Billiards Symbol Analysis

Billiards represents the addictive vices of the upper-class characters in Vanity Fair, many of which revolve around greed. Billiards is especially important for George, who is so eager to potentially make money that he continues to accept challenges to play against Rawdon, even though Rawdon beats him every time. Rawdon himself has learned how to use other men’s vices to his advantage, pretending to be a worse player than he is so that his opponents feel at ease, then hustling his opponents to take their money. Although Rawdon succeeds for a time in making good money off billiards, most of his opponents aren’t as gullible as George, and so he must continually seek out new partners to play with.

In many ways, Rawdon’s billiards money-making schemes resemble the actions of his wife, Becky, who also tries to trick men out of their money. She turns flirting into a game, and, just like Rawdon’s billiards-playing, her efforts bring short-term success but often isolate her from the people around her. And so, ultimately, billiards represents how the members of the upper-class interact with each other; while life might seem like a fair game, those who are willing to use deception can gain an advantage, at least in the short-term.