Vanity Fair Chapter 12 Summary

Quite a Sentimental Chapter

  • OK, enough fun with Becky; let's check back in on Amelia. The narrator apologizes that Amelia so super-boring, but argues that this is because she is such a good and nice person. Nice people don't make good heroines of novels, apparently.
  • Amelia doesn't have too much to do in life, since she is rich and protected by her family. She doesn't need to figure out her future like Becky does.
  • She hangs out with George's sisters, who are totally condescending and generally act like rhymes-with-witches to her and to each other. They might be jealous of how much George likes her.
  • The dynamic of Amelia and George's relationship is worked out. She is madly in love with him and worships the ground he walks on. He loves her OK. His sisters tell him he is some kind of martyr for being with her since she is so lame and dumb, and he starts to believe it. Everyone at George's house thinks that when he isn't around he must be with Amelia, but it turns out he actually hangs out with his friends, drinks, shops, and does basically whatever he wants.
  • Amelia writes him long, repetitive, annoyingly sweet letters. He writes her back short, crummy, not particularly nice ones.