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 returns to Jos’s story, picking up right after he fled Brussels. Jos soon returns to India. He tells exaggerated stories about his role in the war against Napoleon, but he never mentions the two horses he bought at such a high price from Becky. Jos pays money to support Mr. Sedley and Mrs. Sedley in London. Despite their recent bad luck, the Sedleys continue to brag about their children to everyone.
Although Mr. and Mrs. Sedley remain poor, everything else seems to return to the way it was for their family before the war. Jos may have gotten a fright from being so close to the fighting, but the experience apparently hasn’t changed him, as he immediately returns to his old life in India and continues to tell exaggerated stories that he thinks make him look like a hero.
Themes
On weekends in London, Mr. Sedley takes Georgy out to walk around the park, looking at soldiers and feeding ducks. Another time, Amelia catches Mrs. Sedley secretly giving Georgy an elixir, which Mrs. Sedley calls medicine, but Amelia believes is poison. This leads to an argument that causes a rift between the two of them that lasts for the rest of Mrs. Sedley’s life.
Amelia has been an obedient daughter all her life, but her overwhelming love for Georgy finally begins to cause conflict between her and her parents. Yet again, the older and the younger generations each believe that they know best, and caring for Georgy becomes a way for them to act out this argument with each other.
Themes
Amelia tells Georgy stories about George, although she hesitates to ever mention George around Mr. Sedley and Mrs. Sedley. Amelia’s doctor is very moved by the sight of Amelia and George, causing the doctor’s wife to be jealous. In general, men who meet Amelia tend to fall in love with her, and women tend to scorn her. Without even trying, Amelia wins the admiration of men around her, mostly due to her pretty face and helpless appearance.
Yet again things return to the status quo, and while Amelia struggled to win admiration abroad at the fancy parties before the war, when she’s back in England, she begins to again win praise for her meek attitude. This passage suggests that what men find most attractive in women is helplessness, a statement that is possibly satirical, but which also shows how women were expected to be passive in a relationship.
Themes
Amelia continues to commemorate both the day she got married and the day she became a widow. She educates herself from books so that she can better teach Georgy. Mr. Sedley gets into the business of selling wine, but, aside from some initial success, he doesn’t make much money. Jos receives a promotion in India and gets roped into funding some of Mr. Sedley’s unsuccessful wine ventures.
All of the Sedleys try to hold on to the past and fail to do so, showing what a futile endeavor that is. Amelia tries to bring back George by commemorating him and by focusing on her son, while Mr. Sedley attempts to repeat his lucky business decisions from the past.
Themes
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One day, Dobbin, acting as the executor of George’s will, goes to Mr. Sedley and tells him that George paid off his debts and even left some money to Amelia. Mr. Sedley is confused and suspicious at first, but he eventually believes him. In fact, it was Dobbin who paid all of George’s debts and hid from Amelia how deeply indebted she was because of George.
Dobbin uses the will as an excuse to give Amelia a substantial gift. Although Dobbin himself doesn’t have a title or a wealthy profession, he works hard and lives a relatively modest life, meaning he likely has more actual money than many characters who are supposedly wealthier than he is (but who secretly take on debts to maintain the outward appearance of material wealth).
Themes
Amelia continues to write letters to Dobbin about Georgy like she promised, and he cherishes the letters, always sending a present back to his godson. Georgy grows up, becoming more and more like his father, George. Dobbin begins writing even more frequently around the time Georgy is six years old.
Because Dobbin can’t bring himself to consider marrying Amelia yet, he instead devotes himself to related tasks, like maintaining correspondence with Georgy. Whether he’s willing to acknowledge it to himself or not, Dobbin clearly wants to be Georgy’s real father one day.
Themes
One day, the Dobbin sisters come over with gossip about Dobbin that they are sure will make Amelia happy. They tell her that Dobbin is set to marry Peggy’s sister Glorvina. Amelia keeps telling herself that she is happy about this news, but her eyes are wet.
This chapter closes with yet another major cliffhanger, in which Amelia realizes that she loves Dobbin at the very moment when it seems to be too late (because he’s about to marry someone else). Amelia’s constant insistence that she’s happy suggests that she struggles to understand her own emotions.
Themes
