Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Vanity Fair, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Greed and Ambition
Vanity
Social Class and Character
Gender
Inheritance and Family Life
Summary
Analysis
The narrator says this isn’t a military novel, so the focus will be the story’s noncombatants. Major O’Dowd tells Peggy to wake him up the next morning in time for him to march with his regiment. Instead of sleeping, Peggy stays up packing for Major O’Dowd. The next morning, when it’s time for all the men to leave, Becky tries to be resilient and unemotional about Rawdon’s departure. Rawdon regrets that he hasn’t been able to provide Becky with more money, but she says there’s still a chance for them to win Miss Crawley over.
As the narrator notes, Vanity Fair does not depict much actual warfare, even though the war plays a major role in shaping events of the plot. The novel deliberately prioritizes everyday concerns, and its lack of focus on the war perhaps helps to capture the psychology of the characters—even the combatants rarely put much thought into war when they’re not actively engaged in it. Rawdon makes a passing reference to the possibility that he might not come back from combat, but Becky immediately dismisses it, talking of future plans to win over Miss Crawley.
Themes
Rawdon used to only think about himself, but before he goes, he looks over all his possessions and tries to calculate their worth in case he dies, and Becky has to sell them. He decides to wear his least expensive clothing so that she can resell his fancier clothes if she needs to. Becky herself looks at everything she has and figures she might be alright financially if Rawdon happens to die.
This passage humorously juxtaposes how war has affected Rawdon and Becky. On the one hand, it shows how the prospect of going into battle has helped the boisterous Rawdon become more mature, putting his wife’s welfare above his own. On the other hand, the battle hasn’t changed Becky in the least, as she continues to be materialistic, caring more about possessions than whether Rawdon lives or dies.
Themes
Meanwhile, all the commotion in town disturbs Jos’s slumber. When Dobbin comes to say goodbye to him, Jos doesn’t seem to understand that some of the soldiers might not come back. Dobbin asks Jos to look out for Amelia if anything happens to George or if the British soldiers lose the battle. Jos says he doesn’t think such a thing is possible, but Dobbin leaves feeling like he’s ensured Amelia’s safety.
Because Jos doesn’t have to go to war himself, he can’t imagine the possibility of negative consequences. Jos’s attitude demonstrates how deeply some people can live in denial, since he is right next to a future battlefield and yet still fails to comprehend the consequences of war.
Themes
Dobbin goes to see Amelia one last time before leaving and finds her looking upset. He just watches, not feeling that he can say or do anything to help her. Meanwhile, George paces around and packs, then he says goodbye to Amelia, grateful to be done with difficult goodbyes. He is excited to go to battle, recalling how he used to be a champion at sports in school. The sun is just beginning to rise as all the soldiers march off.
George’s pacing seems to indicate that nervous, understanding the consequences of battle better than Jos, yet he tries to suppress these feelings by comparing war to a sporting event. What’s more, he selfishly sees war as a chance to prove his own worth and is less concerned about how it may harm others.
Themes
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