Rebecca By Daphne Du Maurier - 1504 Words

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a masterful mystery romance novel originally published in 1938. The story centers around the marriage of a young woman to Maxim de Winter, a brooding widower caught in the shadow of his deceased wife, Rebecca. Throughout the novel, we embark on a journey of self-discovery from the vantage point of the new Mrs. de Winter. Upon arrival at the expansive estate of her new husband, Manderley, Mrs. de Winter finds the idealistic life she’d hoped to live far from the stark reality of her new world. Through rising tensions, internal conflicts, and the self-imposed psychological stress, we watch as Mrs. de Winter transforms from an insecure young girl into a woman with a quiet, steadying strength. The start of the†¦show more content†¦For instance, Maxim’s growing distance reinforces her belief; he regrets marrying her and is still in love with Rebecca. Mrs. Danvers, in addition, consistently reminds Mrs. de Winter of Rebecca’s preferences adding to a growing sense of inferiority. Insecurities and self-doubt already present in the new Mrs. de Winter were an underlying part of her personality. Mrs. Van Hopper, her previous employer, â€Å"would employ me as bait to draw her prey† (du Maurier. 12). Mrs. Van Hopper’s treatment of her lead to an undiagnosed case of high anxiety; the constant and unsubstantiated worry that causes significant distress and interferes with daily life, within the young Mrs. de Winter exasperating the intensity of Manderley (adaa.org). Readers are able to see in intense detail the mental distress of the main character because of the author’s use of homodiegetic narration; where the narrator is talking to the readers or narrates from within the story world (Scott 78). The story is both from the vantage point of Mrs. de Winter as well as told by her. The fixed focalisation forces the reader to feel on her side in the events of the story. The impressions of the readers are a reflection of how the main character views her person. Daphne du Maurier uses a brilliantly insidious device to accomplish this; she never gives the main character a name. Not once in the entirety of the prose is theShow MoreRelatedRebecca by Daphne Du Maurier1174 Words   |  5 Pages28 March 2012 Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca is a story about a mysterious first wife named Rebecca, told from the perspective of an unnamed second wife. While this tale could also be considered a love story, it’s more of a mystery since it slowly reveals a history that a reader won’t expect just from reading the first few chapters. It slowly enlightens everyone about the major characters, from hidden traits and characteristics, to untold stories, which were literallyRead MoreRebecca by Daphne Du Maurier Essay1099 Words   |  5 PagesRebecca is a beautiful, haunting, gripping tale of love, hate and deceit told in the simplest and most endearing manner by Daphne Du Maurier. Rebecca is a beautiful, haunting, gripping tale of love, hate and deceit told in the simplest and most endearing manner by Daphne Du Maurier. Du Maurier weaves a beautiful web of mystery that holds you captive until the very end of the novel. We readers feel the anxiety, apprehension and fear that the protagonist describes and together we moveRead MoreRebecca by Daphne du Maurier - Thesis essay1815 Words   |  8 Pagesunconsciously recognise this trait and are inclined to respond with respect. 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On the surface Rebecca appears to demonstrate the conventionsRead MoreEssay on Theme of Heroes in Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier1491 Words   |  6 PagesIn a world of manifest superheroes, Mrs. de Winter, in Daphne du Maurier’s novel, Rebecca, though quite an unanticipated heroine, proves to be selfless and courageous, the very definition of a hero. Her name never being mentioned, Mrs. de Winter, also the story’s narrator, stands in direct contrast to the story’s vilest character, Rebecca, and her sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers. By observing the characters and setting of Rebecca, we manage to catch a glimpse of the author’s personal life andRead MoreDaphne Du Maurier ´s Rebecca: A 1920s Rebel1445 Words   |  6 Pagesby society are broken, society does everything within its power to contain the beasts again. Daphne Du Maurier felt the restraints 1920s society placed on her with idealizing domestic women. By using Rebecca as the backbone within her novel and counteracting such a strong character with the weak narrator, Du Maurier displays that oppression can only be destroyed with rebellion. In Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier uses the contrast of female personas to emphasize the 1920s society’s malevolence towards womenRead MoreUnique Qualities Enhance Detective Novels1106 Words   |  5 Pagesnovels to keep the readers enticed. Gothic elements in Rebecca, and encyclopedia knowledge in The Nine tailors enhance the purposes of mystery and detective fiction. In the novel, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, the gothic elements of the Manderly really add to the mystery of what had happened to the unnamed heroine’s new husband’s late wife. The Manderly’s â€Å"grass was long and overgrown, crowded with nettles. The windows were boarded up† (Maurier). The dense landscape and run down nature of the propertyRead MoreThe Qualification of Daphne Du Mauriers Rebecca as a Gothic Novel851 Words   |  3 PagesThe Qualification of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca as a Gothic Novel One of mankind’s most valuable gifts is the ability to feel emotions and be able to react to them in a variety of ways. One of these emotions can be recognized as horror. Horror can be directly related as an immense sensation of fear, anxiety, and despair. Horror is adored by some and abhorred by others. Most importantly, there exist many sources for frightening media and information. One genre of literature that tends toRead MoreDaphne du Maurier’s Rebecca: Disparities Between Upper and Working Class Women1180 Words   |  5 PagesDisparities between upper and working class women and their roles in society are made very obvious in gothic literature. However, they are especially highlighted in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, in which the protagonist sits between the upper and lower classes because of her own choice to marry a man from a higher class than herself. In the time period that the book was written, there were still large distinctions in class, thou gh it was also a period that allowed for more social mobility because