Vanity Fair

Oct 8, 2018 18:06:27 GMT vicky said:

I did get cross with Amelia for the way she was treating poor Dobbin. The review in today's Telegraph says "....Captain Dobbin (a far too good looking Johnny Flynn)....." . As I've said before, I haven't read Vanity Fair so don't know how Thackeray portrayed his characters but does this statement mean that Dobbin is supposed to be a bit unprepossessing?

I don't think it quite came across that Amelia had always held it against Becky that George was flirting with her and ignoring her in Belgium, hence their loss of friendship. Becky never told Amelia that it was George pushing her to run away with him before the battle. At that point Becky still felt she had a future with Rawdon and that his aunt would forgive them and help them out, so although she was a flirt there was no suggestion of actual affairs taking place. All that said Becky does not tell Amelia that George was the cad, she allows her friend to believe that it was her doing the flirting and chasing. She only tells Amelia once they have been reconciled and she finds out that Amelia has turned down Dobbin's proposal. They have a show down and Becky shows her the note that George wrote asking her to run away with him, finally convincing her that a life time mourning George is pointless because he was not a hero and he was not honourable. Becky also speaks to Dobbin and tells him that he must propose again. He says that the lustre has gone out of his 'dream worship from afar' of Amelia and he cannot understand her lack of appreciation for everything he has done over the years, not knowing that Amelia does not know about the help he has given. Becky persuades him that he should try again and Amelia accepts, but as we saw in the programme, he is kind to Amelia and caring but he loves his daughter with a passion.

I think Thackeray wanted us to see that even someone as driven and self-centred as Becky has good attributes and was treated more harshly than a man who had an affair. Much is made of young Rawdon being sent away, but it is Rawdon who gives custody to his brother and Becky would have had no chance of gaining custody or alimony from a court in those days. No she didn't love him with a passion but she was not singularly cruel to him and had they had money he would have been with nannies before being sent away to school. Thackeray does have her say that she did not want to be a mother, which is quite a modern expression for a woman of the time and would have been seen as strange and cold.

We also have to note the comment that Becky makes that she has been a woman since she was 8, and Amelia's shocked expression and read what we might into that. it could be nothing more than she has had to fend for herself or it could be that he was a child that was abused in some way and has an attachment problem.

Throughout the whole book the friendship between Becky and Amelia is the strongest bond and Becky does not let her friend down despite being disowned by Amelia and her circle.

It's a fascinating commentary on women in society. We are told what a wonderful wife Lord 'whatever's' wife is because she puts up with his affairs, but she is just as trapped as any other woman in that situation. Rawdon's aunt is rich and therefore powerful even though she is hateful to everyone, but since she had no children her only power is her wealth etc.

It's a rollicking read.