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Rebecca “Becky” Sharp is the quintessential social climber. Clever, charming, and beautiful, Becky early on realizes that the key to a life of ease and pleasure lies in acquiring more money and achieving higher social status. Ambition ranks among Becky’s most prominent characteristics, and every action she takes is calculated to bring her closer to these goals. Part of her ambition derives from need. As the orphaned child of a poor artist, Becky has no one to depend on but herself. The lack of a mother who can help her make a good marriage is a real drawback in society. Becky understands she must rely on her wits alone, and she continually manipulates others for her own best interests.

As Becky moves through Vanity Fair, every person becomes a stepping-stone. When she marries Rawdon, she expects that he will inherit Miss Crawley’s fortune. As that plan falls apart, Becky instead figures out how to cash in on Miss Crawley’s name to live a life of relative luxury without spending a dime. Similarly, Becky makes her way through life, using people and then casting them aside when they no longer serve her purpose.

Becky shows very little ability to change or interest in doing so. She never develops any love for her child, for instance. But one notable outlier is Becky’s decision to show Amelia the note she received years ago from George, asking Becky to run away with him. An unresolved issue surrounds Becky’s guilt or innocence in having an affair with Lord Steyne and in murdering Jos. The narrator never specifies whether she committed these actions, which gives Becky’s character a murky depth.

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