MB UNIUD

William Makepeace Thackeray

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PROTAGONISTS

The extract is taken from Vanity Fair published in 1847-8.

The characters you can find in the first chapter are:

• Rebecca Sharp (Becky)
• Amelia Sedley
• Miss Pinkerton
• Miss Jemima

Rebecca and Amelia have just finished their last year at the college (Chiswick Mall) and so they say goodbye to everybody.

Rebecca is a very poor girl, her father is dead and she has been obliged to give French lessons in order to pay for her board and her lodging.

She hates Chiswick Mall.

Just considering her name you can understand some aspects of her characterization: for example "Sharp" means affilato and at he same time it is the name of a famous calculator's brand. So we can understand that she is a calculator and "sharp" and intelligent character.

Becky is "a young lady of whom nobody took any notice".

She had been felt inferior then the other people at the college for a long time, and now that she is leaving it, she want to take a revenge: she goes to Miss Pinkerton and speaks to her in French (Miss Pinkerton can not speak French!).

Miss Jemima is one of the staff and plays a not very important role. Her unusual name signifies dove; dove symbolizes purity and peace. She is Miss Pinkerton's sister, and she is her opposite: they are like a dove (angel) and a devil.

Miss Jemima orders Becky to say goodbye to Miss Pinkerton.

French language is very important, as a matter of fact is represents the foreign language students learn at Chiswick Mall, Rebecca's revenge with Miss Pinkerton and also her work at school (she had to give French lessons to pay the college).

Amelia Sedley is the second protagonist of the extract.  Just considering her name you can understand that she has a good nature.

She is rich and has got a slaver. Everybody loves her at the college; for example Miss Jemima tells her "heaven bless you, my child" and gives her some sandwiches.

At the same time Becky receives a book: the Johnson's dictionary. Miss Jemima gives her the dictionary to underline that she can not write very well and so she needs it.

The dictionary represents for Becky her slavery at the college and so she doe not want to live with it: she flings it out through a window. Just considering this scene we can understand a new aspect of Becky's way to be: she is a theatrical person and she has learnt by her mother (she is an actress).

The reader may easily understand that Becky is a courageous, strong and not calm character.

Maybe everybody loves Amelia because she is always nice and is calm: she creates no problem.