Abstract
This paper describes the main character in William Thackeray's "Vanity Fair", Becky Sharp and explains how, through this character Thackeray conveys the message that despite all the wealth and material possessions one can't be guaranteed happiness.

From the Paper
"Rebecca sharp is the main protagonist of Vanity Fair. She does not have any social status as she was born into a poor family. Rebecca is the daughter of a penniless artist father and French opera dancer mother. Her parents' line of work was frowned upon in Victorian times and thus gave her family a bad reputation in society. This is one reason why she has been treated with a lot of disrespect and humiliated on several occasions. Her father is penniless and spends most of time drinking in the taverns or running up his debts. Her mother passed away early in her lifetime."

Tags:wealth, social, status, ruin, wits, charm, rich, low, class, beauty, lord, styne, rawdib

Abstract
The paper asserts that William Makepeace Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" is a broad satire on the Victorian Age that was based on self-centered aspiration. The paper analyzes the two heroines, Amelia Sedley and Becky Sharp, who are from opposite ends of the economic spectrum, and highlights how they are both vain and self-serving in their own way. The paper posits that the author is showing how vanity springs from all strata of society since it is inherently human.

From the Paper
"In his novel Vanity Fair it is Thackeray's intention to create a canvass where all the characters are vain. The intention is announced in the subtitle, which reads "A Novel Without a Hero". There is no character in it with heroic qualities to admire, and we search in vain for a reference point of virtue by which to compare the rest. It is not Thackeray's intention to explain why certain people are vain, or to provide a lesson in how to live honestly, or even how to uproot such hypocrisy and vanity from society. We must take the novel as a broad satire on Victorian England and the Utilitarian ethos that was overcoming urban society at the time."

Tags:satire, Victorian, Age, utilitarianism

Abstract
Dusk is portrayed as an image of fusion in Jean Toomer's "Cane". It shows something to be both ending and beginning at the same time. Dusk joins light and dark, day and night, and most importantly, black and white. This paper explains that it is a time of merging, a time of vagueness, and a time of ambiguity. It discusses how Toomer's writing is marked by patterns of imagery that find their roots in dusk. Compelling evidence of dusk seems to lie in the murkiness of both the atmospheres and the characterizations of Karintha, Becky, Carma, Fern, Esther, and Louisa. The paper also shows how each of these characters had their own "dusky" stories to tell.

From the Paper
"Dusk is portrayed to be a reflection of Karintha's soul in the novel Cane. Imagery can be seen joining the light and dark, "perfect as dusk when the sun goes down" (Toomer, 3). In my opinion, this shows Toomer's wish for the merging of the two races. The light and dark images seen in this particular excerpt can signify Toomer's underlying dream for a merging of the two races; especially by his use of racially mixed characters. His vision of the future, essentially, is where race in no longer the basis of identity. Toomer desperately wanted the colors to merge in his characters; creating a race-free society just like the merging of colors in dusk. After all, dusk is the intermediary between the golden light of the sun and the darkness of the moon; it is where color merging takes place."

Tags:Karintha, Becky, Carma, Fern, Esther, Louisa

Abstract
A look at three female novels during the 19th century, Jane Eyre, Becky Sharp, and Dorothea Brooke. The author examines the writers' refusal to be controlled by the patriarchal society of the time as portrayed in their novels.

From the Paper
"Jane Eyre, Becky Sharp, and Dorothea Brooke have different lifestyles, different expectations, and different beliefs, but share a common personality trait unusual for the time and place in which they were created, in 19th century novels. They are all independent thinkers women who make decisions about their own lives and refuse to be controlled by patriarchal authority, for better or for worse."

Tags:matriarchy, patriarchy, male, authority, subordinate

Abstract
Characters in novels from the nineteenth century often worship false idols- anything that the individual substitutes for what is truly important in life, which would be dedication to other human beings and to God. This paper discusses William Makepeace Thackeray's novel "Vanity Fair", where the character Rebecca (Becky) Sharp in particular worships social advancement above all else and seeks to promote herself in society. It then looks at Charles Dickens' novel "Little Dorrit," in which many of the characters are after the false idol of money. The paper shows how the quest for money is like a disease that guides their every action and becomes a metaphorical prison that keeps them from really living. The paper discusses how in both novels, the image of the prison stands as both a concrete place and a metaphor for how circumscribed the lives of the characters really are.

From the Paper
"Thackeray's Vanity Fair is a novel about social climbing in a society that values birth above self-worth, and the various characters interact as they attempt to place themselves in the social hierarchy. The social setting places the characters in the world of the aristocracy, where vying for position is a way of life. There are layers of worth according to this society, with the Court standing at the center as the highest social position to which one can aspire. Prison is at the opposite end of the scale, and Becky Sharp seems to veer between the two--she is presented at Court, and though she does not go to prison, it is at times something the reader might consider given her penchant for treachery and for the way she takes all of Joseph's money and leaves him to die. Her early life also brings her close to prison--when her father dies, two bailiffs fight over the corpse."

Tags:Amelia, Miss, Pinkerton, Clennam, Meagles

Abstract
This paper examines the use and meaning of names in three novels: Thomas Hardy's "Tess D?Urbervilles", William M. Thackeray's "Vanity Fair", and "The Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James. The paper shows how names provide a deep symbolic language association that guides the reader to understand the character and the authors' purpose.

From the Paper
"One of the most important elements of literature is the selection of character names. Thackeray, James, and Hardy, along with all of their contemporaries, employed character names to indicate very specific elements of their character, destiny, behavior, and mannerisms. The selection of names is often very deliberate and quite obvious, but they serve a direct literary purpose. In real life, it is the rare person whose name actually has a symbolic relationship (beyond coincidence) to who and what they are. In literature, however, names can be as important as plot and theme."

Tags:tess, durbeyfield, isabel, archer, becky, sharp, thackeray, james, hardy