The Role Mrs Danvers Plays in “Rebecca”:

In relation to the characters:

Mrs Danvers is related to almost every character in this novel in one way or the other. The first
closest relation we can think of is probably her relation to the nameless heroine of the story. To
the protagonist, Mrs Danvers plays the role of the “Judging eye”.

From the moment the new mistress of the house steps into Manderley, the housekeeper is

always regarding her with a judging and comparing attitude. (“But I never dared ask Mrs

Danvers what she did about it. She would have looked at me in scorn, smiling that freezing,

superior smile of hers, and I can imagine her saying: “There were never any complaints when

Mrs. de Winter was alive.””) This was due to the fact that the narrator took the place of

Rebecca, the late Mrs De Winter, her late mistress. She devoted her whole self to a woman who

is dead, hanging on dearly to the last wisps of phantom-like memories of a woman who might

have never cared about a lowly housekeeper like her at all. This “obsession” led to utter hatred

towards a woman who “stole” Rebecca’s place, especially when that person is not as elegant in

daily life, as confident, or as well-humoured or outgoing. Therefore, she regards the narrator as

a copycat failing miserably, and tries to humiliate her and put her ill at ease all the time. (“Why

should you hate me?” I asked; “what have I ever done to you that you should hate me?”

“You tried to take Mrs. de Winter's place,” she said.”)

In relation to the suspense:

Mrs Danvers also plays a huge role in creating suspense. She is one of the main characters

involved in creating conflict in the story. In Wikipedia, she is described as “the main antagonist

of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel Rebecca.” She is described as the “antagonist”, suggesting

that she is the “creator of obstacles” for the protagonists. And we can see it demonstrated in

the part where she persuades the heroine to dress as Rebecca once did, with the intention

of humiliating her. This trick almost caused the relationship between the narrator and Maxim

to break. She is one of the main creators of horror, too. Every time she talks to the narrator

about Rebecca, she seems to be in a dream-like state, as if possessed, making us

uncomfortable and frightened.

In all, Mrs Danvers is an essential character in the book.