Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero

After her musical performance, Becky finds that the doors to high society are open. Her fluency in French results in an invitation to the French embassy. She is visited by Lady Fitz-Willis, an important figure in London high society. This visit acts as a seal of approval for Becky, putting to bed any mumblings from her critics. Now that she has achieved her goal, however, Becky becomes bored, craving a new challenge. At the same time, the increased prominence of Becky and Rawdon invites a greater scrutiny of their finances. The frequent parties thrown at their home exacerbate this scrutiny, and rumors circulate about “how the Crawleys got the money” (593) to pay for everything. People gossip that Pitt and Becky are having an affair, or that Becky scams her husband’s friends to acquire money. No one knows the truth: Becky is just as devious and as calculating as she has always been, meaning that she can acquire food, drink, and servants for free by manipulating other people. This tactic, the narrator points out, is far more commonplace among the rich than might be expected. One evening, a charades party takes place at Gaunt House. Many people are dressed in lavish costumes. Becky particularly impresses people at the party. She becomes separated from Rawdon and, later, leaves without him. As a result, she is not at the party when Rawdon is publicly arrested for failing to pay his debts.

The narrator goes back to the time before Rawdon’s arrest. Lord Steyne offered to pay for Rawdy’s education at an expensive boarding school. Despite an initial reluctance, Rawdon agrees, as he believes this will benefit Rawdy. The boy is sent away. Lady Jane visits Rawdon and, to Rawdon’s relief, he finally has someone with whom he can speak honestly. He tells her how much he misses his son and how little Becky seems to care that Rawdy has gone away. Each weekend, Rawdon visits his son. He takes him from the school and, together, they attend plays or visit Lady Jane’s house. Becky cannot stand these visits, so she disdains everyone involved.

Once again, Lord Steyne suggests that Becky must fire Miss Briggs. He does not know that the money he gave to Becky was not used to pay off Becky’s debts to Miss Briggs, though he is becoming increasingly suspicious. He investigates the situation and realizes that Becky lied to him about the amount she owed. This leads him to a realization that she is a liar, which amuses him. He wonders whether her husband is aware of what has been happening. Armed with his evidence, Lord Steyne confronts Becky. She responds with yet more lies, blaming Rawdon. Lord Steyne sends Miss Briggs away as suspicions encircle Becky, to the point where even Pitt and Lady Jane suspect something is amiss. When Pitt confronts Becky, he accuses her of destroying his family’s reputation. Becky dismisses his accusations. Since Lord Steyne is close to the King, however, and since Pitt works for the King, he cannot stop Becky from continuing as she pleases. Preparing to leave London, Pitt talks to his brother. He warns Rawdon that he must keep a close eye on his wife. Rawdon tells Becky that she should not attend parties alone. Becky flatters Rawdon by showering him with attention, leading to his attitude softening. He hopes that the situation has returned to the way it was in the first years of their marriage. 

The narrator returns to the aftermath of Rawdon’s arrest. Rawdon is made to confront his creditors and sent to a private jail. He does not tell Becky what took place until the following day, when he must write to her to ask for money for his release. Becky waits all day before sending Rawdon a letter, complaining that she felt sick. She includes whatever cash she can find in his desk. This is not enough for his release, but she tells him that the outstanding amount will be loaned to them by Lord Steyne. Rawdon had hoped that Becky might sell her jewelry to fund his release. He suspects that she may be plotting something, so he asks for the outstanding amount from his “dear brother and sister” (621) instead. Lady Jane arrives at the jail in person to pay for his release. Rawdon is overwhelmed by this display of kindness. Returning home, he finds his wife holding hands with Lord Steyne. The narrator hints that the arrest may have been a plot by Lord Steyne and Becky to send Rawdon away, allowing them to be together. Becky proclaims that she is “innocent” (623). Lord Steyne accuses her of plotting against him with Rawdon and, in doing so, he reveals the lavish gifts that he has showered upon Becky. Rawdon is upset. He slaps Lord Steyne and then snatches the offending jewelry away from his wife. He knows that Becky keeps the money given to her by Lord Steyne in a box. He demands the key. When he opens the box, he discovers a treasure trove of valuable items. They are gifts sent to Becky by admiring men. There is also a large sum of money. Rawdon offers to use this money to settle the debts with Miss Briggs and Lord Steyne. He tells Becky that he will leave immediately. Becky, still in shock, watches him leave. For a brief moment, she contemplates dying by suicide. She realizes that her scheme has been completely exposed and that she has nothing left.

Pitt and his family awake to find Rawdon at their home, dressed as though he has been travelling for two days. He enters the study to wait for Pitt. He has no understanding of the political literature scattered on the desk and is too distracted to make any sense of the pamphlets. Pitt arrives, freshly dressed and shocked at his brother’s appearance. He assumes that Rawdon has been up all night, drinking. When asked why he has come, Rawdon explains that he is now “done” (627). Pitt assumes that his brother is in financial trouble. He announces that he cannot lend any more money to his brother. Rawdon dismisses this, insisting that he has not come for money. He plans to challenge Lord Steyne to a duel, and he wants his brother to take care of Rawdy in the event of his death, as his son prefers Lady Jane to Becky. Pitt feels little sympathy for his brother, insisting that he married Becky of his own volition. Rawdon reveals that the marriage is finished. Despite Pitt’s assumptions, Rawdon says, Becky is not dead, though he wishes that she were. Pitt understands; he believes that Rawdon now knows that his wife is having an affair with Lord Steyne, causing Rawdon to desire to duel the man. Pitt sympathizes with his brother. He agrees to take care of Rawdy if Rawdon dies. With the money taken from Becky’s locked box, Rawdon plans to settle his debts with Miss Briggs and leave some money behind for Rawdy.

Rawdon recruits his friend, Captain Macmurdo, to be his second in the duel. Macmurdo is not shocked that Becky has destroyed the marriage, only that it has taken so long for Rawdon to see her true self. Rawdon feels ashamed. He confesses that he still loves his wife; he never believed that she could hurt him so badly. Furthermore, he is surprised that none of his friends intervened. He is still shocked that she collected money from men and hid it from him, even when they were struggling so much. Macmurdo sends servants to collect Rawdon’s clothes from his house. They return with stories about creditors and servants swamping Rawdon’s home. 

The “stupor and confusion” (636) is described in detail. One of the servants has stolen valuable jewelry and clothing, then run away. The other servants are turning on Becky, who they know is no longer backed financially by either Rawdon or Lord Steyne. In lieu of the wages they are owned, they plan to take the valuable furniture. Becky is almost overwhelmed. She visits Pitt Crawley, who accuses her of betraying her husband. Becky is elusive. She admits that Lord Steyne loved her but insists that she never acted upon his affections. She also blames Rawdon’s frivolous spending as the reason why she hoarded and hid so much money. Despite Rawdon’s lack of credentials, she managed to secure a political position for him through Lord Steyne. Lady Jane overhears the conversation. She becomes enraged, revealing her true loathing for Becky and her cynical machinations. She hates Becky for not loving her child and insists that she leave the house. When Pitt tries to mediate, his wife demands that he choose either her or Becky to defend. Pitt refuses to answer. He leaves the house to search for Rawdon, hoping that he can calm the situation.

At his club, Rawdon reads about his new political appointment in the newspaper. Lord Steyne’s servant comes to him with further information, outlining the financial rewards of the governorship of Coventry Island. The servant reiterates the innocence of Lord Steyne and Becky in the hope that the challenge to the duel can be withdrawn. Rawdon refuses to withdraw the challenge, though Macmurdo advises him to do so and to accept the political job. At last, Rawdon relents. He gives the last of Becky’s hoarded money to settle the debt to Lord Steyne. When Pitt arrives at the club, he begs Rawdon to fix his marriage and take Becky back. Rawdon refuses. Elsewhere, the creditors attempt to find Becky and Rawdon, but Becky has gone missing. Rawdon leaves, taking up his political job on the faraway island. He sends letters to his brother and his son, who remains in Pitt’s care. He sends a yearly allowance to Becky but does not correspond with her.

The narrator switches his focus to Georgy Osborne. He is growing like his father, becoming arrogant and spoiled. His relationship with his grandfather echoes his father’s relationship with his father, to the point where John Osborne now views Georgy as the embodiment of all his hopes and ambitions. Georgy has learned how to manipulate his grandfather, leading to him becoming even more spoiled. The narrator adds that Amelia is not innocent in this regard, as she also spoiled her son. As he grows older, Georgy drifts apart from his mother. They are both keenly aware that he belongs to a higher social class. Amelia’s mother dies, but Georgy cannot bring himself to care. He is only bothered that her death interferes with his plans to attend the theater. Despite this, Amelia is convinced that her son is an upstanding and brilliant man, just as she was convinced that George could do nothing wrong. To her, Georgy is an innocent, kind boy. The reality is that he is a disobedient, challenging presence who causes chaos at school. One day, Dobbin visits Georgy. He is one of the few people who actually knew Georgy’s father. During their conversation, Georgy mentions that Amelia often talks about Dobbin. This surprises Dobbin. Jos finally returns from his time abroad.

Georgy’s poor attitude is evident in the way he treats John Sedley. While being raised by John Osborne, Georgy has heard many terrible stories about his other grandfather. News reaches London that Dobbin has returned from India after a long voyage. Not only did he nearly die on his trip, but he is accompanied by Jos. During the fever he suffered during the journey, Dobbin spoke about his true feelings for Amelia. Jos overheard everything while treating Dobbin. During his more lucid moments, Dobbin tried to convince Jos that he should take responsibility for Amelia and her son. When he arrives in London, Dobbin learns that the news that Amelia is engaged—the news which prompted him to return home—was a fabrication, just like the news that he and Glorvina O’Dowd were engaged.

The narrator explains how Dobbin arrived back in England. Armed with the knowledge that Amelia is not set to marry anyone, Dobbin tries to get back to London as quickly as he can. He is with Jos, however, whose lazy desire to rest slows them down. Dobbin arrives back in London alone, only to find that Amelia is not at home. In his time away, Dobbin has become unrecognizable. The servants are shocked to discover his identity. He asks them to help find Amelia. When he does spot her, Amelia and Dobbin run toward one another. She asks hesitantly about his engagement and he tells her that these stories were untrue. That evening, he eats with the Sedley family. He announces that Jos has returned to take care of the family, especially now that Mrs. Sedley has passed away. Dobbin is blurring the truth, not revealing that Jos resents the massive amount of money he has been required to send home. Amelia talks to Dobbin about her son, which only angers Dobbin.

Jos returns to London. He learns that his mother died while he was traveling. Her death prompts him to stay in London to care for his family, just as Dobbin encouraged him to do. Amelia talks to her maid, Polly, who believes that Dobbin is still in love with her. Amelia is shocked, telling herself that Dobbin only loves her because he loved George so much. She tells herself that she will never be able to love anyone as she loved George. Meanwhile, Jos purchases a new home for the Sedley family. Amelia only brings with her “that little old piano” (696) that she believes George purchased from her family’s estate sale, but was actually purchased by Dobbin. Just as he is about to tell her the truth, she launches into a story about how George bought it for her. Gradually, however, she realizes that she is wrong. Dobbin, not George, was behind the thoughtful gift. She apologizes to Dobbin for not appreciating him soon and, at last, Dobbin reveals his love for Amelia. She is sad, insisting that she cannot love anyone as much as she loved her late husband. To Amelia, Dobbin seems more like a brother than a husband. Dobbin is upset but empathetic. He asks only that Amelia allow him to continue to see her.