Social Class and Character Theme Analysis

Although the narrator of Vanity Fair constantly praises members of the upper class, in fact, his tone is usually sarcastic, and the story generally criticizes upper-class society. One of the most important criticisms centers around the fact that most “wealthy” characters are in fact heavily in debt. This comical situation raises the question of what it means to be wealthy, as when a character like Becky, who drinks champagne and wears expensive dresses, for instance, ends up borrowing money from her servant Miss Briggs. On the one hand, it may seem at first like the wealthy characters face few consequences for the massive debts they rack up—for example, Becky and Rawdon seem to live contentedly for over a year on no official income. And even when Rawdon eventually gets thrown into debtor’s prison, he’s treated more like a houseguest than a prisoner, reinforcing the idea that his debts don’t have consequences for the wealthy. This helps create a society where the gentlemen with the most impressive social ranks often end up having the least upstanding characters. Sir Pitt, for example, doesn’t have much education and seemingly has an affair with a much younger servant that becomes a scandal in the local area. 

Though it may seem that characters’ higher social statuses often protect them from facing consequences for their immoral behavior and financial irresponsibility, characters who take on extensive debts do end up facing the consequences of their actions before the end of the story. Mr. Sedley, for example, drives his whole family to bankruptcy with risky business practices, then he continues to mismanage their money up until his death. Rawdon, one of the most reckless spenders in the novel, tries to make a new start by taking a paid governorship on Coventry Island, but he ultimately catches yellow fever there and dies. Only Becky manages to outrun her constant debts, but she does so by forcing the consequences of these debts onto the people around her, alienating herself from those closest to her. In highlighting the many debts that wealthy characters take on, the novel reveals a much darker reality that lurks beneath the parties, glamor, and carefree attitude of noble society. Just as characters’ glamorous lives obscure the massive debts they take on to support their extravagant lifestyle, their high-ranking social positions obscure—and perhaps even enable—their moral dubiousness.