Vanity Fair in Reading with Style

Apr 05, 2012 Maggie rated it it was amazing

A book without heroes, where the characters are imposible to like. Two major anti-heroines so different from each other, but with something in common. A story about friendship, love, human relations, social status, money and vanity.
Rebecca is a very controversial, but still very intriguing character. She is sly and extremely selfish vamp who would do everything to climb the ladder of the high-life society. Her desire may be shallow, her motives hard to understand, and her ways insincere, but
A book without heroes, where the characters are imposible to like. Two major anti-heroines so different from each other, but with something in common. A story about friendship, love, human relations, social status, money and vanity.
Rebecca is a very controversial, but still very intriguing character. She is sly and extremely selfish vamp who would do everything to climb the ladder of the high-life society. Her desire may be shallow, her motives hard to understand, and her ways insincere, but at least she was witty. She often was cruel and she dragged people into destruction along with destroying their lives. Becky is a character that makes your fists clench. And although I would never forgive her sins, I can partially understand why she did what she did. Selfishness is not very admirable or noble part of the human nature, but at least is natural and comprehensible. All she ever wanted was to be part of the high-class where she actually belonged, because this high-class was like her mirror – shallow, but pretentious. She made the impossible to get there and finally she succeeded.
Amelia Sedley is the antidote of Becky Sharp. She was described by the author as good natured, even gratiutous, but naïve. And while I would struggle to describe Rebecca with one word, I can do it about Amelia. Parasite. She may be good natured, but she was selfish as Rebecca, and even worse, she was self destructive. Amelia is a sharp contrast to Becky. Contrary to Rebecca neglect Amelia choked the ones she loved. She first obsessed her husband then her child. She set them on pedestal too blind to see reality, not realizing with that behavior she was hurting other people. She was always focused on her own reality, her own pain and hew own small, pitiful world. She never manage to open her eyes and if at first I thought she was naïve at the end I thought she is utterly stupid, making me despise her even more than Rebecca.
I partially liked Rawdon Crawey and William Dobbin. Rawdon was a fool in many ways and he made more than one serous mistake, probably the biggest one was marrying Becky Sharp. And though his adoration for her eventually he started to suspect her games and find strength to leave her. He was empty-headed, but his love to his wife and child was pure. William Dobbin was honest and noble, he really loved Amelia and sacrificed himself for her. The maxim that says love is blind was Dobbin’s case. I never understood why he loved her and prayed untill the end they won’t marry.
But they did. And Rebecca achieved what she craved for. This is a novel with no happy end, although the non-heroes manage to fulfill their dreams. I never thought I would read a book where I won’t like a single character. They were all too egocentric and narrow minded, even too foolish. Vanity Fair is a classic for a reason, because it is an eternal truth. Even though the times have changed people have not. 160 years later social status, money, egoism and vanity are leading people’s lives.
...more

Like · see review