Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero

Returning to the Crawley estate, Becky feels very different to the first time she visited. She and Rawdon silently pass through the gates, thinking about their respective family histories. Lady Jane receives Becky warmly, though Lady Southdown is cold. With bits of information gleaned from Jane, Becky tries to ingratiate herself with Lady Southdown. She seeks out medical advice from Lady Southdown and speaks to her about religion. Gradually, Lady Southdown begins to appreciate Becky more. Pitt understands the role Becky played in his receiving such a large inheritance from Matilda, so he remains respectful toward her. Sir Pitt’s funeral is a routine service. Later, Becky rides around the same countryside where she grew up. Becky believes that her intelligence has allowed her to rise up the ranks of high society, especially as so many other people seem to be “fools” (491). The narrator speculates whether she might have been happier if she had been more humble and less ambitious.

Mr. John Osborne has become thoroughly discontented. He is growing old and unwell. His failure to marry his son to Miss Swartz has only driven him to find good matches for his daughters. In doing so, however, he drives a wedge between himself and his daughter Maria. Similarly, he is curt toward his daughter Jane. When he finds out that Jane is having an affair with her art teacher, Mr. Smee, he is furious. He announces that she will become the lady of the Osborne household, never marrying.

Dobbin continues his efforts to bring John Osborne into contact with his daughter-in-law Amelia and his grandson. Dobbin’s sisters are permitted by a reluctant Amelia to take young Georgy on a trip. She does not know that he is being taken to Jane Osborne’s house, part of Dobbin’s plan to heal the family divide. Privately, Amelia feels sad that Dobbin is set to be married. When she discovers that her son has been taken to see his aunt, she is even more upset. After seeing Georgy, Jane Osborne talks to her father. She says that Georgy looks like George. 

The narrator switches his attention to India, where Major O’Dowd lives with his wife, his sister Glorvina, and his prospective brother-in-law, Dobbin. Mrs. O’Dowd is excited by the prospect of Glorvina and Dobbin marrying. She jokes with Dobbin that he is still in love with Amelia. Glorvina tries to make Dobbin forget about Amelia. Amelia writes him a letter of congratulations. He is not actually engaged, however, though the rumors persist. Dobbin has been dragging out the prospect of his engagement in the vague hope that Amelia might one day tell him that she loves him. Dobbin hears news from his sister that the Osborne family are warming to Georgy and Amelia. When he also reads that Amelia is to marry a priest, he immediately decides to return to England.

Becky oversees the renovations at the London home of Pitt Crawley. Pitt and his brother Rawdon are beginning to reconcile. Becky presents herself as a doting mother. After one visit to London, Pitt discovers that Becky and Rawdon are struggling financially. Thanks to Becky’s continued nudging, he begins to consider whether he should gift them a part of his large inheritance. Pitt does not want to give up his money, however. Instead, Becky persuades Miss Briggs to hand over some of the money she has made from investments. Miss Briggs cannot grasp that she is being manipulated by Becky. At the same time, Becky uses Pitt’s visits to the London home to trick creditors into lending her even more money. They benefit from his status, as creditors mistakenly believe that she and Rawdon are as rich as Pitt.

Becky cannot hide her dislike for Rawdy. He is a child, meaning that he falls sick often, and she finds him so uninteresting that her dislike becomes “hatred” (518). One day, Becky entertains the visiting Lord Steyne, a wealthy marquis whom she hopes to impress. She plays the piano and sees Rawdy sneaking into the room to listen to his mother’s playing. Becky disciplines her son, hitting him and accusing him of spying on her. The servants begin to suspect that Becky is trying to hide something. Even Lord Steyne’s servants begin to suspect this when Becky comes to visit. Becky views her visit as a sign of her progress up the ladder of high society, but the servants believe that she will inevitably be ruined. At Christmas, Becky and Rawdon take their son to visit Pitt and Jane. There, Rawdon claims that Becky is a bad mother and, for the first time, tensions between the couple are made public. Rawdy admits to Lady Jane that he eats with the servants, rather than his parents. She is surprised. 

After his father nearly destroyed the family name, Pitt works to rebuild the Crawley reputation. Becky attaches herself to this project, encouraging Pitt and using her skills of manipulation to ingratiate herself with him. Pitt is surprised by her attentiveness. At the same time, Becky tries to feign an affection for Rawdy by mimicking Lady Jane’s love for her children. Rawdy is surprised when Becky tries to kiss him in public, loudly pointing out that she does not do this at other times. Becky is angry, while Lady Jane grows suspicious of Becky’s plans. At the same time, Becky is jealous that Lady Jane is so personable and at ease in her relationships. Becky cannot understand gentle, simple people who are fond of children.

Back in London, Pitt takes up his role as a member of Parliament. He begins to notice that Becky is in attendance whenever he takes his seat in Parliament. During this time, Lord Steyne also begins to pay attention to Pitt. This pleases Pitt, though Steyne is presumably acting on Becky’s direction, as he encourages Pitt to be more ambitious. Rawdon spends less time in public. He declines to eat dinner with his family, venturing out instead. He visits the Pitt country estate, where he spends his time with Lady Jane. Conversely, Pitt is in London, where he spends time with Becky. By this point, Rawdon has become stout, middle-aged, and submissive. Lady Jane and Becky are increasingly suspicious of each other. They feign friendship, however, and act pleasantly in public.

Amelia allows Georgy to attend school, relinquishing her hold on him for the first time. While he is away, he revels in his independence. The Osborne household is gripped with sullen misery, as John Osborne inflicts his melancholy on everyone around him. Jane Osborne is now not permitted to marry, so she spends all her time at her father’s house. Through the machinations of Dobbin and his sisters, John Osborne eventually agrees to meet his grandson, Georgy. Amelia is nervous about the meeting. Mr. Osborne takes kindly to Georgy, however. He plans to make his grandson his heir in tribute to George. He offers this inheritance on one condition: Georgy must leave Amelia and live with him. He will only be permitted to see Amelia when Mr. Osborne says so. Amelia is so shocked that she cannot respond. The Sedley household is suffering. Jos no longer sends money back from India. Amelia, preoccupied and naïve, does not notice the family’s dire straits. When her father asks her for money, she begins to sell her possessions to pay for the gifts and trinkets which she insists that she must buy for her son. Mrs. Sedley is upset that Amelia has not accepted Mr. Osborne’s proposal for Georgy, as this would also include an allowance for Amelia. She cannot afford to raise Georgy herself, but she does not want to send him away to the Osbornes. She is forced to make a painful decision.

Becky has grown close to Lord Steyne, so the narrator reveals what he has learned about the aristocrat. His information comes from a man named Tom Eaves, who is of the belief that wealthy, powerful people are made miserable by the constant competition among their potential heirs. Lord Steyne has a large, imposing mansion named Gaunt House, which is near the Crawley home. He can trace his ancestry back many generations, and he is in a loveless marriage. He is rarely seen with his wife in public. Many people gossip about their marriage and whether Lord Steyne is unfaithful. Rumors hint that he forces his wife to meet and spend time with his mistresses. In turn, Lady Steyne is a deeply religious woman. Though she is a Catholic, the Steyne family is Protestant. She is unhappy that her children are raised Protestant. Through her side of the family, one of their sons has also inherited a mental illness. Lord Steyne is ashamed of his troubled son, but also fears for his own mental health.

Becky reaches a new pinnacle of social climbing when she is presented to the King. Such a moment is typically regarded as the sign that a woman has entered into high society. Becky feels triumphant and even receives a “certificate of virtue” (553) which confirms that she has passed through this rite of initiation. On the day of the meeting, Pitt and Lady Jane invite Becky to accompany them to the royal court. Becky opts for an expensive dress, which she secretly made from fabric and materials stolen from the Crawley’s London home during the renovation. Becky’s small diamond clasp was also a gift from Pitt, one which Lady Jane knows nothing about. In response to Rawdon’s questions, Becky claims that the items are rented or gifted. She neglects to mention that the other diamonds were a present from Lord Steyne. Becky’s outfit is so striking that she is mentioned in the newspapers.

The court appearance leads to Becky receiving a string of invitations. Lord Steyne’s wife and his daughter-in-law, Lady Gaunt, invite Becky to visit them. During a meeting with Lord Steyne, Becky is reminded that she may have entered into high society but she must have money if she wants to remain. He is annoyed by Miss Briggs’s constant presence and suggests that Becky fire her. Becky tells him that she cannot, as she now owes quite a considerable sum of money to Miss Briggs. However, she lies to Lord Steyne by claiming to have borrowed a far larger amount than she has actually done. As she suspected, Lord Steyne offers to pay off this debt. He sends her a check, which Becky uses to pay Charles Raggles instead of Miss Briggs. She tells him to keep her creditors away, while putting most of the money in a safe place.

On the day Lord Steyne visited Becky, the narrator reveals that the invitations sent by his wife and daughter-in-law were actually written under duress. Lord Steyne demanded that they write the invitations to Becky, much to the horror of Lady Steyne and Lady Gaunt. The latter openly objects, as she is the daughter of the woman that Becky insulted while visiting Brussels, Lady Bareacres. Lady Steyne and Lady Gaunt plot against Becky, devising a way to make clear that they have no interest in welcoming her. The dinner is held, wherein they plan to undermine Becky by speaking in French. They assume that, since she is from a poor background, she will not be able to understand. Becky shocks them by speaking French fluently, as she learned from her French mother. The plot has the reverse effect: Since Becky’s French is better than the other women’s, the men at the table are impressed. The women, in turn, are furious. When the men split away for cigars and drinks after dinner, the furious women act coldly toward Becky. Eventually, Lady Steyne pities her. She invites Becky to play a song for them and, when Becky performs Mozart, Lady Steyne is moved into a nostalgic reverie. The men return from their cigars, whereupon they are enchanted by Becky’s singing, leading them to ignore the other women.