Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

by

William Makepeace Thackeray

Rawdon Character Analysis

Rawdon Crawley is the brother of Pitt Crawley, the son of Sir Pitt, and the nephew of Miss Crawley. Despite his reputation for gambling and getting into duels, he wins the favor of the wealthy Miss Crawley and seems destined to inherit her vast fortune. His secret marriage to Becky (who is a governess and therefore beneath him in social rank) complicates things, however, causing him to lose his inheritance. Rawdon continues some of his wild ways even after marrying Becky, gambling frequently and using billiards as a way to hustle money out of people like his friend George. However, he becomes increasingly subservient to Becky. Unlike Becky, Rawdon has a lot of affection for their son together, Rawdy. When Rawdon catches Becky seemingly about to cheat on him with Lord Steyne, he is furious, but Becky and Lord Steyne effectively convince Rawdon to disappear by arranging for him to serve as governor on a remote island, where Rawdon eventually dies of yellow fever. Rawdon’s character suggests that beneath the violence and bluster of the archetypal 19th-century gentlemen, there could be both tenderness (as Rawdon’s relationship with his son demonstrates) and meekness (as in Rawdon’s subservience to Becky).

Rawdon Quotes in Vanity Fair

The Vanity Fair quotes below are all either spoken by Rawdon or refer to Rawdon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Greed and Ambition Theme Icon
).
Chapter 17 Quotes

‘Why, Rawdon, it’s Captain Dobbin.’

Related Characters: Becky Sharp (speaker), Amelia, Dobbin, Rawdon
Related Symbols: Piano
Page Number: 188
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

That period of Jos’s life which now ensued was so full of incident, that it served him for conversation for many years after, and even the tiger-hunt story was put aside for more stirring narratives which he had to tell about the great campaign of Waterloo.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Amelia, George, Dobbin, Jos, Rawdon
Page Number: 310
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

No more firing was heard at Brussels—the pursuit rolled miles away. Darkness came down on the field and city: and Amelia was praying for George, who was lying on his face, dead, with a bullet through his heart.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Amelia, George, Rawdon
Page Number: 375
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

Lady Southdown, from her neighbouring house, reigned over the whole family—Pitt, Lady Jane, Miss Crawley, Briggs, Bowls, Firkin, and all. She pitilessly dosed them with her tracts and her medicine, she dismissed Creamer, she installed Rodgers, and soon stripped Miss Crawley of even the semblance of authority.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Rawdon, Miss Crawley , Pitt Crawley, Lady Jane, Lady Jane Southdown, Miss Briggs
Page Number: 405
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 36 Quotes

On nothing per annum then, and during a course of some two or three years, of which we can afford to give but a very brief history, Crawley and his wife lived very happily and comfortably at Paris. It was in this period that he quitted the Guards and sold out of the army. When we find him again, his mustachios and the title of Colonel on his card are the only relics of his military profession.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Amelia, George, Rawdon
Related Symbols: Billiards
Page Number: 419
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 41 Quotes

“I think I could be a good woman if I had five thousand a year.”

Related Characters: Becky Sharp (speaker), Rawdon, Miss Crawley , Lady Jane Southdown, Miss Pinkerton
Page Number: 490
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 51 Quotes

‘Mrs. Rawdon Crawley was quite killing in the part,’ said Lord Steyne. Becky laughed, gay and saucy looking, and swept the prettiest little curtsey ever seen.

Related Characters: Lord Steyne (speaker), Becky Sharp , Rawdon
Page Number: 598
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 53 Quotes

All her lies and her schemes, and her selfishness and her wiles, all her wit and genius had come to this bankruptcy.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Rawdon, Lord Steyne
Page Number: 625
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 64 Quotes

If we were to give a full account of her proceedings during a couple of years that followed after the Curzon Street catastrophe, there might be some reason for people to say this book was improper. The actions of very vain, heartless, pleasure-seeking people are very often improper (as are many of yours, my friend with the grave face and spotless reputation—but that is merely by the way); and what are those of a woman without faith—or love—or character? And I am inclined to think that there was a period in Mrs Becky's life when she was seized, not by remorse, but by a kind of despair, and absolutely neglected her person and did not even care for her reputation.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Amelia, Dobbin, Rawdon, Lord Steyne
Page Number: 748
Explanation and Analysis:
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Rawdon Quotes in Vanity Fair

The Vanity Fair quotes below are all either spoken by Rawdon or refer to Rawdon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Greed and Ambition Theme Icon
).
Chapter 17 Quotes

‘Why, Rawdon, it’s Captain Dobbin.’

Related Characters: Becky Sharp (speaker), Amelia, Dobbin, Rawdon
Related Symbols: Piano
Page Number: 188
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

That period of Jos’s life which now ensued was so full of incident, that it served him for conversation for many years after, and even the tiger-hunt story was put aside for more stirring narratives which he had to tell about the great campaign of Waterloo.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Amelia, George, Dobbin, Jos, Rawdon
Page Number: 310
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

No more firing was heard at Brussels—the pursuit rolled miles away. Darkness came down on the field and city: and Amelia was praying for George, who was lying on his face, dead, with a bullet through his heart.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Amelia, George, Rawdon
Page Number: 375
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

Lady Southdown, from her neighbouring house, reigned over the whole family—Pitt, Lady Jane, Miss Crawley, Briggs, Bowls, Firkin, and all. She pitilessly dosed them with her tracts and her medicine, she dismissed Creamer, she installed Rodgers, and soon stripped Miss Crawley of even the semblance of authority.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Rawdon, Miss Crawley , Pitt Crawley, Lady Jane, Lady Jane Southdown, Miss Briggs
Page Number: 405
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 36 Quotes

On nothing per annum then, and during a course of some two or three years, of which we can afford to give but a very brief history, Crawley and his wife lived very happily and comfortably at Paris. It was in this period that he quitted the Guards and sold out of the army. When we find him again, his mustachios and the title of Colonel on his card are the only relics of his military profession.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Amelia, George, Rawdon
Related Symbols: Billiards
Page Number: 419
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 41 Quotes

“I think I could be a good woman if I had five thousand a year.”

Related Characters: Becky Sharp (speaker), Rawdon, Miss Crawley , Lady Jane Southdown, Miss Pinkerton
Page Number: 490
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 51 Quotes

‘Mrs. Rawdon Crawley was quite killing in the part,’ said Lord Steyne. Becky laughed, gay and saucy looking, and swept the prettiest little curtsey ever seen.

Related Characters: Lord Steyne (speaker), Becky Sharp , Rawdon
Page Number: 598
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 53 Quotes

All her lies and her schemes, and her selfishness and her wiles, all her wit and genius had come to this bankruptcy.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Rawdon, Lord Steyne
Page Number: 625
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 64 Quotes

If we were to give a full account of her proceedings during a couple of years that followed after the Curzon Street catastrophe, there might be some reason for people to say this book was improper. The actions of very vain, heartless, pleasure-seeking people are very often improper (as are many of yours, my friend with the grave face and spotless reputation—but that is merely by the way); and what are those of a woman without faith—or love—or character? And I am inclined to think that there was a period in Mrs Becky's life when she was seized, not by remorse, but by a kind of despair, and absolutely neglected her person and did not even care for her reputation.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Becky Sharp , Amelia, Dobbin, Rawdon, Lord Steyne
Page Number: 748
Explanation and Analysis: