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Chapter 36
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
Despite having no income, Becky and Rawdon manage to acquire a house in London. One of Miss Crawley’s former butlers became a shopkeeper and bought an apartment to rent, and Becky uses his loyalty to the Crawley family to essentially stay there for free. Becky hires people to work for her and doesn’t pay any of them. People begin to talk, particularly women, who cast small slights against Becky in public, and Rawdon notices.
Although Becky and Rawdon are still able to keep up their lifestyle, more and more cracks begin to form in their outwardly successful lives; their unpaid bills continue to multiply, and Rawdon begins to hear rumors about Becky. The fact that Rawdon seems to care about these slights more than Becky herself hints at how he may be starting to become insecure, losing the carefree and boisterous attitude he once had.
Themes
Rawdon was not the only one disappointed about most of Miss Crawley’s inheritance going to Pitt Crawley—Bute also got angry about it. Becky dictates a letter to Rawdon to send to Pitt Crawley, flattering him, mentioning their new son Rawdy, and asking for 30,000 pounds. Pitt Crawley turns down the request for money but says he’ll be happy to meet them if they’re ever in the area. This leads to a partial reconciliation between the brothers, even though they don’t meet up.
The distribution of Miss Crawley’s inheritance seems to instantly improve the relationship between the Crawley brothers, even though Rawdon got an unfavorable outcome. This hints at just how contentious an inheritance can become due to insatiable greed, which makes the possibility of receiving more money even more divisive than the money itself.
Themes
Becky says to Rawdon one day that she needs a “sheep-dog.” She specifies that what she really means is a companion to protect her from men who might prey on her while her husband is busy playing cards. As they’re talking, their guest at the moment, a marquis named Lord Steyne, joins in the conversation. He and Rawdon then play cards, and Rawdon wins some money.
Becky’s motives in this passage are murky at first, showing perhaps how she has become better at manipulating people. While she claims she wants a companion to help protect her from other men, which suggests that she wants to be faithful to Rawdon, it’s also possible to interpret her request as a dig against Rawdon—she could be suggesting that he’s spending too much time away from her and thus cannot protect her on his own.
Themes
All this time, Becky’s son Rawdy mostly remains in the garret. But as Lord Steyne and the older Rawdon are playing cards, young Rawdon cries for his nurse. The older Rawdon stops the game to check on his son. Despite Rawdon’s reputation as a rascal, he still shows tenderness for his son, something that seems to irritate Becky. Still, Becky likes her husband overall, perhaps in part because he is her best servant.
Becky keeps Rawdy in the garret—the same place that Miss Pinkerton made Becky sleep when she was at school (which suggests that Becky dislikes her own son as much as Miss Pinkerton disliked her). Rawdon actually does seem to be maturing and becoming a more attentive father, which irritates Becky, perhaps because she is jealous of how easily he loves Rawdy.
Themes
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Becky finally gets a male companion to protect her, although she frequently sends him off duty. One day, when Rawdon is on a walk with Rawdy, Rawdon runs into an old friend, Corporal Clink, who is talking to a stranger with a young boy. The subject of George comes up, and Rawdon learns that in fact the stranger is Mr. Sedley and the boy is Georgy. Rawdy invites Georgy to take a ride with him.
It soon becomes clear why Becky was so eager to find a companion to protect her—so that she can ease Rawdon’s suspicions without actually having to change her behavior. While Becky seems eager to put the past behind her, Rawdon’s encounter with Georgy causes Rawdon to reconsider the past, perhaps being nice to Georgy out of guilt for all the money he took from George.
Themes
