“Rebecca”

(by Daphine Du Marier)

About the author
Daphne du Maurier was born in London, England, in 1907. She was an English novelist and
playwright, daughter of actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier. Among her most popular works
were tales of mystery, suspense, and drama. Many have been successfully adapted into films,
including the classic gothic novel Rebecca, Du Maurier spent much of her life in Cornwall,
where most of her works are set. She died in 1989, aged 81, in Cornwall.

Time and place of the story

This fictional estate owned by Maxim de Winter in Cornwall, England. Manderley plays a
significant underlying role in the action of the narrative. The estate is one of the most important
things in Maxim’s life. The estate is full of Rebecca’s presence, even down to the china cupid in
the morning room. When Manderley is burned to the ground, Mr and Mrs. Winter are saved the
pain of leaving the estate of their own accord but still must suffer the memory of the home to
which they can never return.

We aren't given a year, or anything else to date the story, so we can assume it's set around the
time of Rebecca's publication: 1938.

Main characters

Narrator : Maxim De Winter's second wife and the narrator of the novel who remains nameless.
She is insecure about her role as the mistress of Manderley and is overwhelmed by the constant
reminder of Rebecca in the estate. As the novel progresses, the narrator becomes increasingly
preoccupied with Rebecca and ultimately concludes that Maxim is still in love with her.

Maxim de Winter : The intelligent and cultured owner of Manderley. At first, Maxim seems
tormented by the memory of his first wife. He dislikes talking about Rebecca and increasingly
detaches himself from his new wife, leading the narrator to believe that he is still in love with
Rebecca.

Rebecca de Winter : Maxim's first wife and the beautiful mistress of Manderley. Lauded for her
beauty, sophistication, and elegance, Rebecca seems to be the superior to the narrator in every
way. Eventually, it is revealed that Rebecca was an evil woman who committed unspeakable
atrocities under the guise of her grace and beauty.

Mrs. Danvers : Rebecca's maid and the housekeeper of Manderley. Over the course of the novel,
Mrs. Danvers reveals an unhealthy obsession with Rebecca and a determination to punish the
narrator for taking her place. She takes every opportunity to undermine the narrator and remind
her of her inferiority to Rebecca,

Jack Favell : Rebecca's cousin and lover.

Beatrice Lacy : Maxim's sister. She gives the narrator a set of beautiful wedding presents, takes
her to visit Maxim's grandmother, and comforts her after the disaster of the costume ball. She
says the narrator that she is so different from Rebecca.

Mrs. Van Hopper : A wealthy and gossipy American woman who hires the narrator as a
"companion" for her European travels. During their time at Monte Carlo, she causes the
friendship between Maxim and the narrator without intention. After hearing about the narrator's
engagement, Mrs. Van Hopper indicates disapproval and warns the narrator.

Frank Crawley : The overseer of Manderley. Known for his loyalty and he is one of the
narrator's sole friends on the estate and assures her that she is what Maxim needs.

The main plot of the story

Exposition

In Monte Carlo, the narrator is a paid traveling companion for a vulgar American woman named
Mrs. Van Hopper. Mrs. Van Hopper views herself as a member of high society and takes every
opportunity to try to improve her standing. One afternoon, Mrs. Van Hopper recognizes Maxim
de Winter, Later on, the narrator receives a note from Maxim in which he apologizes for his
rudeness in the last conversation.

The next day, Mrs. Van Hopper feels ill, and the narrator goes into the dining room alone. She
runs into Maxim who insists that she join him for lunch. She feels unsophisticated and foolish,
but he encourages her to tell him about her life. Over the next several days, the narrator meets
with Maxim regularly, having lunch with him and taking long drives up the coast. She only
knows a few things about him—his wife drowned in a tragic boating accident—but she already
realizes that she has fallen in love with him.

Finally recovered from her illness, Mrs. Van Hopper announces that she and the narrator will be
leaving for America the next day. The narrator is devastated by this news and tells Maxim, who
promptly proposes to her and explains the situation to Mrs. Van Hopper. Mrs. Van Hopper is
shocked by the turn of events and warns the narrator that she will regret her decision to marry
Maxim.

Rising action

After a few weeks of honeymooning in Europe, Maxim takes the narrator back to Manderley, his
estate in Cornwall. The narrator is anxious about assuming the responsibilities of the estate and
fears that her poor background will give her a disadvantage. When they arrive, the narrator
immediately feels intimidated by the servants, particularly the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who
runs the estate in the same way that she did when Rebecca, Maxim’s first wife, was alive. During
these first few days at Manderley, the narrator also meets Maxim’s sister, Beatrice.

As time passes, the narrator becomes increasingly preoccupied with the idea of the beautiful and
sophisticated Rebecca. She is too intimidated by Mrs. Danvers to change any of Rebecca’s
domestic procedures and begins to suspect that Maxim is still in love with her. One day, the
narrator comes across a beachside cottage that was used by Rebecca. She also meets Ben, a
mentally disabled man who spends his time on the beach. When the narrator tells Maxim about
the cottage, he becomes extremely upset, and it convinces the narrator that he is still in love with
Rebecca.

While Maxim is away from Manderley, the narrator returns home to find Mrs. Danvers talking to
a mysterious man in Rebecca’s bedroom. The man introduces himself as Jack Favell and
suggests that the narrator not tell Maxim that he was at Manderley. Later, she discovers that Jack
Favell is Rebecca’s cousin. When Maxim returns, she overhears him punish Mrs. Danvers for
letting Jack Favell into the house.

Climax

At the request of one of the neighbors, Maxim decides to rearrange Manderley’s famous annual
costume ball. The narrator begins to feel more optimistic about her place at Manderley and, on
Mrs. Danvers’ recommendation, decides to surprise Maxim with a costume inspired by one of
the paintings in the gallery of the hall in the estate. When the narrator presents herself at the ball,
Maxim is horrified and immediately sends her away to change: she is wearing the same costume
that Rebecca wore at the last costume ball. The narrator is devastated by Maxim’s reaction and
again realizes that he loves Rebecca and didn’t forget her.

The next day, the narrator goes into Rebecca’s bedroom and is surprised by Mrs. Danvers, who
gloats over Rebecca’s beautiful clothing and jewelry. By Mrs. Danvers’s urges , the narrator is
close to committing a suicide. Then she hears the sound of rockets hitting the shore: a ship has
run aground at the cove. Divers are sent to assess the damage and by chance they discover the
Rebecca’s sailboat, and a dead body inside the locked cabin.

Falling action

That night, Maxim tells the narrator that Rebecca did not die in a boating accident: he shot her in
and then put her body in the cabin of the boat before sinking it. He reveals that he never loved
Rebecca, and their marriage was nothing more than a sham. The narrator is overjoyed at this
news and finally feels assured of Maxim’s love. BTW, I don’t really understand this crazy
woman who becomes happy when she hears her husband has killed her ex-wife, but he really
loves her, the narrator herself, so it’s okay, there’s no problem ://///.

After the body is officially identified, Maxim must participate in an inquest to determine the
cause of death. There is no sign of the bullet that killed Rebecca, and the coroner concludes that
she committed suicide. That night, Jack Favell attempts to blackmail Maxim by showing him a
letter written by Rebecca that proves that she did not commit suicide. Colonel Julyan, the local
magistrate, arrives, but he is not convinced that Jack Favell and Rebecca were even lovers. When
Jack Favell brings in Ben as a witness to his affair with Rebecca, Ben also refuses to support
Jack Favell’s claims.

Resolution

The next morning, the narrator, Maxim, Colonel Julyan, and Jack Favell drive to London to
question a doctor that Rebecca had visited on the day of her death. The doctor reveals that
Rebecca was dying of cancer. Colonel Julyan decides that the coroner’s conclusion is legitimate,
and Maxim realizes that Rebecca manipulated him into killing her. On the drive back home, the
narrator and Maxim notice a red glow in the distance and arrive at Manderley to find it burning
to the ground.

The message of the writer to readers

Jealousy

The narrator’s jealousy of Rebecca takes the majority of the novel. Because of her youth and
insecurity, the narrator is unable to understand why Maxim chooses to marry her. As she learns
more and more about Rebecca, she begins to compare herself to Maxim’s first wife, who seemed
to be far more beautiful, elegant, and sophisticated than she could ever hope to be.

Escaping the past

One of the main conflicts of Rebecca revolves around Maxim and the narrator’s efforts to escape
the past. From his first entrance in the novel, Maxim is tormented by the memory of his marriage
to Rebecca and his eventual murder of her. Even though the narrator never knew Rebecca, she is
equally haunted by her presence at Manderley through her physical representative, Mrs. Danvers.

Love vs. hate

Love and hate serve as crucial motivational tools for the primary characters in Rebecca. In most
cases, characters exhibit both emotions—sometimes even a blend of the two—and use their love
or hate to justify their actions in the novel. For the majority of the text, Maxim is motivated by
his love for the narrator and Manderley, as well as his hatred for Rebecca and her memory.

Identity

One of the major themes of the novel is the narrator’s search to establish her own identity. Du
Maurier establishes this theme from the very beginning by maintaining the narrator’s anonymity,
as only Maxim learns the narrator’s “lovely and unusual” name. When she marries Maxim, the
narrator is automatically given a new identity as Mrs. de Winter, but she does not feel
comfortable or suited to the role. The narrator’s uncertain identity worsens during her time at
Manderley because the constant reminder of Rebecca, the “real” Mrs. de Winter. The climax of
the narrator’s identity crisis is at the Manderley costume ball when even her physical appearance
is overshadowed by the memory of Rebecca in the same costume.