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
Meanwhile, while the war takes place in Belgium, Miss Crawley is back in Brighton and knows little about what is happening elsewhere. When she hears in the paper of Rawdon’s bravery from a servant reading her the newspaper, she just thinks it’s a pity that Rawdon only earned this reputation for heroism after he already married such a poor wife.
This passage serves as a reminder how people living far away from where the war’s battles take place are as disconnected from it as ever. Once again, there is dark humor in the juxtaposition of George’s dramatic death and the mundane concerns of Miss Crawley as she reads the news from a distance.
Themes
Miss Crawley is still slowly recovering from illness. Her relatives mostly keep their distance, but they send presents. Rawdon, in particular, sends letters about his battle exploits. Miss Crawley knows that Becky dictates his letters to him, but she encourages him anyway because the letters entertain her. What Miss Crawley doesn’t know is that the war relics that Rawdon sends with his letters are actually from street peddlers that Becky finds.
Perhaps now that Miss Crawley’s relatives see her recovering from her illness, they have less fear that she’ll die unexpectedly, and so they begin keeping their distance again. After dealing with both Becky and Mrs. Bute as overbearing nurses, Miss Crawley seems to enjoy having some more autonomy again. This passage once again highlights how Becky can deceive people but how she’s never quite as clever as she thinks.
Themes
Meanwhile, while Mrs. Bute had hoped to gain favor with Miss Crawley by taking care of her (until Bute’s riding injury called her away), but in fact she did the opposite, making Miss Crawley despise her and write her a letter saying she doesn’t need her assistance as a nurse anymore.
If Becky’s schemes are sometimes too obvious, Mrs. Bute’s schemes to get Miss Crawley’s fortune are even more overt. This passage shows the dangers of trying to manipulate people for one’s own advantage, and such schemes can actually be counterproductive, since people resent being tricked
Themes
Ever since Becky left, Sir Pitt has started going around to his tenants and drinking lots of alcohol with them. His son Pitt Crawley has been spending time with his fiancée, Lady Jane Southdown, in Brighton. Sir Pitt occasionally stops by Miss Crawley’s house to leave a visiting card and check with a servant about her health, but he never actually goes in to visit her. Lady Jane has an older sister and an older brother.
Pitt Crawley doesn’t particularly like Miss Crawley and has made a point of avoiding her. Ironically, given how greedy all of the other Crawleys are, this has actually put Pitt Crawley in position to become Miss Crawley’s favorite, since at least he doesn’t bother her.
Themes
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Pitt Crawley develops a plan to try to win back Miss Crawley’s favor by showing her Lady Jane’s sweetness. Lady Southdown, Lady Jane’s mother, wants to come talk to Miss Crawley about religion, but Pitt Crawley urges her not to do anything that might scare Miss Crawley off. At last Lady Southdown agrees that Pitt Crawley and Lady Jane should go alone to see Miss Crawley.
Unlike his other relatives, Pitt Crawley understands that the best thing to do during a visit with Miss Crawley is to avoid pushing her too far or bothering her (as Lady Jane Southdown seems ready to do). While Pitt Crawley is as cynical about trying to secure his inheritance as any of his other relatives, he nevertheless realizes how to control his greed and show some restraint.
Themes
