems to enjoy pitting them
against one another for the attention it brings her.
Once again Dobbin campaigns on Amelia's behalf for Mr. John
Osborne to take pity on her and his soon-to-be-born grandson.
Yet Mr. Osborne won't back down, either out of pride or
stubbornness, or possibly due to the guilt of knowing he never
made amends with his son before his death. The narrator again
implies that for Mr. Osborne—as well as for many other
characters—a sense of vanity to keep up appearances
ultimately causes great pain and sacrifice. Dobbin's departure
after the birth of Amelia's son is one of the most heartbreaking
moments in the novel, as he realizes that, even with George
gone, she seems almost oblivious to him. The narrator says,
"And so, gently, he bore his fate, knowing it, and content to
bear it." True to his nature, Dobbin leaves London peacefully,
yet broken-hearted—a mirror of Amelia's own broken heart

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over George.
The novel finds Becky and Rawdon again in Paris, where Becky
is busy ingratiating herself to members of the upper class with
great success. Ever shrewd, Becky has piggybacked her way
up the social ladder thanks to her last name and association
with Miss Matilda Crawley—a fact that doesn't escape Miss
Crawley, and only serves to harden her fury toward Becky and
Rawdon. In a manipulative move rivaling that of Becky's talents,
Miss Crawley is the one who spurs Pitt and Lady Jane to get
married so that he may inherit her estate.
Chapters 36–38
Summary
Chapter 36: How to Live Well on
Nothing a Year
The narrator ponders how people are able to make ends meet
each year in Vanity Fair. To live and survive is an expensive
proposition regardless of economic background, because
one's expenses tend to rise in proportion to their income.
Rawdon Crawley and Becky Sharp don't seem to have any
income yet are able to entertain with dinners and parties.
Rawdon has quit the army, and the narrator hints that he is
able to survive on an income of "nothing" by gambling. Rawdon
is talented at billiards and cards, and hosts many gambling
events at his home, where he earns a reputation. Becky wisely
intuits, however, that the money he wins from gambling can't
be counted on to keep them afloat forever.
Becky schemes how to get her family back to England, and
soon the news come that Miss Matilda Crawley is dying.
Rawdon sets off to pay her a final visit in the hopes of getting
back in her good graces. Before he can get there, Miss
Crawley dies, and Becky and their son, Rawdy, set out to join
Rawdon in Brussels. Before she goes, however, Becky travels
alone to London in an attempt to settle Rawdon's old debts
there, and is successful in negotiating in her favor.Chapter 37: The Subject Continued
Becky and Rawdon rent a house in London from a former
butler of Miss Crawley's, Charles Raggles. Raggles still has a
fondness for the Crawleys, and serves as their de facto butler
during parties, while his wife supplies them with wonderful
cooking—all free of charge. In fact, the Crawleys never pay the
people who provide them services. This, the narrator
proclaims, is "the way in which people live elegantly on nothing
a year"—by taking advantage of others. For her part, Becky is
more popular than ever, although "the ladies [hold] aloof from
her," suspicious of how charmed men are by her wit. Her
former London friends snub her, and it seems she has burned
quite a few bridges. Becky also reminds Rawdon to do as she
says, because she was the one to get him out of debt and
installed in a nice house. She tells him he must remain friendly
with his brother Pitt Crawley who gained his inheritance,
because someday he will inherit his father's estate and they
can visit there; if they become financially ruined, they can work
for Pitt and his wife; and if Pitt and his son were to die, the
estate would be theirs. For his part, Rawdon confesses she is
right. He writes Pitt a letter congratulating him on his
inheritance, and the two seem to be reconciled for the
moment. Becky's other ulterior motive seems to be having
Lady Jane Crawley help maneuver her into higher society by
association. Among Rawdon's friends, Becky has earned such
a good reputation that they jokingly call Rawdon, "Mrs.
Crawley's husband."
Rawdon and Becky differ drastically when it comes to the
relationship with their son: while Becky ignores Rawdy and
leaves his nurses to take care of him, Rawdon spoils him and
spends time with him; while the narrator insists that Becky is
too good-natured to be annoyed, she considers this fatherly
love evidence of her husband's "softness." Although Becky is
fond of Rawdon, privately she believes him to be a fool and in
many ways treats him like her servant. For his part, Rawdy
worships his mother and is too intimidated even to speak to
her. The narrator highlights how unnatural this is: "Mother is
the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children; and
here was one who was worshipping a stone."
One day when Rawdon and his son are walking in the park, he
encounters an old military friend talking with Mr. John Sedley
and his grandson, who is the same age as Rawdy. Rawdon
realizes that Mr. Sedley is George Osborne's father-in-law, and
that the boy, Georgy, is George's son.

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Chapter 38: A Family in a Very Small
Way
The narrator updates the reader on what has happened with
the Osbornes and the Sedleys since the war. Jos Sedley
returns to India, where he impresses everyone with his
thorough knowledge of every detail of the Battle of Waterloo,
despite having witnessed none of it. He still supports his
parents, because Mr. Sedley has not recovered financially from
his bankruptcy. The narrator notes that what has befallen Mr.
Sedley could happen to anyone, because much of it is luck.
Amelia Sedley and Georgy live with the Sedleys, and Amelia, a
doting mother who trusts no one else's methods, clashes with
Mrs. Sedley over how to care for Georgy. Amelia spends large
quantities of time on his care and education, and money they
don't have on beautiful clothing for him.
The narrator notes that Amelia still attracts the attention of
men with her weakness and softness, which also invites the
scorn of women. The Reverend Mr. Binny proposes to her, but
Amelia turns him down because she remains devoted to her
dead husband. Soon William Dobbin gets wind that Mr. Sedley
has gone into the alcohol business, and sends him as many
orders from his fellow officers as he can out of his concern for
Amelia's welfare. Dobbin is also forced to reveal to Mr. Sedley
that George died with very little money, but he doesn't tell Mr.
Sedley that he himself paid for George's burial and Amelia's
return to London. Amelia has no idea how much he has done
for her over the years. Mrs. Sedley, however, suspects
Dobbin's love for Amelia and wishes she would consider him.
As Georgy grows up, he resembles his father in personality
more and more: he is haughty and demanding, and rules over
his mother. However, the narrator says that while he is like
George reborn, he is also an improvement, and he adores his
mother. Dobbin insists on paying for George's schooling when
he is ready. Eventually, Dobbin's sisters tell Amelia he is
planning to be married to Glorvina O'Dowd, Major O'Dowd's
sister.
Analysis
The narrator takes great pains to outline just how Becky Sharp
and Rawdon Crawley are able to get by financially in high
society with neither of them bringing in any actual income from
an inheritance or line of work. In this area of their partnership,the two are perfectly suited for one another: Becky uses her
charms and manipulative tactics to lure men to their home to
be entertained, and Rawdon wins all their money through
gambling. Becky is also constantly scheming, such as when
she uses Charles Raggles's fondness for the Crawley family to
employ him and his wife, seemingly with no pay. As always,
Rawdon acquiesces to her schemes, despite the fact he is
increasingly referred to as "Mrs. Crawley's husband." London
provides a whole new set of aristocratic challenges that Becky
is eager to conquer.
As Becky and Amelia Sedley grow into motherhood
simultaneously, their treatment of their children highlights
some of their fundamental differences. While Amelia dotes on
young Georgy with the same fervent devotion she gave his
father, Becky can hardly be bothered to attend to Rawdy. She
leaves him to his nannies, and only feigns interest in him in the
service of impressing other people. In contrast, Rawdon
develops a newfound tenderness when it comes to his son,
seeming to sense on some level that he needs emotional
support his mother can't provide. The fact that Becky sees
Rawdon's affection as a sign of weakness implies that she is
not simply an unemotional person—she is someone who has
difficulty feeling an abiding attachment to others, or finding
interest in anything that is not related to social climbing and
financial acquisition. Amelia again demonstrates that she can
be ferocious and defend herself when necessary, such as
when she forbids her mother to give Georgy medicine.
Yet even as Becky's polar opposite in motherhood, William
Makepeace Thackeray shines a light on the fact that Amelia's
obsession with her child can be harmful as well. Becky's tense
relationship with her mother causes an irreparable rift, thereby
affecting Mrs. Sedley's relationship with her grandson. Her
insistence on her own child-rearing regimen, as well as
unreasonable spending to give her son the best, implies that
Amelia is still wedded to the illusions of her life. She has built a
tenuous belief system grounded in the idea that George was
the perfect husband, and her child's life must be similarly
perfect and not subject to reality. The narrator also implies, in
her reaction to the news of Dobbin's engagement, that though
she may not have romantic feelings for him, Amelia has grown
used to his attention and therefore doesn't want things to
change.

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Chapters 39–42
Summary
Chapter 39: A Cynical Chapter
Back in Hampshire, Reverend and Mrs. Bute Crawley are
adjusting to their lack of expected inheritance from Miss
Crawley, and Mrs. Bute does her best to conceal their financial
situation publicly. What everyone doesn't see, however, is how
vigilantly Mrs. Bute trains her daughter in the ways of high
society in order to keep up appearances. Pitt and Lady Jane
Crawley pay Sir Pitt Crawley's estate a visit, and the old man
starts off their reunion by insulting Lady Jane's mother. One of
Sir Pitt's servants, Miss Horrocks, seems to have usurped his
widow's place, wearing her clothes and conducting the affairs
of the staff. Sir Pitt becomes ill not long after their visit, and
Mrs. Bute visits the estate just in time to find Miss Horrocks
attempting to go through Sir Pitt's valuables for herself.
Chapter 40: In Which Becky Is
Recognized by the Family
Pitt and Lady Jane move into Sir Pitt's estate, bringing Jane's
mother Lady Southdown with them. Sir Pitt passes away after
his illness, and Pitt takes over the estate. He and Jane argue
with Lady Southdown over whether to invite Becky to the
funeral, which causes Lady Southdown to threaten to leave the
estate in a huff. Pitt is relieved, however, that he has now
established himself as the head of the family. He has Lady
Jane write to Rawdon, inviting him and Becky to Sir Pitt's
funeral. When she receives the invitation, Becky is ecstatic
because this means her plans to have Lady Jane present her
to high society is underway, and also that Rawdon might be
given a seat in Parliament.
Becky, with the help of Miss Briggs, who has become her
servant, begins making travel plans. Miss Briggs has found her
way into Becky's service almost by accident after seeing her
on the street, and when Becky realizes Miss Briggs is living off
of a healthy legacy endowment from Miss Matilda Crawley, she
invites her to move in. Within six months, Miss Briggs has
loaned Rawdon and Becky £600.Chapter 41: In Which Becky Revisits the
Halls of Her Ancestors
Becky and Rawdon's return to the estate makes Becky feel as
though she is no longer an impostor, but that she is returning
to the place of her ancestors. They are both silent as they
enter the gates, thinking of their own pasts. Lady Jane and
Becky take kindly to one another, and Becky wins her over
easily, although Lady Southdown treats her coldly. Becky uses
information Lady Jane gives her to then attempt to manipulate
her way into Lady Southdown's good graces. She feigns an
interest in her medical advice and religious persuasions, and
Lady Southdown begins to thaw toward her. Pitt treats Becky
respectfully, because he realizes she has played a large part in
his inheritance by marrying Rawdon.
At Sir Pitt's funeral, the narrator points out that he had almost
no friends and that his family is merely going through the
motions of mourning because they didn't care for him, either.
As Becky rides around the country of her youth, she thinks that
she would be able to be a good and generous person if she
were the wife of a country gentleman, like Lady Jane. Becky is
also struck by the fact that she rose up out of her younger
circumstances because of her "brains," and because she
considers people of the world "fools." The narrator wonders if
Becky has ever considered that she might have ended up just
as happy if she had remained honest and humble.
Chapter 42: Which Treats of the
Osborne Family
The story returns to Mr. John Osborne after a considerable
amount of time. He has grown increasingly unhappy and
moody, and is weighed down by his increasing age, ailments,
and loneliness. When Mr. Osborne's marriage proposal to Miss
Swartz is rejected, he redoubles his efforts to find suitable
husbands for his daughters. However, he unwillingly creates a
rift between him and his daughter Miss Maria Osborne when
he oversteps his bounds while negotiating her marriage to
Frederick Bullock. His relationship with his daughter Miss Jane
Osborne is also strained due to his curt treatment of her. Mr.
Osborne is furious when he discovers Miss Jane is having a
secret romance with the teacher who is giving her art lessons,
Mr. Smee. Mr. Osborne punishes Miss Jane by telling her he
will never allow her to marry—she must instead become the

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lady of the house.
Dobbin continues his ongoing campaign to unite Mr. Osborne
with Amelia and his grandson, Georgy. Although Amelia
hesitates, she allows Dobbin's sisters to take Georgy for an
outing, unaware that they are, in fact, taking him to visit Miss
Jane Osborne with the hope that a bridge may finally be built
between their families. Secretly, Amelia is still upset about
Dobbin's engagement, and is further upset when she discovers
Georgy was taken to visit his aunt. After Georgy and the
Dobbin sisters leave, Miss Jane tells Mr. Osborne about the
visit—and how much Georgy resembles his father.
Analysis
The new shifts in the Crawley family's tenuous relationships
marks a shift in Becky Sharp and Rawdon Crawley's life to
come. They are no longer live independently abroad; they are
now part of a wealthy family. Becky does her utmost to
ingratiate herself to Pitt Crawley and Lady Jane Crawley,
should it come in handy in the future. Becky's return to the
Crawley estate is also a psychologically triumphant one for her,
as "it seemed as if she was not an imposter any more, and was
coming to the home of her ancestors." Becky has changed
since her days as a governess, and now sees herself as an
equal to the rest of the Crawleys.
Yet the death of Sir Pitt Crawley, like the death of Miss Matilda
Crawley, reveals how rarely these family members are fond of
each other. Rather, they feign interest in one another with
ulterior motives in mind. It seems that only in death is the true
nature of relationships between people revealed. Becky can
hardly contain her disdain for life at the Crawley estate, yet she
pounces on the opportunity to get into Lady Jane's good
graces, because she can elevate Becky's standing in society.
The narrator notes that if Becky was ever confronted with the
consequences of her actions, "she was accustomed to walk
round them, and not look in." To truly examine herself would
require her to examine the ruinous effect she has had on
people for her own gain.
Mr. John Osborne seems to have calcified in the years that
have gone by, tortured by his guilt over George Osborne's
death. This directly affects his relationships with his daughters
and, in turn, their own marriage possibilities. Throughout this
section, the narrator emphasizes there are few genuine
relationships in Vanity Fair —when they do appear, such asbetween Major O'Dowd and Mrs. O'Dowd, they are all the more
striking. For the most part, marriages are transactional and
highly strategized.
William Dobbin, despite his impending engagement, cannot quit
fussing over Amelia's well-being. His former altruism changes
into something more akin to desperation and masochism. He
pays off George's debts secretly, and never reveals it was he
who paid for George's funeral and got Amelia back to London.
At a certain point, his martyrdom begins to transform into
something frustrating: it's not clear why he carries such an
enduring torch for Amelia, and her obliviousness to it—and his
own eligibility in the eyes of those around him—makes his
continuing affections seem self-sabotaging.
Chapters 43–46
Summary
Chapter 43: In Which the Reader Has to
Double the Cape
The scenery of the novel shifts abruptly to India, where Major
O'Dowd is stationed with Mrs. O'Dowd, his sister Glorvina
O'Dowd, and William Dobbin. Mrs. O'Dowd is keen for Dobbin
to marry Glorvina, and is constantly ribbing him to stop pining
over Amelia Sedley. Even though Glorvina tries everything she
can to win Dobbin, he cannot seem to let go of his feelings for
Amelia. When Amelia writes to him with congratulations on
hearing of his engagement (which hasn't actually happened), it
tortures him. He also admits to himself that he only "drag[s] on
this wearisome life" in the hopes Amelia will realize she loves
him, too. And so, an unrequited, frustrating love triangle is set
up between Glorvina, Dobbin, and Amelia. After Dobbin
receives a letter from his sister that relations between Mr. John
Osborne and his grandson are shifting, and that Amelia has
become engaged to a reverend, he leaves at once to return to
London.
Chapter 44: A Round-about Chapter

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between London and Hampshire
Back at Pitt Crawley's London house, renovations are
underway, overseen by Becky Sharp. Meanwhile, Rawdon
Crawley and Pitt Crawley appear to be mending their brotherly
relationship whenever Pitt stops by to stay with them in
London. Becky, for her part, continues the illusion of being a
doting mother on little Rawdy, claiming to be sewing him a
shirt—which is, in fact, the same shirt she has been sewing for
years and only takes out when she wants to impress upon
someone what an attentive mother she is.
After spending time with Rawdon and Becky in London, Pitt
begins to discover their financial situation is more dire than
they let on. While at first he deflects when Becky brings up the
subject of money, he later considers giving them some of his
inheritance. But he hesitates, feeling unwilling to part with the
money. Meanwhile, Becky convinces Miss Briggs to give them
money from her investments. Sadly, Miss Briggs doesn't realize
she is being taken advantage of. Becky also uses Pitt's
presence at her home in London to entice creditors to give her
more money, because his status implies that Becky and
Rawdon must have a similar kind of wealth that can pay them
back.
Becky is increasingly cruel to little Rawdy, whom she dislikes
simply because he is a child—he gets unappealing childhood
diseases and bores her. One day when she is playing piano for
a wealthy marquis, Lord Steyne, who frequents the house,
Rawdy creeps up to listen; when his mother catches him, she
hits him for spying on her. The situation raises the servants'
suspicions, who suspect she may be having an affair with Lord
Steyne. Even at Gaunt House, Lord Steyne's London home, the
servants believe her guilty. But her appearance there is a social
triumph for her, even as the servants predict her social ruin.
When Rawdon and Becky bring little Rawdy to Queen's
Crawley for Christmas, the visit reveals tensions between
Rawdon and Becky when Rawdon claims she is a bad mother.
Little Rawdy also reveals to Lady Jane he never eats dinner
with his parents, but rather with the servants.
Chapter 45: Between Hampshire and
London
Pitt devotes himself to restoring the Crawley family name after
his father's behavior deteriorated relationships in thecommunity for years. As usual, Becky inserts herself in his
affairs with flattery and manipulation, egging him on to advance
politically, and paying a flattering amount of attention to his
work. Pitt begins to notice Becky in a different light, and even
muses to himself, "How that woman comprehends me! … I
never could get Jane to read three pages of the malt
pamphlet." Becky also tries to emulate Lady Jane's lavish
affection toward her children, but Rawdy calls her out publicly
after she kisses him in front of everyone, asking why she has
never done that when they are alone. His revelation infuriates
Becky and also raises Lady Jane's suspicions of her and her
motivations. Becky grows increasingly jealous of Lady Jane's
relationships and easy personality; according to the narrator,
she dislikes people who like gentleness and simplicity, and who
are fond of children.
Further strains in Rawdon and Becky's relationship are
revealed when Pitt returns to London and begins to see Becky
frequently while he is in Parliament. In particular, he is delighted
by the attention of Lord Steyne, who has never deigned to
notice him, but who now encourages Pitt's ambitions
(presumably because Becky wishes it). Rawdon begins to
retreat, choosing to go out in the evenings rather than eat with
his family. In an odd twist of events, he increases the amount of
time he spends at Queen's Crawley alone with Lady Jane,
while Pitt stays in London and visits with Becky. He is now, the
narrator says, Samson after Delilah cut his hair—a "torpid,
submissive, middle-aged, stout gentleman." This shift also
begins to deeply change the relationship between Becky and
Lady Jane, who begin to grow deeply suspicious of one
another, although they maintain an outward pretense of
affection.
Chapter 46: Struggles and Trials
Amelia finally relinquishes her tight grip on Georgy, sending
him off to school once she can no longer teach him. Georgy's
elation at finally being out from under his mother's wings hurts
her, but once Georgy is away he blossoms in his newfound
independence. Life at Mr. John Osborne's is increasingly
miserable for everyone around him, including his daughter Miss
Jane, whom he has forbidden to marry and who essentially
functions as his servant. Yet one day Mr. Osborne and his
grandson finally meet with the help of the Dobbin sisters, which
causes Amelia great anxiety—and for good reason. Mr.
Osborne finally softens once he meets Georgy and decides to
make him his heir in the hopes of undoing the damage he

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caused with George before he died. However, his condition to
Amelia is that Georgy must live with the Osbornes, and only
visit his mother when Mr. Osborne allows it. Amelia is shocked,
and refuses to respond.
However, life at the Sedleys is becoming dire once Jos Sedley
stops sending money from abroad. Amelia's naïveté doesn't
allow her to see how bad things have become until her father
asks her for money, and she begins to sell her prized
possessions in order to afford things for Georgy. Mrs. Sedley
confronts her, upset that Amelia didn't take Mr. Osborne up on
the offer to make Georgy his heir—if she had, Amelia would
have received an allowance from the Osbornes. Confronted
with the revelation that she likely cannot provide for her son,
Amelia knows she must make a painful choice about his future.
Analysis
Chapter 43 finally provides the revelation from William Dobbin
that he has wasted years of his life worrying and caring for a
woman who can never love him back. In allowing himself to
finally confront the honest truth of the situation, he also allows
himself to fully feel the anguish and grief of it all. This moment
serves to finally humanize Dobbin, who had become such a
martyr it was increasingly difficult to sympathize with him. Yet
there is a bittersweet twist to the fact that Amelia
Sedley—despite loving the illusion of a husband who was no
longer alive—cannot see that Dobbin is the one who is actually
worthy of her. Just as Dobbin's self-sabotaging love made him
more problematic, Amelia's ongoing, self-indulgent fantasy
makes her seem less worthy of Dobbin.
The shifting allegiances between Pitt Crawley, Rawdon
Crawley, Becky Sharp, and Lady Jane Crawley contain a
number of similarities and differences. Lady Jane is closest in
personality to Amelia, and thus her loving tendencies are
contrasted with Becky's calculated coldness. Pitt and Rawdon
begin to find themselves attracted to their opposites, as Pitt
spends more time with a flirtatious Becky, and Rawdon
deepens his bond over the children with Lady Jane. Rawdon
also seems to realize there is something going on between
Becky and Lord Steyne, but chooses to turn a blind eye. Lady
Jane, despite her trusting nature, sees Becky's effect on her
husband and their developing relationship. This realization
echoes Amelia's revelation about George and Becky, because
both women have grappled with feeling inferior to Becky's
intelligence and wit. Becky, however, secretly feels inferior toLady Jane and her easy kindness and relationships.
The situational irony is not lost on the reader that it is Becky's
own son, Rawdy, who poses the biggest threat to her facade
and credibility. Rawdy has turned from devotion to no emotion
when it comes to his mother, in order not to be disappointed by
her constant cruelty. And yet, he is perhaps the only character
who truly witnesses the unmasked, uncharmed version of
Becky and thus is the greatest threat in exposing her. His
frankness—or possibly his deliberate sabotage—undermines
her pretenses when he reveals in front of the company she
never kisses him when they are alone, and by confiding in Lady
Jane that he is forced to eat dinner with the servants.
Chapter 46 finds Amelia's ongoing innocence and naïveté to
be her fatal flaw once she is confronted with the fact that her
ignorance has led to the possibility of Georgy being taken from
her. But her naïveté has worsened into total self-absorption:
she is so wrapped up in her son and her mourning that she fails
to notice the financial peril her family is in. It is difficult to see
this as mere innocence; instead, it feels like an oblivious,
almost callous, lack of regard for anyone but her son.
Chapters 47–50
Summary
Chapter 47: Gaunt House
The narrator learns about Lord Steyne, the marquis who has
become close with Becky Sharp, from a character named Tom
Eaves. Tom shares this background with the belief that people
of wealth and status, like Lord Steyne, are more miserable than
most, compounded by others competing over who will inherit
the wealth. Lord Steyne lives in an imposing mansion near the
Crawleys, although he owns many lavish properties. The noble
line of his family stretches far back through history, and
although he is married, it is not a loving marriage. Lord Steyne
and Lady Steyne are rarely spotted together except for at the
necessary social functions; therefore, many rumors abound
about their relationship and family. His wife, Tom Eaves claims,
is repeatedly forced to spend time with Lord Steyne's
mistresses. Lady Steyne is very pious, but she is Catholic and
has married into a Protestant household; it is a source of grief

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that her children do not share her faith. One son suffers from a
mental illness, inherited through Lady Steyne's side of the
family, which causes Lord Steyne shame and worry about his
own sanity. These aspects of their family also contribute to the
rumors and gossip about secrets surrounding them in London.
Chapter 48: In Which the Reader Is
Introduced to the Very Best of Company
Becky's charm and manipulations toward Pitt finally pay off
when she worms her way into being presented to the king,
because it is almost an initiation rite for women who have
made it in society. The narrator notes, "From that august
interview they come out stamped as honest women." In the
game of life, this is the ultimate challenge and trophy for
Becky—she even receives a certificate for it. Pitt and Lady
Jane take Becky with them to court. Becky is dressed in so
rich a dress that Lady Jane can hardly believe she could afford
it; what she doesn't know is that Becky sewed it herself using
brocade fabric and lace she stole from their home while
helping to renovate it. Becky is also wearing diamonds,
including a small clasp Pitt has given her—something he has
neglected to tell Lady Jane about. When Rawdon asks her
about them, she says that most are rented and "a dear friend"
gave her the clasp a long time ago. (In truth, the rest of the
diamonds are gifts from Lord Sterne.) Becky's ensemble is
eventually described in the newspapers, which Mrs. Bute
Crawley reads about, causing her to seethe and lament her
own ugly daughters. And the narrator claims to be unworthy of
describing Becky's meeting with the king, although she
afterwards describes him as "charming."
Lord Steyne's wife and daughter-in-law leave their cards for
Becky after her court appearance, indicating their willingness
to pursue an acquaintance. Lord Steyne himself then pays
Becky a visit, and reminds her that even with his assistance in
introducing her to high society, she is a nobody if she doesn't
have money. Lord Steyne is irritated by Miss Briggs's presence
(she acts as chaperone during his visit) and tells Becky to get
rid of her. Becky reveals to him she has taken a great deal of
money from Miss Briggs—nearly double the amount she has
actually borrowed—and therefore can't let her go. She lies and
tells him the amount she has borrowed is much higher than the
actual amount. Yet Becky's calculations and confession to
Lord Steyne pay off—deeply concerned over her finances, he
sends her a large check. But instead of using it to pay off anydebts, she pays a small amount to Charles Raggles and their
coachman to keep creditors at bay, and then puts the rest of
the money in a locked box.
Chapter 49: In Which We Enjoy Three
Courses and a Dessert
The narrator brings the reader back to earlier in the morning
on the same day Lord Steyne pays Becky a visit, which reveals
that the invitation to dine with Lady Steyne and Lady Gaunt
was forced upon them by Lord Steyne himself. The women are
appalled at the invitation; although Lady Steyne does not
openly object in her husband's presence, Lady Gaunt, her
daughter-in-law, does. Lady Gaunt is the daughter of Lady
Bareacres, whom Becky insulted in Brussels. Together, the
women concoct an idea of how to let Becky know she is not
welcome. At the dinner, part of the conversation is conducted
in French, but Becky shocks the women by speaking it better
than they do. This, in turn, causes the men at the table to
admire her, thus causing the women to become infuriated.
When the men separate for drinks and cigars after dinner, the
women snub Becky, until Lady Steyne, taking pity on her, asks
Becky to play and sing to her. Lady Steyne is so moved by
Becky's renditions of Mozart songs that she is momentarily
transported back to her childhood. And when the men come
back, they are all enchanted with Becky's performance, and
the other women are left on the sidelines.
Chapter 50: Contains a Vulgar Incident
The narrator returns the reader to Amelia's plight—whether to
allow Georgy to live with the Osbornes. She desperately tries
to figure out how she can acquire money in order to prevent
this from happening, but none of her ideas—sewing, selling her
paintings, or becoming a governess—pan out. Finally, she
writes to Jos, begging him to send money, believing he
stopped sending it long ago. What Amelia doesn't know, but
which Mr. Sedley finally reveals to her, is that Jos still sends
money—but the entire sum goes to paying off their creditors.
This news causes Amelia to realize she has exhausted all of
her options, and must send Georgy to live with the Osbornes.
Her reaction to this decision is severe—she plans to kill herself,
believing she will then be able to watch over Georgy from
heaven. She tries to prepare her son for the transition, but is
saddened when he seems excited rather than upset by the

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news.
Mr. Osborne is elated by Amelia's decision, and has his son's
empty room prepared for Georgy's arrival. He provides money
for Amelia's family to live on, and Georgy still comes to visit her,
although the boy becomes increasingly haughty and imperious
amid his new riches. Amelia skulks around the Osbornes'
house and Georgy's school in order to watch him, which further
increases her misery.
Analysis
The narrator's depiction of Lord Steyne's life and family in
Chapter 47 comes across as satirical and critical. Through this
lens, William Makepeace Thackeray seems to be offering a
criticism of those who inherit their wealth and titles of nobility,
because it seems to leave its recipients feeling entitled to their
vanity but no happier for it. The public's respect for Lord
Steyne offers a potential reason for this: despite the rumors
and ill repute swirling around the aristocrat, and the fact that
his wife's unhappiness is widely known, people in society still
fight to get into his good graces because of his standing.
Becky Sharp's presence at court finally gives her the sense of
acceptance she has yearned for throughout the novel. Becky's
decision to hide the money Lord Steyne gives her is
telling—she doesn't use it for anything practical and doesn't
reveal it to her husband. The locking away of the money may
be a vestige of her poor beginnings: a belief that, no matter
what, her good luck can't hold. The narrator also drops hints
that Becky's deceptions are beginning to catch up to
her—more and more people are beginning to suspect
something is going on between her and Lord Steyne. Becky's
own behavior seems to grow more brazen over time as well;
she cares less about maintaining the goodwill of those who
have helped her on her way, and she recklessly opens herself
up to gossip.
Becky's chance to finally show her talents and charms to
society's elite comes in the form of Lady Steyne's dinner
invitation, and Becky achieves all she sets out to do—even
winning over Lady Steyne, who has plotted and planned as to
how she can make Becky feel like an outsider. Even though
she wins over none of the other women at the dinner, Becky
doesn't seem to mind because, as usual, the men adore her.
Yet the narrator hints that this routine may not hold up for long
if she continues to alienate and attract the ire of the wives—thewomen who hold much of the social power in these circles.
Amelia Sedley's decision in Chapter 50 to send Georgy to the
Osbornes is full of heartbreak, although it is perhaps the most
adult decision she has ever made for his own good. Georgy
begins to resemble the arrogant Osborne side of his family the
more he is exposed to it, even beginning to grow
condescending to his mother. By painting young Georgy in this
unflattering light, the narrator highlights Amelia's ongoing
naïveté in being unable to realize the faults of her deceased
husband. It is also an argument against the strength of family
ties: Georgy has been raised with all the love and attention his
mother can shower on him, but his life with her can't compare
to the excitement of having money, fine clothes, and a pony.
Chapters 51–53
Summary
Chapter 51: In Which a Charade Is Acted
Which May or May Not Puzzle the
Reader
After Becky Sharp's introduction to Lord Steyne's friends, she
quickly finds a way to receive an invitation to their parties and
dinners. Her singing is sought after, and her impeccable
French skills gain her access to events at the French embassy.
Lady Fitz-Willis, one of society's most renowned and
impressive ladies, pays the Crawley home a visit, thus
conferring the highest society approval on Becky, and silencing
her naysayers at long last. Predictably, now that Becky has
achieved what she has set out to do, she grows restless and
bored without any kind of challenge in front of her.
Yet as the Crawleys grow in recognition and respect, so do
inquiries into their financial state, particularly due to the lavish
parties Becky throws. Speculations abound, and none of them
are particularly flattering: there is a rumor that Pitt Crawley and
Becky are in a secret romance, and another that Becky hustles
Rawdon Crawley's friends for money. What no one knows is
that Becky is just as shrewd and calculating as ever, able to
swindle free food, liquor, and servants from her connections.
The narrator interjects that before the reader might judge her,

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they might also realize even the wealthiest people use illusion
and deception to appear richer than they are.
At a charades party at Lord Gaunt's, full of exotic Eastern
costumes and storylines, Becky wins over the crowd once
again with her skills, and the fuss over her separates her from
Rawdon after they act out a series of characters together. She
leaves without him, not realizing that right after she is gone, he
is arrested in public for not repaying their debts.
Chapter 52: In Which Lord Steyne
Shows Himself in a Most Amiable Light
In a flashback before Rawdon's arrest, the narrator notes,
"When Lord Steyne was benevolently disposed, he did nothing
by halves," and he extends this disposition to the Crawleys by
offering to pay for Rawdy's schooling at an elite boarding
school. Although Rawdon is reluctant to agree, he knows it will
be beneficial and so he acquiesces. After Rawdy leaves, Lady
Jane Crawley pays Rawdon a visit, and he is relieved he has
someone with whom he can relate to over loving and missing
his son. Becky, for her part, doesn't even kiss her son goodbye
when he departs. Yet Rawdon is able to see his son every
weekend, and takes him to see plays and visit with Lady Jane
and the cousins, an activity which only increases Becky's
disdain for them.
Lord Steyne pressures Becky again to let Miss Briggs go, not
realizing she never paid back her debt with the money he gave
her. When Becky is reluctant, he begins to suspect something
is amiss, and sets out to investigate. When he learns that
Becky claimed she owed Miss Briggs twice as much as she
actually does, he begins to realize the depths of her
manipulation, and also wonders how much Rawdon knows.
With this mounting evidence, Lord Steyne asks Becky about
her lies, but she only tells another lie: it is Rawdon's fault. Lord
Steyne has Miss Briggs moved to another household, and the
general suspicion around Becky mounts—even Pitt and Lady
Jane suspect something is going on between Becky and Lord
Steyne.
Pitt finally confronts Becky, and tells her she is destroying the
Crawley reputation and name, but Becky dismisses him and
continues to do as she pleases. Pitt's hands are tied because
the king—whom he works for in court—is close with Lord
Steyne, and so ignoring him is not possible. Before he leaves
London, Pitt cautions Rawdon yet again to keep an eye onBecky. Rawdon demands that she stop attending parties
without him; when she begins to pay more attention to him and
to enjoy his company again, he softens, feeling that things have
returned to the way they were early on in the marriage.
Chapter 53: A Rescue and a
Catastrophe
When Rawdon is arrested, he is forced to confront his
creditors, but he doesn't alert Becky as to what has transpired
until the following morning, when he writes her for money to
get him out of jail. The whole day passes before Becky sends
Rawdon his desk of money, which is not enough to pay the
debt; the rest, she says, Lord Steyne will loan them when he
can. Rawdon, who assumed she would have sold her jewelry
instead, is shocked and suspicious. He then asks Pitt to send
him the remaining money he needs to be released. Lady Jane
delivers it to the jail herself, which causes Rawdon to grow
emotional over her kindness—he tells her that he is a better
person for knowing her and having his son, and he wants to
continue to be better. When Rawdon finally arrives back home,
he discovers Becky and Lord Steyne are alone together,
holding hands. The narrator has dropped hints that Becky and
Lord Steyne may have conspired together to get rid of Rawdon
by having him arrested. Becky feigns innocence, which only
angers Lord Steyne—he thinks this is a trap that the couple
has set to compromise him, and he reveals to Rawdon that he
has given Becky jewelry, clothing, and money. Rawdon slaps
him and rips Becky's jewelry off, then demands the keys to the
box where she is keeping the money Lord Steyne gave her.
When Rawdon opens the box, he finds all kinds of love tokens
from other men, as well as a large amount of money. Rawdon
declares he will pay off Lord Steyne and Miss Briggs at once,
and informs Becky he is leaving. Becky is in shock in the
aftermath of his departure, briefly considering committing
suicide when she realizes how thoroughly she has been
exposed and how little she is left with.
Analysis
The narrator depicts Becky Sharp in this section at the high
and low points of her usual cycle—excitement when she has
something to gain or win, and boredom and discontent
immediately after she gets it. He hints with foreshadowing that
"glory like this is said to be fugitive," meaning that the story of

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her rise and fall will come on the heels of her getting
everything she ever wanted and then losing it. Throughout
Becky's long history of manipulation and schemes, she also
managed to rack up an enormous amount of debt that is finally
catching up to her and her family.
The flashback in Chapter 52 serves to up the stakes for what
Becky stands to lose should her deceptions come to light, and
Lord Steyne is on to her with regard to how she manipulated
him out of the money he gave her. Interestingly, rather than be
angered by the lie, Lord Steyne only respects her con, and
thinks more highly of her. However, more people than ever are
taking notice of her affairs, and even Pitt Crawley and Lady
Jane Crawley seem to have finally caught on to the ruinous
effects of Becky's actions on the family name. Yet the narrator
hints that Becky may, in fact, be pulling off her greatest
manipulation yet—for, through a rippling effect, both her son
and Miss Briggs are finally out of her way, which can only
please her. With Rawdon Crawley's arrest, it seems she can
finally be rid of everything she feels is keeping her down.
But the stakes are high, and Chapter 53 finds Becky's careful
world of deception tumbling down around her. It's the moment
readers have been waiting for as her lies and manipulations
have mounted, and the stakes of what she has to lose grows
higher. The revelation when Rawdon opens her box of tokens
and money reveals that not only did she manipulate Lord
Steyne, but she also has secretly kept money meant for their
son and other debts. The psychological motivation behind this
hoarding of money is puzzling, for there seems to be quite
enough money for her to have paid off their debts and gotten
the creditors off their backs, and some of it has been in her
possession for years. The reader can only assume that Becky
was hoarding the money for a possible future without Rawdon,
or that her impoverished childhood has led to an unhealthy
obsession with keeping as much money in her possession as
possible. It is an odd, irreconcilable fact that seems to hint at a
greater level of turbulence in Becky's psyche than she is willing
to acknowledge.
Even after being exposed by Rawdon, Becky can't seem to
bring herself to admit any wrongdoing—even as her husband
walks out the door, she still proclaims her innocence. What she
is clinging to is not an attempt to save her marriage but to save
the standing in society she has worked so hard to achieve.
This chapter marks the most profound turning point in the
novel thus far, for the reader now knows that life for Becky andRawdon—and particularly their relationship—can never be the
same again. It is telling and heartbreaking that Rawdon's
biggest grief over this discovery is not her affair but her
constant selfishness. He laments, "You might have spared me
a hundred pounds, Becky, out of all this—I have always shared
with you." He is devastated that her selfishness has required
their family to live on the tightrope of poverty, costing even
their son hardship for no apparent reason. It's as though
Rawdon is finally coming to terms with the fact that Becky
does not see him as her equal.
Chapters 54–56
Summary
Chapter 54: Sunday After the Battle
As Pitt Crawley and his family begin to wake up the next
morning, Rawdon Crawley enters their house on Gaunt Street
in his two-day-old outfit, and lets himself into Pitt's study to
wait for him. He tries to read some of his brother's political
pamphlets but their meaning is beyond him, and he is
distracted beyond despair. When Pitt enters his office sharply
shaven and put together, he is shocked at Rawdon's
appearance and assumes he has been drinking all night. He
asks Rawdon what he is doing there, and why he isn't at home.
Rawdon replies that he is "done," and Pitt immediately assumes
his brother has come for money, which Pitt claims he can no
longer help him with. Rawdon tells him, "It's not money I want."
Instead, he wants Pitt to take charge of Rawdy when he is
gone. Rawdon alludes to the fact that his son is more fond of
Lady Jane Crawley than of his own mother.
Pitt tells Rawdon his marriage to Becky Sharp was his own
doing, and Rawdon confesses that their marriage is now over.
Pitt assumes Becky is dead. Rawdon replies he wishes he were
dead, and Pitt immediately understands that Rawdon has
discovered the affair between Becky and Lord Steyne. Rawdon
implies that he and Lord Steyne are likely to duel, and adds
that "it may end fatally with me." Finally understanding
Rawdon's anguish, Pitt agrees to take care of Rawdy should
anything come to pass. With this new understanding, Rawdon
aims to settle his financial affairs by distributing the money to
pay back Miss Briggs, and to give Pitt enough to provide for

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Rawdy if necessary.
Rawdon goes to Lord Steyne's house and leaves a message
requesting a meeting. He then tracks down his friend Captain
Macmurdo to stand in as his second for the duel. Macmurdo
says he is not in the least bit surprised that Becky has ruined
Rawdon—he can hardly believe it has taken this long for
Rawdon to see it as well. For his part, Rawdon is ashamed that
he still loves Becky and that he never suspected her of being
able to hurt him so deeply, although he is also hurt that none of
his so-called friends have ever confronted him over their
suspicions about Becky. He also cannot let go of the fact she
hoarded money and kept it from him, even when times were
dire. Captain Macmurdo has his servant retrieve some of
Rawdon's clothes from his home, and the servant conveys a
frantic image of demanding creditors and irate servants.
Chapter 55: In Which the Same Subject
Is Pursued
The chaos at Becky's house reported by Captain Macmurdo's
servant appears to be based in reality—her maid has left after
stealing a number of Becky's jewels and items of clothing. The
rest of the Crawleys' servants are also beginning to turn on
Becky now that they know Lord Steyne and Rawdon are no
longer caring for her, and they begin demanding their wages
and commandeering her furniture. Becky can hardly stand it
and leaves for Pitt Crawley's house, where he confronts her
about what has transpired. In response, Becky will only admit
she knew of Lord Steyne's feelings for her and didn't
discourage him, and the reason she hoarded money was
because Rawdon is a reckless spender. She also reveals that
Lord Steyne had secured a political job for Rawdon, despite his
lack of political experience. Lady Jane Crawley hears their
voices and loses her temper at Becky, finally unleashing her
true feelings toward her with regard to their children, then she
demands that Becky leave their home immediately. Pitt
desperately tries to intervene, but Lady Jane issues an
ultimatum—he can only choose one of them to defend. Pitt
leaves to track down Rawdon in an attempt to placate the
situation.
Rawdon is at the club, and learns he is in the newspaper for
having received his new political position. Lord Steyne's
servant arrives with a message informing him of his new job's
financial benefits and location—on an island. The messenger
also proclaims Becky and Lord Steyne's innocence in theaffair, and that he has convinced him not to duel Rawdon.
Rawdon doesn't believe a word the messenger is saying and
says he will continue to challenge Lord Steyne to a duel.
Captain Macmurdo interjects as Rawdon's second and
cautions him to let the situation go and accept the job offer.
Rawdon acquiesces at last, and hands over the money Becky
had taken from Lord Steyne in order to repay him. Pitt arrives
and tries to persuade Rawdon to take Becky back and mend
his marriage, but Rawdon says he is done after everything that
has transpired. Becky and Rawdon's creditors close in, but
Becky is nowhere to be found and her landlady is forced to
deal with the disaster. Rawdon departs for his new position on
the island, where he corresponds constantly with his brother
and son, and pays his wife a yearly allowance.
Chapter 56: Georgy Is Made a
Gentleman
The narrator returns to young Georgy Osborne, who is growing
up to become just as arrogant and entitled as his father. The
relationship between him and his grandfather also seems to be
a repeating echo of the one between his father and
grandfather, with Mr. John Osborne placing all his hopes and
aspirations on him. But Georgy is seemingly shrewd enough to
know how to get what he wants from his grandfather, which
only highlights his spoiled nature. The narrator implies his
attitude is not solely the fault of the Osbornes, for Amelia
Sedley spoiled him immensely as well. Georgy and Amelia still
have a relationship, but it widens as both she and Georgy
realize he now exists in a higher social class than she does.
When Amelia's mother dies, Georgy is indifferent and cares
only that he can't go to a play he wants to see.
Much like her naive worship of George Osborne, Amelia also
believes her son can do no wrong, and paints a picture of him
as a gentle and giving child. Meanwhile, Georgy causes havoc
everywhere he goes, riling adults and pushing boundaries at
school. William Dobbin finally comes to pay him a visit, serving
as one of his only true links to the real person his father was.
Georgy also casually mentions to Dobbin that he recognized
him because of how much Amelia talks about him. Jos Sedley
also finally returns home.

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Analysis
The aftermath of Rawdon Crawley's discovery in Chapter 54
shows how thoroughly he has been destroyed by Becky
Sharp's actions. He is also consumed with concern for what
will happen to his son, especially if he is killed in a duel with
Lord Steyne. Life has changed swiftly for Rawdon, and by
Chapter 55 he has a new job and a new place to live, which
allows him to pay off his debts. The ugly situation also reveals
how much Rawdon's character has evolved: he is now ethical,
humble, increasingly responsible, and appreciative of genuine
goodness. A strange side effect of this series of tragic events
is that people seem to speak to each other with more
transparency and honesty. And when they don't—as with
Becky trying to convince Pitt Crawley of her innocence—they
are confronted. It's as though everyone is tired of the veneer of
keeping up polite appearances after so much at stake has
been lost. The fact that even now Becky cannot come clean
with herself or others implies a serious personality defect, and
serves as her tragic flaw that leads to her downfall.
In Chapter 56 the narrator implies that Georgy's attitude as a
spoiled brat was years in the making long before he began
living with the Osbornes, thanks to Amelia Sedley's dotage. In
the eyes of his two most important caretakers, his mother and
Mr. John Osborne, Georgy can do no wrong. Mr. Osborne, for
his part, seems to see in Georgy an opportunity to redo his
failed relationship with his own son, to make up for all the
wrongs and grievance, and get it right this time. In this light, he
cannot truly see Georgy as his own person, but rather as an
extension of his own son. The fact that Mr. Osborne can lavish
money and gifts on his grandson only compounds Georgy's
sense of entitlement.
Chapters 57–60
Summary
Chapter 57: Eothen
Tensions between the elder Sedley and Osborne men are
reflected in Georgy's attitude toward Mr. John Sedley. Mr. John
Osborne has told Georgy a number of harsh stories about his
other grandfather, alluding that he only lives thanks to themoney the Osbornes provide for Amelia Sedley.
The impending return of William Dobbin seems all the more
triumphant with the knowledge that he narrowly survived his
voyage from India, and because the person who accompanied
him was none other than Jos Sedley. Jos also happened to
overhear all of Dobbin's fevered talking about his feelings for
Amelia while attending to him. Dobbin, for his part, has spent
their time together trying to convince Jos to take charge of his
nephew Georgy. Dobbin is elated to discover that the story of
Amelia's engagement to a reverend was a lie—as was his
rumored engagement to Glorvina O'Dowd.
Chapter 58: Our Friend the Major
Now that Dobbin knows Amelia is not engaged, he tries to rush
back to London as quickly as possible, but his plans are
thwarted by the lazy Jos who would rather rest for a night after
their journey. When he is finally able to reach Amelia's house,
she is out; he is so changed that the Clapps do not immediately
recognize him. He asks Amelia's maid to help him find her.
When he and Amelia finally see each other, they run to meet
one another. She tentatively inquires about his new marriage,
and Dobbin reveals it was a just a rumor. He attends dinner at
the Sedleys that evening and makes the grand claim that Jos
has come home to care for his father and sister now that Mrs.
Sedley is dead—a claim that is not entirely true, as Jos
somewhat resents the financial drain his family has been on
him. Amelia tells Dobbin all about Georgy, and Dobbin
continues to lament that Amelia has wasted all her love on the
selfish George who never even knew what he had.
Chapter 59: The Old Piano
Jos finally arrives in London and is upset to learn his mother
passed away while he was on the boat from India. The
revelation makes him realize he must stay in London to take
care of his family. Meanwhile, Polly, Amelia's maid, tells Amelia
she believes Dobbin still has feelings for her, which Amelia is
too mortified to accept. She convinces herself Dobbin only
cares for her so deeply because he was so close to George.
She also believes she will never love anyone again the way she
loved George.
Jos gets a new house for the Sedleys to live in, and Dobbin is
heartened when he notices the only furniture Amelia brings is

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the piano he bought her long ago; she tells him it is the only
thing of value to her. While Dobbin is on the verge of revealing
to her it was he who bought her the piano, Amelia gushes over
how kind George was to give it her when she was so unhappy.
Yet Amelia eventually realizes on her own that it was, in fact,
Dobbin who got her the piano, and she apologizes to him for
not realizing sooner. Finally, Dobbin feels he can tell Amelia
about his true feelings for her. Amelia responds with sorrow,
telling him she will never love anyone like she loved
George—and that she sees Dobbin as a brother. Dobbin
understands, but begs Amelia to allow him to continue to see
her, which she agrees to.
Chapter 60: Returns to the Genteel
World
Life is slowly looking up for the Sedleys, as Jos settles into his
fine new house and Amelia begins to socialize again. All of her
old acquaintances, who would not acknowledge her when she
was poor, come to call on her, and she entertains Jos's friends
from his club, along with their wives. Amelia also begins to
receive men who are courting her, although she is uninterested
and (Dobbin believes) too much in her steadiness to be
concerned.
Analysis
The narrator goes to great lengths to emphasize the
similarities between Amelia Sedley and William Dobbin, and not
necessarily in the most flattering light—both have spent much
of their lives obsessed with a person who hardly cared for
them. Amelia can't seem to admit to herself that Dobbin is a
much kinder and more attentive person than George Osborne
ever was—and even seems to have innocently taken his many
grand gestures and kindnesses for granted. Yet now that they
are in close proximity once again, the narrator hints that
perhaps time has shifted the circumstances for them. Their
first dinner together shows them playing their usual parts, with
Dobbin keeping his feelings to himself and Amelia gushing over
her deceased husband.
When Dobbin finally reveals his true feelings to Amelia in
Chapter 59, he seems to truly believe her feelings have
changed now that she knows it was he who bought her the
piano. Yet Amelia seems incapable of changing her outlookand attachment to her dead husband. Even though she knows
that George pretended that he gave her the piano—not a
flattering reflection on his character—to see the truth of who
George really was would require her to rewrite her history in a
way she could never bear. Even so, her treatment of Dobbin
here seems cruel—she wants to keep him near, but refuses to
marry him despite his feelings for her. The fact that Dobbin
agrees to continue seeing Amelia perhaps marks him as a
perennial fool who deserves the heartbreak he constantly
seems to seek from her.
Amelia's return to society is an inverse mirror of Becky Sharp's
fall from it—just as Becky is now alone and poor, so Amelia is
becoming popular and wealthy once again. The narrator seems
to hint that these cycles are inevitable in Vanity Fair: "Think
how mysterious and often unaccountable it is—that lottery of
life which gives to this man … fine linen, and sends to the other
rags." For all the scheming and striving, luck seem to play much
larger a factor in the lives of these characters than they would
like to believe. William Makepeace Thackeray also takes care
to examine and reveal the motives of his characters,
particularly when manipulation is at play. Dobbin's lies are
usually altruistic, such as when he lies about purchasing
Amelia's piano. This places him in sharp contrast to a character
like Becky, who only lies to others for her own selfish gains.
But neither of their lies really serves to benefit anyone: Becky's
lies prove her undoing, just as Dobbin's allowed Amelia to
marry an unworthy man.
Chapters 61–63
Summary
Chapter 61: In Which Two Lights are Put
Out
Mr. John Sedley and Mr. John Osborne both pass away
suddenly, but not before Mr. Osborne tells Georgy that Mr.
Sedley was a better man than he himself is. Before his death,
Mr. Osborne had begun trying to heal his relationship with the
Sedleys by inquiring about Amelia Sedley and inviting Jos
Sedley over. He also discovers before his death that William
Dobbin who, the narrator reveals, has actually become a
prominent and widely respected person, was helping Amelia

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financially after George Osborne's death. Dobbin reveals to Mr.
Osborne how tremendously difficult it was for Amelia to let go
of Georgy, which comes as a shock to Mr. Osborne. Yet before
Mr. Osborne can apologize and reconcile with Amelia, he falls
ill and dies. His daughters are nervous that his grandson will
inherit his wealth, but in actuality he will receive only half, with
the other half being divided among his daughters.
The biggest news, however, is that Georgy's guardianship is to
revert back to Amelia, who will also receive a generous yearly
allowance—not a fortune, but enough that she can live
comfortably. Mr. Osborne also leaves money to Dobbin as
thanks for taking care of Amelia and Georgy while they were
estranged from Mr. Osborne. With Amelia's restored wealth
and social standing, she is more sought after than ever; the
servants treat her with greater respect, Jos takes her more
seriously, and even former enemies come to call on her.
Chapter 62: Am Rhein
It is vacation summer season for the wealthy people of
London, and the Sedleys—with Dobbin in tow—find themselves
on a ship bound for Germany. Amelia and Dobbin seem to be
growing closer as they spend their time taking Georgy on
adventures, although they both seem unaware their
relationship is deepening. Amelia is the happiest she has been
in a long time, which pleases Dobbin. The narrator notes this is
where he himself encountered Amelia, Jos, and Dobbin, and
witnessed everything he is reporting with his own eyes. Jos
decides to stay rather than return to London.
Chapter 63: In Which We Meet an Old
Acquaintance
Jos's friend Lord Tapeworm begins wooing Amelia, who
remains oblivious to his advances. Jos is pleased to see Amelia
is popular amongst the nobility, and the family flourishes during
their stay in Pumpernickel, Germany. Georgy, however, grows
bored and sneaks into a gambling house, where he encounters
a woman who seems to recognize him and gives him a coin to
gamble with, which wins him money. Dobbin discovers him and
takes him home, telling Georgy he is too young to gamble.
Back at the gambling house, Jos sits next to the woman who
gave Georgy money, until she finally removes her mask and
reveals herself to be none other than Becky Sharp who is living
under a fake name. She asks Jos to take a walk with her andtalk.
Analysis
The narrator goes to great pains to emphasize the fickleness
of people in Vanity Fair —after years of ignoring and neglecting
the bereft Amelia Sedley due to her father's fall from grace,
now that she is back on top, all has been forgiven. Yet these
attitudes show that people care not about the emotional
welfare of an individual but rather about their social standing
and the benefits their company can provide. Even though
Amelia has reclaimed the place she fell from, people still gossip
about her past, while being kind to her face. Amelia is also
confronted yet again with the knowledge that much of the
happiness in her life is derived from William Dobbin's actions
on her behalf—her reunion with Georgy in Chapter 61 is a
direct effect of Dobbin's softening Mr. John Osborne. These
realizations also have the effect of hinting that she does, in
fact, love Dobbin, but her lingering love for George Osborne
constantly intervenes, causing her to feel guilty for thinking of
anyone other than him. Once they are abroad in Chapter 62,
however, she seems to begin to let her guard down around
him, which causes her to blossom with excitement and
happiness.
Mr. Osborne's recognition and reward of Dobbin's kindness
toward his family hints that perhaps change is possible after
all. Long a selfish tyrant, Mr. Osborne softens tremendously
toward the end of his life, and sets about trying to right as
many of his wrongs as possible. He is not afraid to admit he
was wrong, and his acknowledgment of the role Dobbin has
played is the first time Dobbin is recognized and rewarded for
his perpetual selflessness.
The emergence of Becky Sharp catches both Jos Sedley and
the reader off guard—she is loitering in a gambling house and
appears worse for the wear financially, wearing worn clothing
and living under an assumed name. Yet she clearly has not lost
her charm, as she convinces Jos to take a walk with her. Her
encounter with Georgy is also heavily symbolic—she is wearing
a mask because there is a carnival festival, but her appearance
suggests she has something to hide, as usual. Gambling is also
an activity the reader associates with Becky's flirtation of
George, designed to keep him gambling and losing at her
house. It seems significant that Becky is the one to give young
Georgy his first piece of gambling money—she is manipulating
a new generation of Osbornes now.

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Chapters 64–67
Summary
Chapter 64: A Vagabond Chapter
Although the reader may be curious as to what has transpired
for Becky Sharp since her last appearance in the story, the
narrator claims he will not be disclosing this information other
than to say it was unpleasant enough; he would feel
embarrassed relaying it. However, the reader is treated to a
flashback of Pitt Crawley receiving the full story of what
occurred from Lord Steyne's messenger. Becky divorced
Rawdon Crawley and is sent by the family to live in France
where she will receive a small annual sum of money. Her son,
Rawdy, now lives with Pitt and Lady Jane Crawley, and
becomes the next heir after Pitt and Lady Jane's son
dies—information that causes Becky to finally write to him in
the event she may need his money someday. Rawdy, for his
part, now considers Lady Jane his mother. Becky travels
throughout Europe, trying to escape her reputation. Yet she
continues to accrue debt and gamble, which causes her to
assume false names in order to avoid her creditors. In Rome,
she runs into Lord Steyne at a ball, who sends his man of
business to threaten her, telling her that she will "be ill and die"
if she does not leave Rome, and that any of her admirers would
happily kill her for a fee. Becky moves around Europe but can't
get ahead—every time she tries or makes any headway, she is
stymied by someone who knows about her reputation.
Chapter 65: Full of Business and
Pleasure
After meeting with Becky, Jos keeps it a secret. He is
somewhat enchanted by her new vagabond existence, and she
complains to him that all of her friends have unfairly
abandoned her now that she has nothing. She also tries to
convince Jos she never stopped loving him, and that she
couldn't return his affection before because of Rawdon's
jealousy. Jos is quick to agree with her that she has been
treated unfairly, and is determined to help her back into
society. He finally tells William Dobbin, who reacts
unfavorably—he has always seen through Becky's charms.They finally ask Amelia for her input on the situation, but
Amelia refuses to even see Becky until Jos preys upon her
sympathies as a mother. When Amelia and Becky are reunited,
Amelia is affectionate and forgiving.
Chapter 66: Amantium Irae
Becky's lies are almost revealed when she can't even recall
how old her son is or what he looks like now, in response to
Amelia's flurry of questions about what transpired. Becky also
uses Amelia's growing sympathy to paint Pitt, Lady Jane, and
Lord Steyne in an unflattering light. Meanwhile, Dobbin is upset
by Becky's return, recalling her cruelty toward Amelia in the
past—he is the only one who knows of George Osborne's affair
with Becky. Amelia insists that Becky move in with them, which
infuriates Dobbin further. He hints at George and Becky's
indiscretion, which moves Amelia to tears. Dobbin also
cautions Jos again against taking Becky in, and tries to remind
him of how much trouble she has caused.
Once Becky arrives, she senses that Dobbin alone sees
through her act—and that Georgy recognizes her from the
gambling hall. Dobbin is determined to build a case against
Becky's encroachment, and discovers much of her
manipulative history. He tells Amelia and Jos everything he
finds out, while Becky sits nearby. She denies his claims, and
Amelia chooses to believe her over Dobbin—she is also still
upset that Dobbin hinted at George's affair with Becky. Dobbin,
for once, stands up for himself, telling Amelia he can't believe
she doesn't see he is the only honest, loving person in her life.
He tells her that with her deluded fantasy of George, and her
indifference to Dobbin's love, she has proven herself unworthy
of his affection. Becky, eavesdropping, is silently impressed
with his speech, and can't believe Amelia doesn't appreciate
his feelings for and devotion to her. When Dobbin finally leaves
the Sedleys, Becky has Georgy give Dobbin a note from her,
offering to intercede on his behalf, but he rips up the note and
rides away.
Chapter 67: Which Contains Births,
Marriages, and Deaths
Becky knows she must work overtime to earn the trust and
friendship of Amelia and Jos, and wastes no time buttering
them up. She uses her charms on Jos to full effect, and with his
help she slowly begins to regain her reputation in high social

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circles. Becky is also hung up on what happened between
Amelia and Dobbin, and tells Amelia she should forgive him.
Even though Amelia feigns annoyance, she secretly likes
talking about Dobbin. Amelia has grown unhappy since he left
but doesn't seem to see the correlation between her mood and
his absence. Slowly, however, it begins to dawn on her that he
is actually gone, that she has trifled with his affections, and
that his withdrawing of his love for her means that she has lost
something precious and unappreciated.
Dobbin tries to forget Amelia, and believes he has fallen out of
love with her. Becky, however, is relentless in trying to
convince Amelia to marry Dobbin, despite Amelia's familiar
insistence that she can only ever love her dead husband.
Finally, Becky tries to remind Amelia that George was, in fact, a
terrible husband to her—and that it was Dobbin who helped
convince George to marry her. She even reveals she and
George had an affair, but Amelia can't stand hearing any of it,
and accuses Becky of lying. Finally, Becky shows Amelia the
letter George gave her at the ball long ago, which asks her to
elope with him. The news overwhelms Amelia, but it also leaves
her free to love Dobbin without feeling that she is betraying her
dead husband. In fact, she has already written him a letter to
tell him, and he returns by boat. Amelia asks for his
forgiveness, and they are married at last. They move near
Queen's Crawley, where Amelia and Lady Jane Crawley
become close, and Amelia gives birth to a daughter.
Becky has become Jos's companion, and the two travel
together—he even takes out a life insurance policy with her as
his benefactor. Yet Amelia worries about what has become of
Jos, and sends Dobbin to track him down to see that he is all
right. When Dobbin finally finds him, Jos is gravely ill, and the
narrator hints that Becky had a hand in it. Dobbin tells Jos he
should stay away from Becky, but Jos seems scared of her to
the extent he worries she could have him murdered. Dobbin
leaves without having convinced Jos of anything, and Jos dies
three months later. Half of his life insurance goes to Becky, but
the company suspects Jos was poisoned. Becky is able to hire
lawyers on her behalf and collect on her policy.
As time marches on, Rawdon Crawley and Pitt Crawley pass
away, Rawdy inherits the Crawley estate and the baronetcy,
where he lives with Lady Jane Crawley and her daughter, and
is friends with Georgy. Rawdy doesn't want anything to do with
his mother—who now styles herself Lady Crawley—but he
does send her money. Becky moves to Bath and tries to start a
new life. Amelia and Becky encounter each other one last timeat a fair, but they don't speak.
Analysis
Becky Sharp's deceit and manipulations have finally caught up
to her, and nothing can restore her standing in society. Divorce
is considered an enormous scandal, and the story of what
transpired between her, Rawdon Crawley, and Lord Steyne is
now public knowledge. High society now treats her with
nothing but scorn and derision, yet Becky still seems to believe
she can get back on top if only she tries. The narrator recounts
that she has become lonely, perhaps realizing too late that the
currency of true friends may be more important than actual
currency. She is now paying the highest price of her life,
abandoned by friends, and forced to relocate often to escape
creditors and her reputation.
Becky finds a willing victim in Jos Sedley, who happily listens to
the flattering story she spins involving her supposed long-held
feelings for him. She is so convincing that he is even able to
talk Amelia Sedley into forgiving her, because he believes it is
she who has been wronged. Becky knows the only way to get
Amelia's attention is through her sympathy as a mother, which
works nearly immediately when Amelia believes Rawdy was
cruelly taken from her. Becky's lies and manipulation are
particularly cruel here—she is preying on Amelia's memory of
being separated from her own son, and knows that Amelia's
rational response will be thrown out in favor of her emotional
response.
The reader may be shocked by Amelia's behavior toward
William Dobbin when he attempts to warn her about Becky's
past. Amelia chooses to punish her longest, most devoted and
adoring friend for hinting that her husband may not have been
as faithful as she would like to believe. This proves that naïveté
is Amelia's fatal flaw. Dobbin is distraught when Amelia
chooses Becky—who has rarely shown her any honesty or
kindness—over him, because the story Becky has fed her
feeds into Amelia's fanciful ideas about the world. When Becky
finally helps orchestrate a reunion between Dobbin and Amelia,
it is debatable and surprising that this may be her one and only
charitable moment in the novel. She knows she will sever her
relationship with Amelia by telling her everything about George
Osborne, and that she has a lot to lose—namely, her reentry
into society. But she admires Dobbin and says to herself that
she would be able to be happy and at peace if a man like that
were in love with her. She also knows that her evidence of

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George's unworthiness is the only thing that will unite Dobbin
and Amelia. However, Becky throwing herself upon the sword
is unnecessary—Amelia has written to Dobbin only a day
before confessing her feelings.
The narrator implies that no one has fundamentally changed
much over the course of the novel—Becky remains
manipulative, Amelia remains naive in general, and Dobbin
remains in love. The implication, however, is that no one ever
remains happy or satisfied for long in Vanity Fair. Even in her
last moment, Amelia is shown as secretly jealous of her
husband's love for their daughter. Seen in this light, William
Makepeace Thackeray has accomplished writing a "realist"
novel rather than a "romantic" one—in real life, relationships
and circumstances are in constant flux from one moment to
the next. He doesn't care about leaving the reader with the
sense of "happily ever after," because it rarely happens in real
life. It also lines up with Thackeray's subtitle, "A Novel Without
a Hero," because every character is deeply flawed. The
narrator leaves the novel with the insight, "Which of us is happy
in the world? Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is
satisfied? … Let us shut up the box and the puppets, for our
play is played out." Here, he hints that happiness and
satisfaction are rarely sustained, and that the puppets—or
characters—in this story have played out their imperfect
destinies.
g Quotes
"The world is a looking-glass and
gives back to every man the
reflection of his own face."
— Narrator, Chapter 2
Mirrors real and metaphorical carry symbolic meaning in Vanity
Fair. Here, the narrator issues a warning and foreshadows
some of the problems Becky Sharp will face in a tit-for-tat
world. Those who "look sourly" at the world, he predicts, should
expect sourness in return.
"A dear, tender mother … wouldhave extracted the interesting
avowal from the bashful lips of the
young man!"
— Narrator, Chapter 6
Becky Sharp and the Sedley family expect Jos Sedley to
propose to her any moment, but Becky lacks a mother to help
move the proposal along. Even sly Becky can't cross the line of
social decency that would prompt Jos to speak. The role of
parents in arranging her marriage is one she must fill herself,
as the narrator often points out. Becky's pragmatic approach
to getting her needs met drives her actions throughout the
novel.
"I am very fond of Amelia; I adore
her … I must have a little fling, and
then when I'm married I'll reform."
— George Osborne, Chapter 13
George Osborne's defensive words to William Dobbin, when
Dobbin scolds him for his faithless behavior, reveal his
essential selfishness, just as his frequent glimpses in the mirror
reveal his innate vanity. From early in the novel it is clear who
the better man is.
"He saw a slave before him in that
… yielding faithful creature, and his
soul within him thrilled secretly
somehow at the knowledge of his
power."
— Narrator, Chapter 20
When George Osborne visits Amelia Sedley, who was
convinced he no longer honored their engagement, she cries in
gratitude. George's response suggests a great deal about how

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they both view their marriage, and how George will likely treat
Amelia. As for her part, Amelia muses, "He is the greatest and
best of men," a claim, the narrator says, George would not
disagree with. He sees himself as a "Sultan" and Amelia as a
supplicant in need of his mercy and grace.
"Where have you been, wretch?
Here is Emmy crying her eyes out
for you. Are you coming to fetch
me for the quadrille?"
— Becky Sharp, Chapter 29
Becky Sharp's scandalously flirtatious behavior at the ball is
intended not only to impress men but to put other women in
their place—beneath her. Even Amelia Sedley—whom Becky
professes to love as a sister—must be subjugated. She scolds
Amelia for not visiting her, then scolds George Osborne for
neglecting his wife, and then has George abandon Amelia to
dance with her. "Women only know how to wound so," the
narrator comments, accurately labeling Becky Amelia's
"remorseless little enemy."
"The King took notice of her
yesterday at the Tuileries, and we
are all jealous of the attention
which Monsieur pays her."
— Parisian great lady, Chapter 34
When Rawdon Crawley and Becky Sharp travel with General
Tufto to Paris, Becky not only charms the men but even "all the
French ladies." Her French is excellent, her personality lively,
and her behavior not as scandalous, the narrator suggests,
among Paris's elite. A high-ranking lady writes a letter to Miss
Matilda Crawley, full of praise for her niece-in-law—even the
king, his brother, and his sister want to know her. The letter,
however, infuriates Miss Crawley, a respectable lady whose
good name Becky has exploited in Paris."You and I … may drop into this
condition one day: for have not
many of our friends attained it?
Our luck may fail."
— Narrator, Chapter 38
Commenting on the Sedleys' fall from comfort and plenty into
proud but dire poverty, the narrator reminds readers that such
falls can happen to anyone who crowds the streets in Vanity
Fair.
"I have a gentleman for my
husband … But am I much better …
now … than … when I … wheedled
the grocer round the corner for
sugar?"
— Becky Sharp, Chapter 41
Visiting Queen's Crawley after Pitt Crawley and Lady Jane
Crawley inherit it, Becky Sharp pauses to assess how far she
has come in her quest for wealth and how far she still has to
go. She muses, too, on how money makes it easier to choose
moral actions. The narrator wonders, too, whether "it was only
a question of money and fortune which made the difference
between her and an honest woman."
"He looked her full in the face …
'You never kiss me at home,
Mamma,' he said, at which there
was a general silence and
consternation."
— Rawdy, Chapter 45

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One of the more damning aspects of Becky Sharp's behavior,
for William Makepeace Thackeray's original readers, is her lack
of maternal love. Previous chapters show her mistreating and
neglecting her son. In this scene, she makes a show of kissing
him to impress the other women in the room. This incident
suggests her willingness to use Rawdy in her schemes, and the
look in Becky's expressive eyes—"by no means
pleasant"—suggest future violence against her son.
"There were times when she
believed herself to be a fine lady
and forgot that there was no
money in the chest at home."
— Narrator, Chapter 48
The narrator wryly points out that even the day of Becky
Sharp's great triumph—when she is presented at court—is a
day of doubt for her. She knows, as no one else does—not
even Rawdon Crawley—how easily she could be revealed as a
financial fraud. And yet, the narrator admires her ability to carry
on the hoax, observing how her posture and attitude "would
have befitted an empress."
"But Rawdon Crawley … struck the
Peer twice over the face … and
flung him bleeding to the ground.
[Becky] admired her husband,
strong, brave, and victorious."
— Narrator, Chapter 53
One of the novel's most exciting moments comes when
Rawdon Crawley confronts Becky Sharp and Lord Steyne.
Rawdon, an easygoing man for most of the novel, can only be
pushed so far. His attack on Lord Steyne will cost him dearly,
but in this moment, Becky seems to see Rawdon's potential for
the first time. When he calls her, she comes right away,
trembling, and when he tells her to take off the jewels Steynegave her, she does so immediately.
"How many thousands of people
are there … doomed to endure this
long slavery? … who strive, fast,
watch, and suffer, unpitied, and
fade away."
— Narrator, Chapter 57
Amelia Sedley's fall from fortune is slow and grinding, as the
narrator presents it in Chapter 57. Her life is one of want, work,
and loneliness. The narrator drops his satirical tone to call for
genuine sympathy and compassion for people who have fallen
on hard times. Such hard times can come—as the novel's
events and commentary suggest—to even the most privileged.
"Oh, be humble, my brother," the narrator warns, "in your
prosperity!"
"You don't know what she endured
… If she took your son away from
you, she gave hers to you … she
loved hers ten times more."
— William Dobbin, Chapter 61
William Dobbin, who before hastened George Osborne's
marriage and disinheritance, has learned how to speak out
effectively. His care for Georgy, and his tender recounting of all
Amelia Sedley has suffered reconcile Mr. Osborne to his
daughter-in-law, and his influence secures Amelia a future of
comfort and security.
"Was she most grieved because
the idol of her life was tumbled
down … or indignant that her love

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had been so despised?"
— Narrator, Chapter 67
Becky Sharp breaks character for Amelia Sedley's sake, as the
novel comes to a close, to keep her from being tempted to
marry one of the army men interested in her. She reveals the
truth about George Osborne. Amelia's reaction—a flood of
tears the narrator can't pin down as "sweet or bitter"—is made
even more ambiguous by the revelation, a few sentences later,
that she has already written to William Dobbin to call him back.
Becky "screamed with laughter" at this bold act by her timid
friend.
"Ah! Vanitas Vanitatum! Which of
us is happy in this world? Which of
us has his desire? or, having it, is
satisfied?"
— Narrator, Chapter 67
These words, which come at end of the novel, may well serve
as a summation of the book's central idea. Readers might
consider the characters as they play out their lives in the novel.
How many could answer yes to these questions?
l Symbols
Mirrors and Portraits
For young people jockeying for position in the world, and for
older people invested in maintaining their reputation,
appearance matters greatly. Mirrors, reflective surfaces, and
portraits appear often in the novel, and represent characters'
preoccupation with their appearance to others. For some
characters, attention to appearance is a practical matter.
Becky carefully curates her appearance to achieve hergoals—she is especially careful to use her glance to good
effect. For other characters, attention to appearance is a
habitual matter, as it is with George Osborne, who is compelled
to check his reflection at every opportunity. Satire itself is like
a mirror—the novel holds up a reflection of readers' behavior
and invites them to take a long, hard look at how they appear
to others.
Mythical Women
Greek figures of mythology show up in both subtle and overt
ways in Vanity Fair . In particular, allusions to mythical women
draw attention to the roles of women in 19th-century England,
and to the roles of female characters in the novel.
Clytemnestra and Iphigenia, a mother and daughter from the
Agamemnon cycle of myths, represent women's relative
powerlessness and the bloodshed that results from it. To catch
this symbolic meaning, readers must remember that King
Agamemnon agreed to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, so the
goddess Artemis would allow the winds to blow the Greek fleet
to Troy. Queen Clytemnestra, deceived into thinking she is
about to see her beloved daughter wed to the hero Achilles,
vows revenge. The analogy suggests that a woman who has no
legitimate authority can be easily sacrificed; to protect herself
and her interest, she may have to resort to treachery, even
violence.
Entertainments
Throughout the novel, readers see characters engage in
entertainments—music, drama, games, and so on. Some
entertainments are wholesome, while others put characters at
some kind of risk. Entertainments may lure and lull characters,
who seem unwilling or unable to resist. Especially in the
context of Vanity Fair—that place of delicious
temptations—entertainments represent humans' inability to
attend to what matters, even in a moment of crisis. George, for
example, is quickly distracted by pretty baubles and becomes
an easy mark for skilled card players like Rawdon. Becky's
ability to entertain a crowd with her music and dancing is a tool
for exploiting the elites. Although some entertainments are

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harmless—Amelia's piano comes to mind—entertainments in
the novel are often a vice that lead to vain behaviors.
m Themes
Lies and Pretense
In "Before the Curtain" (preface), the frame of Vanity Fair is
explained. It points out that the entire story is a play in which
costumed puppets act out roles as if they were real people.
When the curtain comes down, the play ends, and the
puppets—only collections of wood, metal, and cloth, after
all—are returned to their crate. Within the novel, character after
character performs, as the puppets do. They play deceitful
roles to achieve their goals, and harm other characters in the
process. Lies are a social construct—they require someone
willing to be dishonest and someone willing to accept the
dishonesty. Characters accept these parts for reasons ranging
from naïveté (as in Amelia Sedley's case), to hope of gain or
fear of loss (as in Mr. John Sedley's), and to pride of person (as
in the case of many characters—from Isidor, Jos's comically
vain valet, to Miss Jemima Pinkerton, with her puffed-up
résumé). It is only Becky Sharp, who is cynical and has few
delusions, who is never seriously deceived. In short, it takes
two to lie and deceive successfully.
Both Lord Steyne and Becky pretend to benefit the other while
grabbing all that is within reach, but neither is fooled by the
other's motives. In other cases, innocents suffer because of
lies, as when Rawdon Crawley ends up in debtor's prison
because Becky has kept their finances shrouded. This lie is
particularly tragic because it results in Rawdon leaving his
beloved son behind to be raised by Sir Pitt Crawley and Lady
Jane Crawley. Rawdon, who could hardly stand to send his
child to school for a day, never sees the boy again. Yet
Rawdon doesn't escape complicity in the deception. He
benefits from Becky's absence, and from her success in
wooing patrons. All the while, the people who see through
pretense and reject the lies—William Dobbin and Lady Jane
Crawley in particular—are often disregarded because the truth
they would tell is uncomfortable.The Price of Ambition
Becky Sharp is not the only character in the novel who believes
the end justifies the means, and that collateral damage is
unavoidable. "I'm no angel," she declares to Amelia early on,
and promptly begins to prove her claim, feigning sisterly love
for Amelia in hopes of attracting Jos Sedley's affection. As she
moves from city to city, and household to household, Becky
leaves dismay behind at best and destruction at worst; and for
a time, seems to emerge unscathed. She is not the only
character who uses others to rise in society, or to put the
brakes on a fall. Mr. John Osborne, Mr. John Sedley, and Mrs.
Bute Crawley are just three others who are willing to make
others pay a price for their ambition. The novel, as the narrator
says, lacks heroic characters, and one complaint after its
debut was that the novel was overstuffed with "schemers …
[and] world-wise, perfidious" people from whom, in the real
world, readers would "shrink … as from a contagion." Yet as
William Makepeace Thackeray himself responded to the
reviewer so concerned about contagion, a goal of the novel
was to make a ruckus about cruel ambition, to "howl to a
congregation of fools" who value human love so little. The
characters whose ambition drives them to use and discard
others suffer in the end, while those who act generously and
on behalf of others are rewarded. But even as ambitious
individuals are punished, the status-hungry world of Vanity Fair
is never seriously challenged: people still seek out the wealthy
and powerful, and shun those less fortunate or more obscure.
The theme of the price of ambition acts as a warning in a novel
full of critiques of human vices.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Regency society (during which the novel's action is set) and
Victorian society (the context in which the novel's first readers
encountered the story) imposed rules of behavior for ladies
and gentlemen. In fact, as the 19th century proceeded, such
social expectations became stricter. Adequate income was a
necessary, but insufficient, condition for someone to claim the
title of gentleman. By reaching high and low in the social ranks
for his characters, Thackeray suggests that a man of great
wealth, like the elder Sir Pitt, may be a man of low moral

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character. At the same time, a man of limited influence, like
William Dobbin, may prove the better-mannered man among
his wealthier peers; Dobbin's excellent judgment and moral
behavior actually becomes a kind of social currency, allowing
him to gain greater distinction and respect. But regardless of
wealth, ladies and gentlemen were expected to recognize and
abide by social boundaries of behavior. For example, it is
acceptable, Rawdon thinks, for his charming wife to shine in
high company, but it is unacceptable for her to be found alone
with Lord Steyne. When it becomes public knowledge that
Becky has crossed that line, even debauched Lord Steyne,
who was happy enough for her to cross it in private, must see
to her public punishment.
Yet a paradox of the novel is that lack of wealth, or fear of
poverty, drive some characters to less than genteel behavior.
Becky muses she "could be a good woman if [she] had five
thousand a year." And the narrator, too, wonders whether "it
was only a question of money and fortune which made the
difference between her and an honest woman." The solution to
the paradox may be found in characters like William Dobbin,
who is generous with his limited income and never uses a lack
of funds as an excuse to violate social mores, and Sir Pitt
Crawley, who when he inherits Queen's Crawley puts his
fortune to use for the benefit of the estate and those who live
on it.
e Suggested Reading
Auerbach, Nina. Woman and the Demon: The Life of a Victorian
Myth . Harvard UP, 1982.
Cole, Sarah Rose. "The Aristocrat in the Mirror: Male Vanity
and Bourgeois Desire in William Makepeace Thackeray's
Vanity Fair." Nineteenth-Century Literature , vol. 61, no. 2, 2006,
pp. 137–170.
Maitzen, Rohan. "The Morality of Vanity Fair : It's All About You."
Open Letters Monthly: An Arts and Literature Review , n.p., 1
July 2010.
"Victorian Literature and the Victorian Visual Imagination."
Choice Reviews Online , vol. 33, no. 4, Jan. 1995.