Vanity Fair

In Chapter 53 of Thackeray's Vanity Fair we see that Becky and Rawdon are reduced to a low point in their lives. Rawdon languishes in a debtor's prison, making appeals to Becky to pawn her trinkets to free him. Meanwhile, Becky entertains, carries on a dalliance with Lord Steyne, and maintains to Rawdon that she is very ill and must take a day to come up with the hundred pounds needed to free Rawdon. Rawdon's sister Jane frees her brother, unbeknownst to Becky. When Rawdon arrives home, he sees Becky in "brilliant full toilette" entertaining Lord Steyne, (Thackeray, p. 622). Outraged, he beats Lord Steyne and rips the jewels from Becky's dress. He eventually forces her to reveal where she has hidden money from Lord Steyne, then Rawdon leaves her alone and bereft never again to return. In this chapter, Thackeray uses a number of devices to portray the characters, setting, and themes in ways that make them richer and more emotionally appealing to readers. This analysis will discuss a number of elements used by Thackeray to achieve this goal.

The use of setting is relied upon by Thackeray to show how Rawdon becomes so upset that he beats Steyne and abandons Becky. We see this in his depiction of the debtor's prison where Steyne is forced to stay due to owing money to Lord Southdown, from lavishing upon Becky anything she desires. His circumstances in the debtor's lodge could not be further from luxury or privilege. In one scene,

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comes, he is finally greeted with a messenger carrying Becky's response letter the following day. Whereas in his letter Rawdon was full of concern for Becky's welfare, telling her not to be "frightened" if he doesn't bring her morning coffee, her letter to him is full of selfish and superficial concerns, (Thackeray, p. 617). When her reply does come she calls him an "odious old monster," tells him to imagine how she felt when she read his "ill-spelt" letter, and explains that she could not pawn her items but that everybody treated her to "foison of compliments and pretty speeches," (Thackeray, p. 618-19). We see that Becky's superficial and selfish behavior is revealed in this letter, not too mention her lying about her illness. We can see how this letter devastates Rawdon, sitting in jail from having spoiled a woman who appears to have little real feeling for him even in the midst of his present predicament. The next letter Rawdon sends is to his sister, Jane. We see his reaction to this letter is another element used by Thackeray to show how his relationship with Becky comes undone. Rawdon suffers immensely from anxiety once he sends the letter, to the point where he needs alcohol to calm his anxiety, "Sometimes he laug

Category: Literature - V