Vanity Fair Character Analysis

Becky Sharp

Rebecca “Becky” Sharp begins the story as an orphan who is friends with Amelia. The two of them meet at Miss Pinkerton’s school, where Amelia follows the rules but Becky always challenges authority… read analysis of Becky Sharp

Amelia

Amelia is the daughter of Mr. Sedley and Mrs. Sedley, the sister of Jos, and Becky’s good friend. Unlike Becky, Amelia is meek and follows the rules. Though her obedience sometimes causes… read analysis of Amelia

George

George Osborne is the son of the wealthy Mr. Osborne and the godson of Mr. Sedley. It’s long been assumed that George and Amelia will marry once George inherits his father’s business. From the… read analysis of George

Dobbin

William Dobbin is a friend of George’s from school. Although Dobbin is initially unpopular, mostly because he’s poor, he eventually wins over many of the other students when he stands up to a bully… read analysis of Dobbin

Jos

Jos is the son of Mr. Sedley and Mrs. Sedley and the brother of Amelia. His most notable characteristic is his enormous appetite for food and alcohol, and this leads to his enormous weight… read analysis of Jos

Rawdon

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… read analysis of Rawdon

Mr. Osborne

Mr. Osborne is the wealthy father of George, Maria, and Jane. He cares a lot about preserving his inheritance, and when he finds out that George insists on marrying Amelia, even… read analysis of Mr. Osborne

Miss Crawley

Miss Crawley is an elderly unmarried woman with a large fortune, and this causes many different members of the Crawley family to try to win her over before she dies, including Bute, Mrs. Bute… read analysis of Miss Crawley

Georgy

Georgy is the son of Amelia and George. He looks a lot like his father, who dies in the Napoleonic Wars before Georgy is born. Amelia devotes most of her time and attention to… read analysis of Georgy

Sir Pitt

Sir Pitt Crawley is a noble and a member of Parliament who oversees a decaying borough called Queen’s Crawley. He is the father of Pitt Crawley, Rawdon, and Rose and Violet, and… read analysis of Sir Pitt

Pitt Crawley

Pitt Crawley is the son of Sir Pitt and the brother of Rawdon. He has the favor of their father but struggles to win the favor of Miss Crawley, who holds the real… read analysis of Pitt Crawley

Mr. Sedley

Mr. Sedley is the husband of Mrs. Sedley and the father of Jos and Amelia. He begins as a successful stockbroker and a friend of Mr. Osborne’s, but the Napoleonic Wars wipe out… read analysis of Mr. Sedley

Mrs. Bute

Mrs. Bute is the wife of Bute and a notorious busybody who knows all the gossip of Queen’s Crawley due to her connections with the servants. Although Mrs. Bute becomes a nurse to the ailing… read analysis of Mrs. Bute

Lord Steyne

Lord Steyne is one of the wealthiest and noblest characters in the story, but he is also one of the most corrupt, seemingly planning to have an affair with Becky and letting other nobles use… read analysis of Lord Steyne

Rawdy

Rawdy is the son of Becky and Rawdon. Although Rawdon is affectionate toward him, Becky ignores him, showing little interest in acting as a mother. He ends up living with Pitt Crawley and Lady… read analysis of Rawdy

The Narrator

The narrator comments on the action from afar, often as if all the other characters are performing on a stage. He claims to respect the upper classes and British tradition, but in fact, many of… read analysis of The Narrator

General Tufto

General Tufto is a general whom George Osborne, Rawdon, Becky, and Amelia encounter in Brussels during the war. He’s a lecherous old man and seems to have a preference for younger women… read analysis of General Tufto

Miss Horrocks

Miss Horrocks is the daughter of Sir Pitt’s butler. She gets upset when Sir Pitt tries to give Lady Jane some of Lady Crawley’s old jewels, giving credence to local rumors that Miss… read analysis of Miss Horrocks

Lady Steyne

Lady Steyne is Lord Steyne’s wife. A deeply religious woman, she apparently copes with her husband’s immoral behavior (he offers his house as a place where other nobles can have discreet affairs and likely… read analysis of Lady Steyne

George Gaunt

George Gaunt is Lord Steyne’s son with Lady Steyne. Though he was initially successful and happily married, he apparently had some kind of breakdown, after which he left for “Brazil.” Some people know… read analysis of George Gaunt

Lady Jane

Lady Jane is the wife of Pitt Crawley and mother of Pitt Binkie and Matilda. Among the noble characters, she is one of the few who shows a genuine sense of charity, taking in… read analysis of Lady Jane

Sambo

Sambo is the “black” (African or Asian) servant of Mr. Sedley and Mrs. Sedley. Today, “Sambo” is an offensive term, and although this character is not necessarily the main origin of the term, he… read analysis of Sambo

Minor Characters

Bute

Bute is a reverend who is the brother of Sir Pitt and the husband of Mrs. Bute. He doesn’t get along with Sir Pitt, but he pretends to get along with him whenever Miss Crawley is in town, in order to please her and hopefully win her fortune.

Lady Jane Southdown

Lady Jane Southdown is the mother of Lady Jane. She likes to control her household closely. After Lady Jane’s marriage to Pitt Crawley, Lady Jane Southdown soon finds excuses to take over the house of the aging Miss Crawley.

Mrs. Sedley

Mrs. Sedley is the wife of Mr. Sedley and the mother of Jos and Amelia. She defers to her husband and is often sickly—her death causes a major decline in Mr. Sedley’s own health.

Miss Briggs

Miss Briggs is a maid who eventually gets rehired as a “companion” to help protect Becky from the advances of men while her husband, Rawdon, is away. Despite being Becky’s servant, she ends up lending Becky a large sum of money.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte is a real historical figure famous for his skill in warfare. He is a constant but distant presence in the early part of the novel, leading the military campaign against Britain that leads to George’s death.

Miss Pinkerton

Miss Pinkerton runs a school for girls and is the sister of Jemima. She admires the obedient student Amelia but makes little effort to hide her distaste for the rebellious Becky.

Cuff

Cuff is a bully at the school Dobbin and George go to as children. Dobbin beats Cuff in a fight, protecting George. This raises Dobbin’s status at school and solidifies Dobbin and George’s friendship.

Captain Macmurdo

Captain Macmurdo is an old military friend of Rawdon’s who helps Rawdon by giving him a place to stay after he walks in on Becky alone with Lord Steyne.

Lord Tapeworm

Lord Tapeworm is a noble whom Amelia, Jos, and Dobbin meet while vacationing abroad in Pumpernickel.

Peggy O’Dowd

Peggy O’Dowd is the boisterous wife of Major O’Dowd. She tries many times to convince Dobbin to marry her sister-in-law, Glorvina.

Maria

Maria is the daughter of Mr. Osborne who gets married and immediately starts to distance herself from her old family, seeing them as beneath her.

Mr. Veal

Mr. Veal is Georgy’s teacher who doesn’t believe in corporal punishment and who likes to use the biggest words he knows in order to prove his intelligence.

Lady Crawley

Lady Crawley is the daughter of an ironmonger and Sir Pitt’s second wife. She doesn’t have much influence in her house and dies not long after Becky starts working for the family as a governess.

Glorvina

Glorvina is the sister of Major O’Dowd who claims to want to marry Dobbin; however, she says this to many men and seems to only care about Dobbin so much because he is one of the few to reject her.

Jane Osborne

Jane Osborne is the unmarried daughter of Mr. Osborne who ends up stuck at home having to take care of him after her sister, Maria, marries and moves out of the house.

Major O’Dowd

Major O’Dowd is the husband of Peggy, brother of Glorvina, and a leader in George and Dobbin’s regiment.

Spooney and Stubble

Spooney and Stubble are George’s friends from his regiment. George saves Stubble’s life in battle after Stubble gets speared in the leg.

Rose and Violet

Rose and Violet are the daughters of Sir Pitt; Becky teaches them while working as a governess.

Jemima

Jemima is the sister of Miss Pinkerton who takes pity on Becky and gives her a dictionary, only to watch Becky defiantly throw that dictionary out the window of a carriage.

Mrs. Tinker

Mrs. Tinker is a servant of Sir Pitt who greets Becky when she first arrives as a governess for the family.

Miss Swartz

Miss Swartz is a wealthy, mixed-race young woman whom Mr. Osborne wants George to marry after Amelia’s father, Mr. Sedley, goes bankrupt.

Pitt Binkie

Pitt Binkie is the sickly son of Pitt Crawley and Lady Jane; he dies young, leaving Rawdy as the heir to their fortune.

Matilda

Matilda is the daughter of Pitt Crawley and Lady Jane. At the end of the book, both Rawdy and Georgy want to marry her someday.

Wenham

Wenham is a messenger from Lord Steyne who helps Steyne communicate with Rawdon after Rawdon catches Steyne alone with Becky.

Dr. Swishtail

Dr. Swishtail runs the school for boys that Dobbin, George, and Cuff attend.

Polly

Polly is the daughter of the landlords the Sedley family rents from after they have to move out of their old house.

Isidor

Isidor is Jos’s valet in Belgium.

Vanity Fair

William Makepeace Thackeray

Vanity Fair Characters