Gender Theory in Vanity Fair Molly McAtee College

How do gender roles instilled by society impact those that are forced to abide by them? This is a question posed by many gender theorists, as our society tends to impose these roles strictly. According to this theory, these roles are damaging because they prevent people from being authentically themselves, which causes both internal and external struggles. The theory has been discussed not only in context of current societies, but through many works of literature. For instance, Thackery’s Vanity Fair is a novel that exhibits the conditions and results of these harsh gender roles. This is because many of the characters, such as Rawdon, Becky, and Amelia, naturally do not follow the rules set by these gender roles, yet have to hide this fact in fear of society’s wrath. However, while this may spare them from ridicule or ostracization, it hurts them by preventing them from achieving their personal goals and being their genuine selves. Therefore, in Vanity Fair, Thackery depicts characters that naturally oppose gender conformity in order to show the pain suppressing one’s natural self causes and the impact of forcing one into these roles.

One way that Thackery expresses the damage of gender roles is through Rawdon being unfairly...