Vanity Fair · Chapter
The Subject Continued explained
Rebecca and Rawdon Crawley navigate London society after Miss Crawley's death leaves them with little inheritance.
What happens
Rebecca and Rawdon Crawley navigate London society after Miss Crawley's death leaves them with little inheritance. Rawdon's gracious letter to his brother Pitt helps mend family relations, while Becky strategizes to gain social acceptance, including seeking a female companion. The chapter contrasts Becky's social ambitions with Rawdon's growing isolation and his tender, secret bond with their son, Rawdon Minor.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Ambition
Becky's relentless pursuit of social standing contrasts with the cold rejection she faces from the aristocracy, highlighting the barriers of class.
Family and Betrayal
The strained relations between the Crawley brothers, Rawdon's conciliatory letter, and Becky's neglect of her son underscore familial dysfunction.
Appearance vs. Reality
Becky presents a facade of piety and grace while manipulating her social ascent, and Rawdon's public role as 'Mrs. Crawley's husband' masks his private devotion to his son.
Characters to notice
- Becky Sharp
Strategizes to enter London society, seeks a female companion, and maintains a cold distance from her son.
- Rawdon Crawley
Writes a conciliatory letter to his brother, feels the sting of social slights, and secretly dotes on his son.
- Pitt Crawley
Inherits Miss Crawley's fortune, responds graciously to Rawdon's letter, but declines to share the legacy.
- Lady Jane Crawley
Charmed by Becky's letter, she expects Pitt to share the inheritance, but is surprised by his refusal.
- Rawdon Minor
Lives largely neglected by his mother, finds comfort with a housemaid, and shares a close, secret bond with his father.
- Lord Steyne
A frequent visitor at Becky's home, he makes sardonic remarks about Rawdon's diminished role.
Key passages
“When Lady Jane comes, thought she, she shall be my sponsor in London society; and as for the women! bah! the women will ask me when they find the men want to see me.”
Becky plans to use Lady Jane as her entry into high society, confident that men's interest will compel women to accept her.
Reveals Becky's cynical understanding of social dynamics and her reliance on male attention.
“He was Colonel Crawley no more. He was Mrs. Crawley's husband.”
Rawdon has lost his own identity and is now defined solely by his relationship to his wife.
Highlights Rawdon's diminished status and the reversal of traditional gender roles in their marriage.
“For God's sake, Rawdy, don't wake Mamma, he cried. And the child, looking in a very hard and piteous way at his father, bit his lips, clenched his hands, and didn't cry a bit.”
Rawdon begs his son to stay silent to avoid disturbing Becky, and the boy bravely suppresses his pain.
Illustrates the emotional distance between Becky and her family, and the strong bond between father and son.