Vanity Fair Chapters XIV–XVI Summary & Analysis

Chapters XIV–XVI

Summary: CHAPTER XIV: Miss Crawley at Home

Miss Crawley returns to London feeling unwell. Becky has been given leave to accompany her, much to the distress of Miss Crawley’s companion, Miss Briggs, who fears being replaced. Becky takes good care of Miss Crawley and keeps Sir Pitt and Rawdon, who are in London, apprised of her health. In a flashback, the narrator recounts Rawdon’s confession to Mrs. Bute Crawley that he loves Becky and her response that his father has designs on Becky as well. Rawdon thinks his aunt wants him to ruin Becky so that she can’t marry Sir Pitt.

Becky accompanies Miss Crawley everywhere, and one day they meet Amelia outside the Sedley home. Rawdon also knows Dobbin and George, so George and Amelia are invited to the house. That evening George attempts to treat Becky in a patronizing manner, and she responds by pitting her noble background against his middle-class one. Later, George warns Rawdon to be on his guard with her.

Shortly thereafter, Sir Pitt’s wife, Lady Crawley, dies. Sir Pitt demands that Becky return to the country, but Miss Crawley refuses. He visits the next day to ask Becky to come to Queen’s Crawley as his wife. Becky, crying genuine tears, says she cannot because she is already married.

Summary: CHAPTER XV: In Which Rebecca’s Husband Appears for a Short Time

Sir Pitt expresses astonishment and anger. Becky asks to come back to Queen’s Crawley, leading Sir Pitt to suggest that the husband has deserted her, but Becky gets down on her knees and pleads to be his daughter. Miss Crawley barges in, having been informed of the meeting by an eavesdropping Briggs. Becky acknowledges that she turned down Sir Pitt’s marriage proposal, shocking Miss Crawley. Sir Pitt is no longer troubled by the refusal and departs. Miss Crawley tries to understand Becky’s rejection of Sir Pitt. Eventually, she confronts Becky and quickly makes Becky confess that she has another attachment. Becky cries in Miss Crawley’s arms but doesn’t reveal the man’s identity. She does get a promise from the older woman to always love her. Once alone, Becky allows herself to feel momentary disappointment at the lost opportunity to become a lady, but she then turns her attention to what needs to be done. She writes a letter to Rawdon, addressed to a “friend,” explaining the situation. Miss Crawley must be told the truth but will likely pardon Rawdon and leave Becky and Rawdon all her money. Becky asks him to meet her the next day. Rawdon is her husband.

Summary: CHAPTER XVI: The Letter on the Pincushion

Rawdon follows Becky’s instructions and rents rooms for them to occupy. That night, Becky sings and entertains Miss Crawley, but the next morning the maid finds only a note left for Briggs. In it, Becky confesses the identity of her husband and asks Briggs to speak to Miss Crawley on their behalf. Mrs. Bute Crawley has opportunely arrived, so Briggs tells her about the affair. Mrs. Bute criticizes Becky and Rawdon and believes Miss Crawley now will see them as they are. Miss Crawley comes down to breakfast, eager to gossip with Mrs. Bute. But when she learns the truth, she screams incoherently. She calls Becky a nobody and then faints. Then Sir Pitt arrives to take Becky back to Queen’s Crawley. They share the news with him, which sends him into a fit of rage and jealousy. In their new home, Rawdon and Becky wait for Miss Crawley to come. If she doesn’t, Becky vows they will make their own fortune.

Analysis: Chapters XIV–XVI

In this trio of chapters, Becky finally achieves tangible results from all her scheming. She has spent time and energy making both Rawdon and Miss Crawley fall in love with her. Now Becky expects that Miss Crawley will approve of the secret marriage and stick with her previous plans of leaving the bulk of her estate to Rawdon. Because Miss Crawley loves both Rawdon and Becky, she may even leave them the entirety of the estate. Becky has logic and reason on her side. Miss Crawley is known for her liberal views, pastimes, and travels. She also has made many claims about Becky being her equal, citing her brains and her bloodline. Miss Crawley even specifically stated that she thought Becky was a suitable match for her brother. If Becky is good enough for a baronet, she certainly should be for his second-born son, who is entitled to no inheritance.

Becky, however, vastly underestimates the power of social class and snobbery. Miss Crawley talks liberally, but her reaction to the news of the secret marriage between her nephew and a governess employed by the family shows her embrace of the class structure that organizes England. Sir Pitt, who holds high social status, can confer it downward, just as he did with his second wife. Because Sir Pitt is at the top, he has social status to spare. Further, no one in his family would dare speak against him. But Rawdon lacks social status on his own. He could raise himself should he marry a woman of higher status, but by marrying Becky, Rawdon has lowered himself. Thus, in the eyes of his family, he has disgraced himself and the Crawley name.

This section also allows readers a peek behind the masks the characters wear. For the first time, Becky displays the emotion she feels on the inside. The tears she cries are real, but they are not tears of sadness or guilt. They are simply tears of regret that she so narrowly missed becoming a member of the aristocracy herself. Becky has spent the past several years figuring out how to make the most beneficial marriage. Her plan to win Jos was foiled by George, and then she made the best out of her situation at Queen’s Crawley to win Rawdon, a potential future heir. But neither man is any match for Sir Pitt, who, despite his unattractiveness, makes an excellent catch.

The Crawleys also drop their facades. When Sir Pitt proposes to Becky, readers see his true nature. He promises to make her a settlement, hinting that he thought about making her a mistress. When Sir Pitt gets down on his knees, the narrator compares him to a satyr, a mythical half-man, half-goat creature known for its lusty nature. Later, when Sir Pitt learns who Becky married, his mask drops again, and he loses all control of himself. Not only does he appear wild, but he also tears apart Becky’s room as if he’d lost his mind. Miss Crawley also reveals her true feelings. Her muttered phrases upon learning about the marriage show that no matter what she said, she always looked down upon Becky for her position in life and her parentage. Further, Miss Crawley recognizes that Becky’s actions are motivated to acquire her fortune. In contrast to everyone else, according to the narrator, when Rawdon married Becky, he performed one of the most honest actions in his life. Readers may applaud him for this integrity, which stands out in a sea of hypocrisy, but still doubt that he will be rewarded for it.

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