The subtitle of ‘Vanity Fair’ is 'a novel without a hero'. Furthermore, it influences Becky and she too becomes a materialist. The discrimination shows that the society at that time is materialistic and money-oriented. Thackeray uses Becky’s thought to satirize a society that discriminates against the haves and the have-nots. She is jealous of them for being loved by everybody. In her academy, while other girls sleep in their comfortable and warm bedroom, Becky sleeps in the garret. In the course of the story, she is discriminated against because she is not a rich and noble girl. Becky, being an ambitious woman, obstinately pursues and does whatever it takes to be rich. Thackeray satirizes British society through Becky’s ambition. He exposes their pride, tyranny, hypocrisy, snobbishness, selfishness, and wickedness. In this, Thackeray gives a vivid description of both the middle class and aristocratic society, their mode of life, manners, and tastes. All in all, it is a satirisation of the early 19th century British society. There aren’t any redeeming qualities in the characters of ‘Vanity Fair’, and all of them are consumed by the pursuit of wealth and social mobility. What stood out in Thackeray and his works, was the realistic satire, and yet at the same time criticism for his ruthless depiction of his characters. Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, the story charts the girls' misadventures in love, marriage, and family. It trails the lives of Becky Sharp, a strong-willed, penniless young woman, and her friend Amelia 'Emmy' Sedley, a good-natured wealthy young woman.

The story is told within a frame narrative of a puppet show at a play. Written by William Makepeace Thackeray, an Indian born English novelist, ‘Vanity Fair’ was first published as a nineteen volume monthly serial from 1847 to 1848.

To get you started, here is a recommendation for a brilliant satire-‘ Vanity Fair’. When you are restricted to the four walls of your home, there is no better way to induce laughter than to read a funny, witty, and satirical book. It would not be wrong to say that a contagious disease could be dealt in a better way if there is contagious laughter all over. The fight against the contagious COVID-19 can be a bit easier if there are humor and laughter around us. In one of his works, Charles Dickens wrote: “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” At a time when the world is trying to cope up with a deadly pandemic that has claimed millions of lives worldwide, the quote stands true and relevant.

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