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
When Dobbin and Jos’s ship from India reaches England, Dobbin is so popular that everyone cheers for him. Dobbin wants to head to London right away, but Jos wants to enjoy a feast at the nearest inn and perhaps stay even longer so that he can enjoy all the things he didn’t have back in India.
Dobbin and Jos meet Georgy together, so their separation in this chapter suggests that each of them has things to go before they make it to that important scene in Mr. Veal’s schoolhouse.
Themes
Dobbin gets up early the next morning, shaves neatly, and tells Jos to get ready to depart. But Jos is determined to stay in bed, so Dobbin departs for London without him. Back in London, Dobbin revisits some of the places he used to go. He stops by to see an old friend, and when the friend remembers him, Dobbin feels reassured that Amelia will surely remember him too.
Jos probably has a hangover from overindulging during his first night back in England. Dobbin’s fear that Amelia will forget him is perhaps exaggerated, suggesting how much he has been looking forward to their reunion but also anticipating ways it could go wrong.
Themes
Dobbin goes to the Sedley house, where he finds the landlord and landlady, Mr. and Mrs. Clapp, but no Amelia. They tell him about the death of Mrs. Sedley and everything else that has happened lately with Amelia. Dobbin says he’s in a hurry and wonders if the Clapps’ daughter, Polly, could lead him to wherever Amelia is at that moment. Amelia’s on a walk, so they go looking for her. As they walk, Dobbin feels nervous, fearing that perhaps Amelia has gotten remarried recently. When they see Mr. Sedley and Amelia in the distance, Dobbin tells Polly to run ahead and tell them about him.
This passage continues to build anticipation for the moment when Dobbin and Amelia finally see each other again, as well as dealing with some practical narrative concerns, like getting Dobbin caught up on recent events in England. Dobbin’s eagerness to see Amelia as soon as possible shows once again how strong his devotion to her is.
Themes
Polly goes ahead and tells Mr. Sedley and Amelia to look at Dobbin. Amelia looks and instantly blushes and begins to cry. She runs toward Dobbin, looking unchanged in his eyes. Dobbin is speechless at first, then he tells her that he has another arrival to announce. Amelia expects it’s his new wife, but Dobbin assures her he isn’t married—the other arrival is Jos. Amelia announces the happy news to Mr. Sedley.
After so much suffering recently, Amelia is overwhelmed by Dobbin and the good news he brings about Jos arriving too. Her blushing suggests that she loves Dobbin too, although she is less willing to admit it to herself at this point in the story.
Themes
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Mr. Sedley invites Dobbin to tea, and Dobbin says he’ll gladly put aside his business in London that evening to attend. Amelia is very happy, taking great pleasure that evening in being a good hostess during the tea. Dobbin shows great enthusiasm for the tea, drinking cup after cup. Amelia eagerly shows Dobbin the miniature that Georgy gave her. This brings up the subject of Mr. Osborne, which makes Mr. Sedley uncomfortable, so Dobbin exaggerates how much Jos wants to help Mr. Sedley financially (which would help make Mr. Sedley less dependent on Mr. Osborne for money).
When Dobbin claims he’s postponing his other business in London, that seems to be a rare lie from him—even Dobbin realizes that his passion for Amelia is so overwhelming that he shouldn’t reveal the full extent of it yet. He still struggles to hide his feelings, however, as his eager drinking of the tea seems to create an excuse for him to stay with the Sedleys longer. Dobbin tells another lie about Jos wanting to help Mr. Sedley, motivated by a desire to do whatever he can to make Amelia happier.
Themes
After Mr. Sedley falls asleep in his chair, Amelia can talk about little else besides Georgy. She talks about how he’s so intelligent and how he always delights people at parties. She even shows Dobbin one of Georgy’s essays on selfishness, which compares the legendary ancient Greek figure Achilles to Napoleon. Dobbin fears that perhaps Amelia has a heart that is only capable of loving once—and that her one love was George. Dobbin promises to see Georgy at some point but not the very next day, since he hasn’t even visited his parents and sisters since coming back.
Amelia’s obsession with Georgy represents one potential obstacle to Dobbin’s love, particularly since part of Amelia’s devotion to Georgy is a way to continue to be loyal to her dead husband George. While previous sections strongly implied that Amelia’s love for Georgy was making her overlook his flaws, this passage confirms it. She claims that Georgy delights people at parties, but in fact, his pranks mostly only delight Mr. Osborne and annoy everyone else. Furthermore, Georgy’s essay on selfishness isn’t very extensive and seems to have been written solely to please the pretentious Mr. Veal (who would be impressed by the reference to the ancient Greek Achilles).
Themes
