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Chapter 31
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
Everyone in Brussels scurries to prepare for Napoleon’s army, which they feel could arrive at any minute. Jos is full of champagne, but even all the alcohol doesn’t give him the courage to act. He talks about getting the carriage ready to flee, but Peggy thinks it would be better for Amelia to stay in bed. Peggy refuses to leave until Major O’Dowd gives her an order.
Once again, as he did before failing to propose to Becky, Jos uses alcohol to dull his fears, thinking it will give him courage, but it just leaves him frozen in a state of inaction. Peggy similarly fails to act, unable to accept the possibility that she’s in danger even after she hears evidence that confirms it.
Themes
A Belgian soldier named Regulus, who is the sweetheart of one of Jos’s maids, brings back news that the Belgian army has fallen to Napoleon, and it seems like without the Belgians, the British are falling too. Isidor relays the message to Jos that the English are losing. Amelia is frightened and has no idea what to do. Jos gives Isidor his military jacket and tells him to shave his mustache. Although Regulus claimed to be the only survivor of a massacre, other Belgians soon come back to town, though there’s no sign of the French quite yet.
Although it might seem like Napoleon is winning the war, what this passage really captures is the confusion of war and how people on the outside often have to rely on rumors from potentially unreliable narrators. In this passage, for example, the Belgian soldier Regulus makes it sound like his whole army was massacred, but as other Belgian soldiers come back, it soon becomes clear that Regulus was exaggerating to cover up the fact that he fled battle, possibly as a deserter.
Themes
Jos realizes he doesn’t have horses for his carriage, so he makes Isidor go out to look for some. Jos initially considers walking but recoils at the thought of so much exertion. Meanwhile, word gets out that Rawdon left behind some horses with Becky; she starts getting requests to use them, which she declines. Eventually Jos makes his way over to her, and Becky teases him for wanting to flee instead of fighting bravely in battle.
Jos potentially fears for his own life, and yet, he still isn’t willing to walk very far. This emphasizes how much his lavish lifestyle has left him unable to cope with the world around him, which can be dangerous outside of the privileged sphere where he spends most of his time.
Themes
Becky agrees to sell Jos two horses, although she warns him that they aren’t trained to pull a carriage. She charges such a high rate that Jos has to ask for more time and get back to her, but he eventually pays. It’s now past midnight, in the very early morning, and there are still conflicting reports about which side is winning or losing, with no immediate sign of the French.
This passage once again explores the economics of war. Due to the recent panic that Napoleon’s forces have imposed on the city, Becky’s horses are suddenly much more valuable. Because people familiar with the history of the battle already know that the British won this battle, this passage becomes a humorous example of how Jos succumbs to his own cowardice and the general hysteria.
Themes
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When dawn breaks, an injured Stubble returns with news of George. He says that George, Rawdon, and Dobbin are all safe, although their regiment suffered heavy losses. Stubble got lanced in the leg, but he says that George killed the French soldier who wounded Stubble. He also praises Dobbin’s leadership in battle. Still, Stubble fears that Britain and its allies are at a disadvantage against Napoleon.
While Stubble seems like a more reliable messenger than the Belgian soldier from before, it’s still possible that Stubble is overestimating the success of Napoleon’s forces based on Stubble’s own bad experience of getting stabbed in the leg. Dobbin’s brave performance in battle shows that he lives up to his ideals, even when he faces adversity.
Themes
More people leave Brussels, and Jos feels he should use his new horses to escape. Meanwhile, Becky decides not to visit Amelia, instead admiring a letter and some flowers she received from George. She feels lucky to have Rawdon instead of George, although she considers that if Rawdon dies, at least he had the good sense to leave behind his horses.
Although the exact contents of George’s letter don’t get revealed until much later in the novel, the fact that he sent it with flowers suggests that he seems more interested in Becky than his own wife. Becky maintains a sense of detachment toward everything, not feeling guilt toward Amelia or worry about Rawdon, perhaps as a coping mechanism for her current situation with the war or perhaps as a sign that she’s becoming increasingly heartless.
Themes
The next day, Peggy notices that both Amelia and Stubble are feeling better. She prays for the health of Major O’Dowd. Jos again gets the idea that he should leave immediately, so he goes to find Amelia and tell her to come with him. Amelia, however, doesn’t want to leave without George, so at last Jos goes without her.
Despite the fact that the characters believe their own lives might be in danger, they don’t hurry to flee the city, highlighting how even with the war happening right next to them, they still find ways to live in denial.
Themes
Cannons go off that whole day. They suddenly stop after dark. The narrator says that surely the reader already knows what happens now, since both French and English people love to boast about killing each other. The British hold the line and stop the French from advancing, then when the French army retreats, the British army chases them. All is silent in Brussels as Amelia prays for George, who has died from a bullet to his heart.
While George’s sudden death is shocking, it’s also the natural result of how recklessly all the characters in the novel have approached war. Although George had some sympathetic qualities, there is a certain poetic justice to him getting shot in the heart, given how many things he’s done to break Amelia’s heart. Still, while there is some dark humor in the circumstances of George’s death, the mood at the end of this chapter is ultimately somber, conveying the costs of war, even when it results in victory.
Themes
