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
Jos goes to check up on Amelia. Jos never really got along with George and so is glad to have some time alone with his sister, but Amelia feels too ill to do much. Jos doesn’t usually notice his servants much, but with everyone else gone, he starts talking to his valet, Isidor. Isidor has been out in the town, and he tells Jos that Napoleon’s army has been doing well, and now the Duke of Wellington is going around trying to raise morale for the next battle.
Once again, Thackeray probably expected readers to know that the Duke of Wellington would eventually triumph over Napoleon. What this scene dramatizes, however, is that Wellington’s victory was far from inevitable, and that soldiers like George, Dobbin, and Rawdon faced uncertain fates.
Themes
Jos decides to go out and check about the reports himself. He grabs a military jacket, and Isidor warns him not to do that in case someone shoots at him, but Jos doesn’t listen. As he does so, Becky comes over and jokingly asks Jos if he’s planning on joining the army. Jos realizes she’s concerned because if the British lose, Becky would like to ride in Jos’s carriage to escape. Jos says he’d like to see battle, but he can’t because he’s responsible for Amelia.
Although Jos is one of the older members of his generation in the novel, he nevertheless has maintained a state of childish ignorance. He wants to pretend to be part of the battle by wearing a military jacket, not realizing that by taking on the status of a soldier he would also be taking on the danger of it.
Themes
Becky teases Jos about how he was going to marry her two years ago before backing out. She asks if Jos has been avoiding her intentionally. She says that she’s clearly devoted to Rawdon, so it doesn’t matter if she spends time with Jos. Before Jos can respond, Isidor enters and interrupts them.
Although Becky claims that she’s still loyal to Rawdon, in this passage, she is very clearly trying to win back Jos in case Rawdon dies in battle and she needs a new husband. While her actions might seem humorously crass, they are perhaps also a way for her to express her fear and uncertainty about the future; securing a new husband is merely a practical way for her to ensure she her own survival in the event that Rawdon dies, and she can no longer support herself.
Themes
Just then, Amelia comes over, and Becky goes to hug her. This makes Amelia look even sicker. Becky asks about her friend’s health, but Amelia starts getting angry. She says that Becky doesn’t love Rawdon, and she accuses Becky of trying to take George from her. She tells Becky that even if she hasn’t yet succeeded in stealing George, she’s definitely tried.
With the battle imminent, many characters can’t live in a state of denial anymore, and for Amelia, her denial was pretending not to notice how much time George spent with Becky. War becomes a test not just for the soldiers but for the noncombatants as well, and Amelia finds the courage to say things she couldn’t voice aloud before.
Themes
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Becky protests that she never came to see George at his house, but Amelia says instead Becky took George out of his house. Eventually, Becky leaves, and when Jos asks about Amelia, Becky suggests that maybe someone should be looking after her. Becky goes walking and runs into Peggy, whom she tries to get to watch Amelia, and Peggy agrees to go check on her.
Becky isn’t used to having people confront her directly, and as with George, her selfishness doesn’t mean that she’s immune to having feelings. Still, Becky struggles with confronting her feelings of guilt directly, trying to assuage this guilt by having Peggy watch over Amelia rather than trying to apologize to Amelia herself.
Themes
Peggy finds Amelia still by her bed and looking full of grief, so she tells her to cheer up and be ready when George comes home with news of victory. Eventually, it’s dinner time, and Jos tries to cheer Amelia up by telling her to try the soup. Just then, there’s a commotion in town; Peggy fears that a cannon is firing on them.
Peggy can be an optimist because her husband is high enough in the ranks that he’s unlikely to face personal danger. Still, even she gets a taste of the danger of war when a loud noise suddenly seems to bring the war right into town.
Themes
