Vanity Exposed in Vanity FairThe title chosen by Thackeray for his novel Vanity Fair is taken from The Pilgrim´s Progress by John Bunyan. In Bunyan's book, one of the places Christian passes through on his pilgrimage to the Celestial City is Vanity Fair, where it is possible to buy all kinds of vanities. A very sad thing happens there: the allegorical character Fidèle is killed by the people. In the novel Vanity Fair, Thackeray writes of his chosen title: "But my kind reader will readily remember that this story is called 'Vanity Fair,' and that Vanity Fair is a very vain, wicked, and foolish place, filled with all kinds of farces, falsehoods and pretensions” (98). The choice of title is appropriate, because in his novel Thackeray deals with people who place wealth, property and social status above everything else - including honesty and love. In the final lines of the novel, Thackeray uses the Latin words Vanitas Vanitatum pris Excerpt from Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament: 1:2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.1:3 What profit has a man by all his labor that he does under the sun? The subtitle is also significant for this novel. Much literature, from ancient times to the present, has dealt with heroes, men (and sometimes women) worthy of praise for what they did for one or more people close to them. them, or for the benefit of an entire nation. Thackeray is one of the first “realistic” writers, who does not idealize things. His characters are not heroes and their actions are mostly selfishly motivated. This novel is certainly not an uplifting read, but I suppose Thackeray is more satirical than cynical. The title can also refer to a he...... middle of paper ......s against his will and marries Amélia, he disinherits him. A very distressing event occurs when John Osborne takes out the family Bible and erases George's name from the flyleaf. He has no feelings for his offspring and places financial concerns above feelings. He shows no pity for his son or for Amelia, whom he disdains. He doesn't think about her or what she suffers as a widow, and he offers to take care of his son without realizing how painful it is for Amelia to part with the boy. John Osborne never reconciled with his son before his death. But in his will he finally expresses that George is his beloved son and he leaves money to Amelia. His lifestyle is consistent with that of his peers in Vanity Fair, and his kindest actions are unfortunately left to the last moment. Work cited: Thackeray, WM Vanity Fair. Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd..