Vanity Fair Chapters LI–LV Summary & Analysis

Chapters LI–LV

Summary: CHAPTER LI: In Which a Charade Is Acted Which May or May Not Puzzle the Reader

After Becky’s appearance at Lord Steyne’s party, she travels in England’s best society. She is invited to so many parties that she grows bored of them. Becky also hosts lavish parties, and the narrator explores the question of how she affords them, suggests several hypotheses, but fails to come to a conclusion.

At a party at Gaunt House, the guests play charades, which take the form of elaborate skits and multiple acts. The first charade is “Agamemnon” and includes Becky in the role of Clytemnestra about to murder her husband, played by Rawdon. Becky is the belle of the ball. Lord Steyne follows her everywhere, and at supper, she is seated at the most exclusive table. Rawdon feels inferior and sends Becky home in the carriage while he walks. After just a few steps, however, he is arrested for debt.

Summary: CHAPTER LII: In Which Lord Steyne Shows Himself in a Most Amiable Light

Chapter LII presents a flashback before the party. Lord Steyne gets Rawdy accepted into a prestigious boarding school. Rawdon misses his son dreadfully, but the boy enjoys school and visits every week. Rawdon talks with Lady Jane and Briggs about him, drawing Becky’s contempt. Next, Lord Steyne works to get rid of Briggs. He concludes that Becky never paid Briggs back, and he discovers that Becky lied about how much money she owed. When Lord Steyne asks Becky about the money again, she says that Rawdon made her do it. Lord Steyne offers Briggs a good job as a housekeeper at one of his estates. When Rawdon tells Lady Jane and Pitt about the plan, they advise him not to leave Becky alone. Becky appears to enjoy Rawdon’s concern and company. Rawdon is puzzling over how to get his wife and son to become friends when he is arrested.

Summary: CHAPTER LIII: A Rescue and a Catastrophe

Rawdon is taken to debtors' prison. In the morning, he writes to Becky, instructing her to use the money he has at home to bail him out and to sell some of their valuables if needed. Rawdon receives no response until dinner when Becky writes that his creditor refused any deal. She was about to go to the pawnshop when Lord Steyne came to the house and offered to lend her money the next day. Rawdon’s suspicions rush back. He writes a note to Pitt and Lady Jane, and soon, Lady Jane arrives and gets him out. Rawdon thanks her profusely, explaining that he has changed since knowing her and having a son.

Rawdon then walks home, where he discovers the servants gone and Becky alone with Lord Steyne, who is about to kiss her hand. Becky throws herself on Rawdon and claims innocence. She asks Lord Steyne to back her up, but he screams that he has paid for all her diamonds and given her money too. Rawdon attacks Lord Steyne and then orders Becky to take off her jewels. He searches her room, including the desk where she keeps her money and Lord Steyne’s banknote. Rawdon leaves, vowing to repay his debts and wondering why Becky wouldn’t spend 100 pounds to get him out of prison since he has always shared with her. Becky knows he will not return. The narrator does not say if she is guilty or innocent.

Summary: CHAPTER LIV: Sunday After the Battle

Rawdon goes to his brother’s house. When Pitt comes down, Rawdon explains that he’s done and asks Pitt to take care of Rawdy if something should happen to him. Rawdon says his marriage is over and then refers to a villain. Pitt instantly knows what he is talking about. Rawdon shares his belief that Becky and Lord Steyne hatched the plan to get him thrown in prison. He explains what happened next and implies that he and Lord Steyne will likely duel, even though it might be fatal. Pitt agrees to take care of Rawdy, and Rawdon gives him money to repay Briggs. Next Rawdon goes to Gaunt House and leaves his card for Lord Steyne with a message of where he will be that afternoon. Rawdon then asks his old friend Captain Macmurdo to be his second. Rawdon says the duel is about his wife, whom he found alone with Lord Steyne. Macmurdo confesses that he heard rumors about them. When Macmurdo wonders if Becky could be innocent, Rawdon shows the banknote. Macmurdo writes a letter to Lord Steyne to arrange a meeting.

Summary: CHAPTER LV: In Which the Same Subject Is Pursued

Becky awakens the next day to discover the house in disarray. Her maid has run off with her diamonds. Her servants and landlord drink wine in the drawing room demanding to get paid. Becky threatens them, but they burst out laughing. She gets dressed and walks to the Crawley house, where she swears her innocence to Pitt. He refers to something he read in the newspaper, and she explains that Lord Steyne procured Rawdon the governorship of a distant island. She begs him to help her reconcile with Rawdon. Lady Jane enters and declares Becky to be a heartless mother and deceitful wife. Before Becky leaves, Pitt promises to talk to Rawdon.

Meanwhile, a man shows up at the club and informs Rawdon that Lord Steyne wanted to duel but was persuaded it would lead to everyone’s disgrace. Rawdon is disbelieving, but Macmurdo agrees. Just then Pitt arrives but fails to get Rawdon to reconcile with Becky. Rawdon accepts the job as governor but writes often to his son Rawdy. Becky disappears, and no one knows where.

Analysis: Chapters LI–LV

A continuing question in these chapters is whether Becky is innocent or guilty of marital infidelity. Becky proclaims her innocence—those are her last words to Rawdon—but when she turns to others to support her, such as Lord Steyne, they fail to do so. Her explanations could be the truth, but readers already know that Becky is quick with her words and thinking and extremely capable of telling a convincing story. Her skill with words is so great that Lord Steyne admires Becky’s coolness and persuasiveness at telling lies, even when those lies cost him money. Becky’s past bad behavior and lies speak to her guilt. Further, the narrator, who often knows things that no one else does, coyly refuses to say definitively whether Becky is innocent or guilty. At the same time, the narrator provides evidence, information, and details that all weigh on the side of guilt. For instance, the narrator mentions several scandalous rumors that would explain how Becky affords to host nobility at parties but never clarifies if these rumors are the truth. The story also includes implications of Becky’s true feelings toward Rawdon, as when the pair take on the roles of Clytemnestra and her murdered husband, Agamemnon.

Notably, Chapter LII presents a flashback that shows how precise and well planned are Lord Steyne’s efforts to rid him and Becky of the interference of Rawdy and Briggs, both of whom could derail or intrude on their highly suspicious relationship. Lord Steyne removes Rawdy from the equation by arranging for him to be sent away to boarding school. The scheme to send Briggs away to a job that is too good to refuse bears a striking and obvious similarity to the well-paying governorship of a distant island that Lord Steyne arranges for Rawdon. If Rawdon had not been released from debtors' prison through Lady Jane’s help, if he had not been free to catch Becky and Lord Steyne in a secret tryst, he likely would have received the news and meekly accepted the job as his only means of paying off his debt. This would have allowed Rawdon to maintain his semblance of respectability, which matters to him because of how his name reflects on his son.

As Becky becomes increasingly contemptuous of her family, Rawdon grows into a better, more responsible person—a fact that he acknowledges to Lady Jane after his release from prison. These lessons have been hard-earned. Rawdon has spent the entirety of his married life misreading Becky’s behavior and blithely accepting her lies. Other people, however—everyone from his old army friend Macmurdo to his brother and sister-in-law—have all been suspicious of Becky and Lord Steyne. Only at the behest of Pitt and Lady Jane does Rawdon stop allowing Becky to socialize without him and take pains to ensure that she and Lord Steyne are not left alone.

One possible explanation for Rawdon’s naivete about Becky is that, as the narrator has proclaimed throughout, Rawdon is not the smartest fellow. But another possible explanation is hinted at in Chapter LIV when Rawdon refers to the fact that he gave up an inheritance to marry Becky. Rawdon is a romantic at heart, and he has sincerely loved Becky. As readers have observed since Rawdon and Becky’s marriage, being a husband and a father brought out a good side that Rawdon didn’t even know he had. As Becky becomes more flagrant in her behavior, Rawdon feels the divide grow between them, but he still is willing to find a way to overcome it. Rawdon’s thoughts at the time of his arrest concern how he could finally bring his wife and son together. Rawdon is looking with hope toward his family’s future. Becky’s selfishness breaks him in the end. When Rawdon finds out that Becky has stashed a fortune in her desk, his reaction is heartbreaking. He explains she could have saved some for him the way he has always shared what he had with her.

Another question arises over why Becky has stashed so much money in her desk drawer. As the sums muttered about by her servants show, she did have enough money to at least pay off some of her and Rawdon’s debt without giving up anything but some of her savings. A line she utters in Chapter LV provides a possible clue. “‘Good Heavens! was ever such ill luck as mine?’ she said; ‘to be so near, and to lose all. Is it all too late?’” The narrator explains that she still had one more chance. Much earlier, while at Queen’s Crawley, Becky reflected that if she only had 5,000 pounds a year, she could be a good woman. Perhaps Becky has been saving the money toward that goal. If she has enough money, she can leave behind the path she has followed in pursuit of money and security and become a better person. Such a reading would imply that when the narrator speaks of one more chance, what Becky wants is to reconcile with Rawdon and save her reputation and, most importantly, her social standing. If Becky and Rawdon reconcile and he takes the governorship, Becky can sell the story that the only secrets she shared with Lord Steyne revolve around getting a good job for Rawdon.

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