Vanity Fair Chapters XVII–XIX Summary & Analysis

Chapters XVII–XIX

Summary: CHAPTER XVII: How Captain Dobbin Bought a Piano

The narrator opens the chapter discussing the nature of bankruptcy sales and then focuses on one particular auction, which turns out to be the contents of the Sedley home. Dobbin vies against Becky and Rawdon, who have successfully bid on several items, to purchase Amelia’s piano. Mr. Sedley has defaulted and lost everything. Dobbin sends the piano to a small cottage where the family now lives with Mr. Sedley’s clerk.

A month has gone by since news of Rawdon and Becky’s marriage, and still, Miss Crawley will not receive them. Rawdon, quite in love with Becky, has no regrets, while Becky plays the part of wife perfectly. They live on borrowed money, and their marriage has not been announced in the paper so their creditors can’t find them.

Summary: CHAPTER XVIII: Who Played on the Piano Captain Dobbin Bought

The narrator describes the downfall of Mr. Sedley’s business and fortune. Mr. Sedley speculated in Europe, but the threat of war caused by Napoleon’s invasion of France made his investments fail. Mr. Osborne is one of Mr. Sedley’s creditors who loses out on repayment. Even though Mr. Osborne owes his start in his business to Mr. Sedley, Mr. Osborne becomes incensed and believes he has been cheated. He breaks the engagement between Amelia and George. Mr. Sedley orders Amelia to return all of George’s gifts. Amelia has been having doubts about George’s faithfulness and conduct, but the break renews her love for him, and she longs for death.

Then George and Dobbin’s regiment is ordered abroad to fight. George, now a captain, receives a letter from Amelia releasing him from their engagement along with thanks for the piano, which Mrs. Smedley mistakenly assumed had come from George. George grows melancholy at the thought of her. Dobbin visited the Sedleys the day before, and now he tells George that Amelia looks like she is dying. A few hours later, a maid brings a note to Amelia from George, professing his love. She goes outside to find him waiting for her.

Summary: CHAPTER XIX: Miss Crawley at Nurse

Mrs. Bute quickly takes charge of Miss Crawley’s household and prepares for Becky and Rawdon to make contact. She doesn’t want Miss Crawley to go outside for fear of bumping into them, so she pretends the older woman is ill. She also talks about Rawdon and Becky’s numerous faults, digging up Becky’s history. Mrs. Bute’s efforts, however, make Miss Crawley genuinely sick. One day the apothecary says that she could die unless she gets fresh air. Since Miss Crawley, who doesn’t like Mrs. Bute, has not changed her will, Mrs. Bute needs to keep her alive. She gives in to Miss Crawley’s demands to go outside. One day the carriage comes abreast of Rawdon and Becky’s. Miss Crawley looks at her nephew with disdain. Mrs. Bute decides to remove Miss Crawley from his presence and go to Brighton.

Analysis: Chapters XVII–XIX

Chapters XVII and XVIII highlight how much Dobbin cares for Amelia. His thoughts are singularly focused on her well-being, never his own. His consideration goes beyond simply spending his money or having the foresight to think to buy her the piano—a relic from her former, happier life—for he doesn’t even take credit for this act of kindness and love. Instead, he lets Amelia and her family believe the piano was a gift from George. Dobbin’s act truly is selfless on multiple levels. Dobbin could have used the gift as a means to draw closer to Amelia, who has never seen him as more than George’s gawky, odd-looking friend. If she knew what a kind person he was, she might feel more warmly toward him. Further, even though Amelia confesses that she has doubted George’s feelings and behavior toward her, the relationship’s forced ending transforms George and Amelia into star-crossed lovers. Since Amelia already feels like she wants to die for the loss of George, the mistaken belief that the piano came from George strengthens her feelings of love for him and thus her disinterest in life.

Dobbin demonstrates that his love for Amelia is greater than his desire for her when he tells George where Amelia is living. He acts in what he perceives to be her best interests, not his own, wanting to ensure that the woman he loves doesn’t die of grief. As a long witness to George’s treatment of Amelia, Dobbin knows that George has done nothing to deserve such grief. His sole motivation is Amelia’s health and well-being.

The examination of the meaning behind Amelia’s piano is sandwiched between two chapters that focus on far less worthy people. Before learning of Dobbin’s selfless act, readers see Becky and Rawdon taking advantage of the bankruptcy sale at the Sedley home to buy high-quality goods that they can’t afford. They seem highly entertained by the entire situation. Becky tries to use the encounter to find out from Dobbin what happened to cause the bankruptcy but not to find out how her friend Amelia is doing. Then, in the chapter following Amelia and George’s reunion, readers see Mrs. Bute Crawley’s clumsy efforts to win Miss Crawley’s inheritance. She relies on tactics akin to poisoning and hostage-taking to keep Miss Crawley from having any possible contact with Becky and Rawdon, who she fears will sweet-talk their way back into the old lady’s good graces. The only reason she agrees to let Miss Crawley outside is for fear that she will die before writing a new will in favor of the Bute Crawleys. While Miss Crawley seems profoundly disinterested in reuniting with Rawdon, she doesn’t like Mrs. Bute either, and readers have no clear idea how she will leave her money. Perhaps she will pick someone else entirely.