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 writes that after so much bad luck, Amelia is finally seeing some good fortune, although perhaps not quite as good as Becky’s. Jos’s friends back in England are not the richest members of society, but they’re still well-off, and Jos brings Amelia into this society. Jos has a butler in his new home, and Amelia gets a maid, who also helps care for Mr. Sedley.
While Jos is far from moderate, in some ways his insatiable appetite for food and drink is small compared to Becky’s desires—she would never be satisfied with Jos’s middling status in society. Despite how much Jos spends, his position in India was apparently so lucrative that he has more than enough to satisfy his needs.
Themes
Mr. Osborne allows Georgy to visit Amelia more often, figuring that now Georgy has a chance to inherit Jos’s fortune. Dobbin fascinates Georgy, and he acts more modestly whenever Dobbin is around. Georgy tells Amelia that he thinks Dobbin is much smarter than Mr. Veal, even though he uses shorter words. Georgy is less admiring toward Jos and learns how to impersonate him to amuse others. Jos begins avoiding Georgy.
Like many characters in the story, Mr. Osborne does the right thing only after he sees a way for it to benefit him personally (or at least his new heir, Georgy). Georgy’s admiration for Dobbin confirms Dobbin’s good character, since Georgy has begun to show a talent for seeing through the bluster of hypocrites like Mr. Veal.
Themes
Jos joins the Oriental Club and often invites other members to his house. Amelia learns how to entertain dignified guests and soon becomes an impressive hostess. One of the young officers from India seems to take an interest in Amelia, but Dobbin doesn’t get jealous—he’s happy that people respect Amelia now. Jos goes to court to meet King George IV and comes back as a major Tory and an admirer of the king. Jos promises Amelia that he wants her to have the best of everything.
“Tory” (a term used both then and now) refers to those in Britain with traditional, conservative views, with notably support for the monarchy. This passage humorously shows how politically naïve Jos is, suggesting that all it takes is one meeting with the king in order to turn him into an ardent supporter (perhaps because Jos likes telling exaggerated stories about himself, and so this allows him to exaggerate how impressive his visit with the king was).
Themes
