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
It soon becomes clear that Mr. Sedley’s health is fading, and so Jos announces that there will be no more large parties in his house so that he can care for his father (although small parties can still proceed as planned). Amelia and Dobbin also check in on the ailing Mr. Sedley, with Amelia in particular devoting almost her entire life to taking care of him. Any grudge between Mr. Sedley and Amelia goes away in the last days of his life.
Although Jos shows generosity toward his father, the one thing Jos isn’t willing to give up is his indulgent lifestyle, and so he continues to hold small parties. Amelia shows that her obsessive love is not exclusive to Georgy now, with Mr. Sedley becoming its focus at the end of his life. This suggests that perhaps there is still hope for Dobbin to one day become the focus of her love.
Themes
One morning, Mr. Sedley just doesn’t wake up. Soon after, his family buries him in the churchyard next to Mrs. Sedley. The narrator compares the death of a rich man to that a modest man and suggests that perhaps the humble death of a man like Mr. Sedley, who throws himself at the feet of God asking for mercy, is better than a rich man who dies proudly. Even Mr. Osborne admires Mr. Sedley after his death as he talks to Georgy.
Sir Pitt had an undignified final few days of life in which he couldn’t even speak. By contrast, the poorer and lower-ranking Mr. Sedley dies a quiet and dignified death, not attempting to stretch his life out. Once again, death causes people to have an idealized view of the departed and put aside old grudges, with even Mr. Osborne putting aside his long-standing feud with Mr. Sedley.
Themes
Before Mr. Sedley’s death, sometimes Dobbin comes over to dine with Mr. Osborne, and they end up talking about George. Mr. Osborne develops a high opinion of Dobbin, and so Georgy does too. Sometimes Mr. Osborne asks Dobbin about Amelia, and he describes everything she’s suffered in great detail. Mr. Osborne even considers the possibility of reconciling with Mr. Sedley and Amelia, but Mr. Sedley dies before this can happen.
As this passage reveals, Mr. Osborne’s softer feelings toward the Sedleys could be due in part to Dobbin’s intervention—just as Dobbin used to go around trying to defend George’s reputation, he now goes around and does the same for Amelia. Despite his vanity making him a flawed character, Mr. Osborne tragically begins to see the cost he pays for his vanity only after it is mostly too late.
Themes
Mr. Sedley’s death greatly affects Mr. Osborne, making him reconsider his own life. He gets shaky and agitated as his own health declines, and one day his servants find him unresponsive and unable to speak. A few days later, he dies. Amelia regrets that she never had a chance to reconcile with Mr. Osborne, but when Mr. Osborne’s executor reads his will, it turns out he made a change near the end of his life and decided to leave money for Georgy, Amelia, and Dobbin. His death also means that Amelia will once more take care of Georgy.
And so, even though Mr. Osborne and Mr. Sedley were rivals in life, their deaths draw a parallel between them, suggesting that for as much as Mr. Sedley suffered over the course of his life, perhaps it is better to be like him than to be like Mr. Osborne, who was wealthy his whole life but so blinded by pride that he mostly caused misery to those around him by attempting to prevent George’s marriage and depriving Amelia of Georgy.
Themes
Get the entire Vanity Fair LitChart as a printable PDF.
News of Mr. Osborne’s will raises everyone’s opinion of Amelia even higher. To help with the care of Georgy, Amelia invites Jane to keep living in the Russell Square house that Mr. Osborne used to own for as long as she likes. Jane, however, doesn’t want to be alone in the big house and soon leaves to live somewhere smaller with a couple servants. The Russell Square house is now empty, and all its furniture is sold
Despite Mr. Osborne’s flaws in life, he partially repents for them with the good he accomplishes in his will, particularly with how it helps Amelia. In many ways, the best thing Mr. Osborne does is die, since his death also frees Jane Osborne to go pursue a new independent life. The emptiness of the Russell Square house shows the emptiness of what Mr. Osborne leaves behind (since his son is dead and his daughters have grown apart from him).
Themes
One day, Amelia and Georgy go to see the old Russell Square house. Amelia shows Georgy the room where George used to live. They drive back to a temporary house in Richmond where they’ve been staying recently. While there, Maria comes over and happens to notice Georgy. She tries to make Georgy kiss her daughter (and his cousin) Rosa, but Georgy doesn’t want to. Miss Swartz also stops by the see Amelia and is still found of her. Maria and her friends gossip about Amelia and Georgy.
For a long time, Amelia has been isolated from the rest of society. Mr. Osborne’s will, however, has helped to raise Amelia’s social status (perhaps combined with Joe’s financial help), and as a result she and Georgy now get attention even from people like Maria (who perhaps hopes to have Georgy marry her daughter as a way to get back the portion of her father’s inheritance that went to Amelia).
Themes
