Vanity Fair

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Discuss the use of marriage in “Vanity Fair”

Many of the characters in “Vanity Fair” are married from the start of the novel, or are betrothed during the novel. The reasons behind the marriage vary from character to character – even within relationships. While some may have love in mind, it is the temptation of money and social status that encourages others to walk down the aisle. The perspectives on marriage also depend on the position in the relationship. Mothers and fathers sometimes have more economic ideals while their children are in love, or even have no regard for each another at all.

The protagonist of the novel, Becky Sharp, laments not having a mother to whom she could leave the arduous task of finding a fiancé;. Little is said of the relationship between Becky’s parents. Her father was an artist and her mother a French opera dancer. It is unlikely that, as she was orphaned at a young age, Becky was greatly affected in any way by her parents’ relationship. Perhaps indirectly, she felt that because she was an orphan, her impact on society had to be all the more memorable and successful.

Before so much as being introduced to a portrait of her friend Amelia’s brother, Becky is reasoning with herself, “If Mr. Joseph Sedley is rich and unmarried, why should I not marry him?” Although Becky sees an opportunity to join the Sedley family, initially of some standing in society, Jos’s behaviour is not exemplary for a young gentlemen. Before his drunken behaviour at Vauxhall, he allows Becky to eat a hot chili; an example of how he does not see the pursuit of matrimony as a worthwhile occupation; not a pastime that concerns him, although he appreciates the attention that Miss Sharp pays him.

Sir Pitt Crawley has a similar lack of appreciation for the attention of women that Jos holds. However, Sir Pitt is a little more extreme in both his views and actions. He brands his first wife as a “confounded quarrelsome high bred jade” . He treats his second wife no better, evidently seeing marriage as something that has to be done, rather than an institution to join a man and a woman together in a loving relationship. However, Thackeray comments that “a title and a coach and four are more precious than happiness in Vanity Fair.” As a narrator, Thackeray also sees marriage as an institution to be used to one’s own advantage.

When Sir Pitt’s second wife dies, he loses no time before proposing to Becky Sharp, although Miss Crawley hopes that he will have the “decency” not to marry again.. In her he sees a young, stimulating life. She is not someone to be beaten and left alone as his second wife seemed to be. She had “more brains in [her] little finger than any baronet’s wife in the country.” The offer of marriage was made almost as a way in which to tempt Becky back to Queen’s Crawley, where she was needed by Sir Pitt as a backbone to the household.

Becky’s revelation that she is married to Sir Pitt’s son, Rawdon, was a disappointment not only for Sir Pitt, but for Becky too. She sincerely regretted “that a piece of marvellous good fortune should have been so near her, and she actually obliged to decline it.” This readiness to take the hand of the father or the son is similar to the thoughts of Maria Osborne, who would have married her wealthy fiancé’s father, “only the old gentleman was married already; so she bestowed her young affections on the junior partner” . Maria’s fiancé, Frederick Bullock has to be persuaded to go forth with the marriage with the promise of estate when Maria’s father died. However, when the charming and valuable Miss Swartz makes her entrance, Frederick “would have liked to make a bid for her himself” . It is his use of business like terms that shows how he regards marriage. It is a business transaction that is won by the highest bidder – the man with the most material possessions to offer.

While Becky may outwardly regret not having a mother to arrange a marriage for emotional reasons, she shuns the idea of love secretly as she marries Rawdon Crawley in the belief that he will inherit Miss Crawley’s money. Paradoxically, Rawdon is full of love and admiration for his wife. Although there is a problem in that the marriage is displeasing to Miss Crawley, Becky seems content as Rawdon is someone over whom she can exert control and with whom she can enter society.

Rawdon does not have the education that his wife has and the “dragoon” is easily manipulated as Becky sees the best ways in which to work their relationship. Becky has great entrepreneurial skills to bring to the marriage and it is these that seem to be initially most valuable to Rawdon. She is able to fend off creditors and the like and her “husband found the immense value of such a wife.” On losing her husband, Becky mourns only the loss of his money and her time that now seems to have been wasted in climbing up in society. When parting at Waterloo, she simply turned off her emotions to save problems, there were no emotional ties and support on her side.

However, the adulation of her husband is not enough to keep Becky’s attention and she flirts with George Osborne at Brussels, despite the fact that he is married to her friend, Amelia. George told Dobbin before he was married that “there’s no fun in winning a thing unless you play for it. It become apparent that George wants to elope. His ideas of marriage are now somewhat different as he is fired by the liveliness and danger of the affair. While George previously stood up for Amelia, her passive uselessness offers no competition for Becky.

Another character longs for what he cannot have. William Dobbin is in love with Amelia, but she is so committed to her hero, George, she only sees Dobbin as a friend. Dobbin is responsible for persuading George to marry Amelia as it is the right thing to do. The job also falls to him to inform Mr Osborne that George has married. In some ways, Dobbin uses the marriage of George and Amelia to further his own interests. He persuades Mr Osborne not to disinherit George and he also buys the piano for Amelia – but this act remains anonymous.

When Dobbin and Amelia eventually marry, their romantic sensibilities appear to have been lost to a great degree and Dobbin’s passionate feelings for Amelia no longer exist. He possibly thinks more of their child than of his wife, but “he never said a word to Amelia that was not kind and gentle” .

As the couple are finally brought together, Amelia is described as a “tender little parasite” around Dobbin’s “rugged old oak”. From this kind of comparison, Amelia can be considered to be dependent on a partner and dependent on marriage. Someone as weak as Amelia requires a protector in marriage. Having lost the memory of her late husband, albeit false, she can cling to Dobbin.

However, the female is not necessarily the parasite of the relationship. As has been shown previously, Rawdon is the parasite and Becky is the oak. It becomes clearer that many relationships in “Vanity Fair” have oaks and parasites, but the older, more matured relationships have more equal partnerships, such as that of Major and Mrs O’Dowd. It could be inferred that in the past years when these marriages first took place, marriage was not of such economical, social and material use as it is at the time of Becky Sharp’s exploits.

Amelia’s original ideas about marriage and love were somewhat more romantic and rose-tinted. The man to whom she had been expected to be married since childhood, was built up as a hero in her mind as time progressed. When George dies, Amelia’s idea of a committed marriage to one person does not allow her to see past the memory of George to new love. Whenever he began to think about Dobbin’s friendship and more, “George’s picture and dearest memory were there to rebuke her.” When George was alive, her wish to remain happily married to him prevented her from following her gut feelings about George’s infidelity. While she could see his flirtations and behaviour with Becky, she dismissed her ideas. George’s first ideas about his marriage to Amelia differed from his wife’s. He felt that he “was one of the generousest creatures alive” as he sacrificed the life of a bachelor for married life.

More business like language is used in association with George and Amelia’s relationship. The business relationship between Mr Sedley and Mr Osborne also greatly affected their children’s relationship as once Mr Sedley lost money, Mr Osborne forbade the marriage, saying to his son, “unless I see Amelia’s ten thousand down, you don’t marry her.” Mr Osborne’s sights are set on the more profitable Miss Swartz. It becomes clearer and clearer how he perceives marriage. It is not a question of love, it is to do with the advancement of individual, but more gratifyingly – the advancement of families if at all possible. “I ain’t going to have any of this dam sentimental nonsense and humbug” he declares as George attempts to defend Amelia.

While the parent’s desire for advancement in society and wealth attempts to start that relationship, it is Becky’s similar motivations that are responsible for her relationship with Lord Steyne. She considers him to simply be another step up the ladder of society. However, he is inadvertently a clue to what else Becky expects from a relationship. When Rawdon attacks Steyne on his arrival back home, Becky admires Rawdon’s physical strength. Again, this is a more material aspect of a relationship.

The ideals behind marriage differ, often between generations. While parents can see economic and social gain, a situation such as with George and Amelia causes problems when the parents’ meddling results in the children falling in love. Becky Sharp’s use for marriage seems only to be self-advancement. When a relationship ends, her regrets are based on what she has lost, rather than whom.

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