Abstract

Vanity Fair was the work of William Makepeace Thackeray, one of the most representative British critical realist writers of the 19th century. Vanity Fair was known as “a novel without a hero” and it was also the beginning of Thackeray’s fame. This paper aims to study Vanity Fair through the perspective of Sartre’s existentialism theory. First is the discussion about the absurdity of vanity fair, a place where pedigree and money almost always dominate everything. The alienation and bad faith are two main factors in this thesis. Explanations will be given on alienations in Vanity Fair and how bad faith in Amelia makes her life miserable. In Sartre’s existentialism theory, people define themselves through their actions and they always have the freedom to choose what they do. From the perspective of Sartre’s existentialism theory, this paper analyze the two main characters, Amelia Sedley and Rebecca Sharp in Vanity Fair, and want to emphasize the positive side Rebecca revealed through her willingness to make choices for herself. Considering all the points of view mentioned above, this paper wants to draw some implications for the current generation to seek better optimization and balance since China’s economy has grown too fast for over three decades and the current generation, like Rebecca in Vanity Fair, is in a rush to succeed.

Key words: Vanity Fair; existentialism; bad faith; alienation; freedom

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-2

3. The Absurdity of Vanity Fair-2

3.1 Pedigree’s role in Vanity Fair-2

3.2 Money’s role in Vanity Fair-4

4. Alienation and Bad Faith5

4.1 Definition of alienation and bad faith.5

4.2 Alienation in Vanity Fair-6

4.3 Bad faith in Amelia Sedley-8

4.4 Rebecca Sharp’s struggles against alienation-10

5. Conclusion-12

Works Cited-14