Thursday, March 8, 2007
Vanity Fair Question #4
Thackeray's narrator sprinkles the novel with frequent stinging asides, such as "Did we know what our intimates and dear relations thought of us, we should live in a world that we should be glad to quit," and "What bitter satire is there in those flaunting childish family portraits, with their farce of sentiment and smiling lies." What did you think of the sentiments expressed in these remarks and others throughout the novel? Did you find any that were especially on target or out of bounds? What do they add to the novel?
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I think that both of these asides are very true. I think that these two can be applied to all types of situations. If we knew what people thought about us it would be a very harsh world. I know that I think certain things about people and I am very glad that they cannot hear what I'm thinking because it is usually something bad. If people could hear what we were thinking everyone would be on edge. We would constantly be doing things to please one person only to find out that another person disagrees with what you just did. It would be a harsh would and Thackeray is right, it would be a world that we would not want to be living on. I also agree with the other aside. Pictures tell a thousand words but often times they don't tell the whole story. When you look at a picture someone is usually smiling but you cannot tell what they are thinking at that moment. They might be thinking about how they want to kill their mother for making them be in the picture in the first place but the smile makes a nice cover-up.
Another aside that I thought was particullarly interesting was the one about women hating eachother. Thackeray describes three women Mrs. White, Miss Brown, and Mrs. Black and says, "Indeed for my own part, though I have been repeatedly told by persons for whom I have the greatest respect, that Miss Brown is an insignificant chit, and Mrs. White has nothing but her petit minois chiffone, and Mrs Black has not a word to say for herself; het I know that I have had the most delightful converstations with Mrs. Black: I see ass the men in a cluster round Mrs. White's chair: all the young fellows battling to dance with Miss Brown; and so I am tempted to think that to be despised by her sex is a very great compliment to a woman"(123). Women are often jealous of other women and Thackeray is saying that all the ridicule that a woman gets from other women is in fact a compliment. I think that this is very true and on target. I think that these add several insights into society when a reader sees them. For me they made me realize several things about my surrounding and they these comments always give a lead-in on what is about to happen
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