Identity In Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca

The narrator is always trying to fit into ‘coats’ that are “too big” and “too long” that Rebecca has left. Everyone around her is subconsciously comparing her to Rebecca and the narrator feels very uncomfortable around most people. In some way it is almost like Daphne du Maurier takes the conventions of a romance-genre and twists them so although Maxim apparently ‘saves’ the narrator from Mrs Van Hopper in fact he destroys her life. His world is full of pain and torture and now she has to go through that too. Another way in which Rebecca subverts the conventions of the romance-genre is by incorporating a murder into the plot. The narrator thinks Maxim to be dark and mysterious, which he is, because he has been hiding the fact that he killed his first wife and apparently his child. Daphne du Maurier has written a romance novel that actually subverts the conventions of a romance in many ways.

Identity. What is identity? One will say that it is the distinct personality of an individual. Others will say that identity is the behavior of a person in response to their surrounding environment. At certain points of time, some people search for their identity in order to understand their existence in life. In regards, identity is shaped into an individual through the social trials of life that involve family and peers, the religious beliefs by the practice of certain faiths, and cultural awareness through family history and traditions. These are what shape the identity of an individual.

When you look at an example like this one, you start to think whether or not these upper class people believed in their own morals and if they even had any. But one thing is for sure, such arrogant actions only go a short way until they come back to haunt you. Because Mrs. Van Hopper was so blinded by her own self and worried so much about what was going on in other people's lives, she had lost her attention from her companion friend, which let to a love affair between the narrator and Mr. Maxim de Winter.

The differences in Josephine and Mrs. Mallard are evident in their reactions to the news of Mr. Mallard's death. Josephine cannot find a ray of hope in Mr. Mallard's death. She is overwhelmed with sadness. She is very careful how she tells Mrs. Mallard of her husband's death. Josephine uses broken sentences and veiled hints when telling Mrs. Mallard of Mr. Mallard's death. Josephine knows that Mrs. Mallard depends on her husband for everything. However, Mrs. Mallard's reaction to the news is very different. Mrs. Mallard loves her husband. She is saddened by the news, but she is able to see into the future. She is able to see a future with color and brightness. Mrs. Mallard feels set free from bondage. She no longer sees a world of restrictions but a world of opportunity and adventure. Her husband's death brings revival to her soul. Chopin says, Mrs. Mallard is "drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window." The news of Mr. Mallard's death is tragic but brings very different reactions from Josephine and Mrs. Mallard.

While reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, many characters are introduced throughout and not one character is the same. It seems that each are dealing with their own problems. One problem that stands out the most is the loss of the first Mistress of Manderly and the second Mistress of Manderly moving in. This novel is set through the eyes of the second Mistress of Manderly and her struggle to overcome all the first brought to the characters and especially Maxim himself. Two completely different women, both married to the same man.

A few things we do know about the narrator is she is a companion for Mrs. Van Hopper as well the fact she has no parents or relatives. The first time we get a name of the narrators it is after she marries Mr. de Winter and becomes Mrs. de Winter. As we read we learn that she is a shy girl that loves maxim more than anything in the world, even after she finds out he had killed his last wife. After leaving Mrs. Van Hopper it is like the narrator never left her, the narrator felt like she was still a companion just for a different

Without identity and individuality there are no distinguishing features in people when compared to everyone else. In society, it is difficult to deviate from what is considered ‘normal’. The novel “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood displays the resilience the protagonist Offred exhibits when it comes to preservation of her identity and uniqueness against the oppressiveness of the Gilead regime. The author uses the treatment and observances by Offred to reveal her persistence in preserving her identity through her resistance against the despotic environment surrounding her. She is able to persevere despite the efforts of society to erase her identity through changing her name, defining her purpose in life and control of her body.

Lastly, Mrs. Van Hopper decides to travel to New York which causes a turn of events which lead to the narrator staying and marring Mr. de Winter. C. Mrs. Van Hopper’s treatment of the narrator diminishes her self-confidence and shapes her into the shy girl she is for most of the novel. Mrs. Van Hopper’s actions, unbeknownst to her, also cause the narrator to fall in love and start a chain reaction that ends in the narrator’s total transformation. 3A. Mrs. Danvers is a somewhat creepy old woman that runs the household of Manderley.

Mrs. Danvers is the lady in charge of the house. She was responsible for everything that involved Rebecca. When the new Mrs. du Winter arrives at the home (called Manderley) they continue to do things the way Rebecca had done it. Mrs. Danvers called each morning to see if the meals for the day pleased her (just how Rebecca had her call each morning). The servants brought in the flowers that Rebecca had liked, and placed them where they always went. One morning, Mrs. du Winter was going into the library and they told her that Rebecca had spent her mornings in the morning room. All the household servants still refured to Rebecca as Mrs. du Winter, even though this title belongs to the new wife now. The way the servants idealized and treated Rebecca was intimidating for Mr. du Winter.

When the narrator first arrives at Manderley she is compared to Rebecca. The narrator feels that Maxim’s sister Beatrice is perplexed as to why Maxim would even marry her. Everything the narrator does differently at Manderley is criticized by the housekeeper Mrs. Danvers. When the narrator tries to do things differently, Mrs. Danvers would inform her that was not the way Rebecca would have done it. Mrs. Danvers despised the narrator, because she thinks the narrator is trying to replace Rebecca.

While walking on the grounds, the narrator noticed Mrs. Danvers watching her from Rebecca’s window and decided to confront her about the costume ball. Mrs. Danvers accused her of trying to take Rebecca’s place at Manderley. The narrator fell into some weird sort of trance and then she let Mrs. Danvers lead her to the window. Suddenly she began to get a little suicidal thinking that death was the only way for her to stop the pain of Maxim’s rejection. And Just as she was about to let go of the ledge, she heard a loud noise from the cove. Mrs. Danvers thought the explosions were rockets from a ship in distress nearby. They could hear people running on the terrace below them.

As she is crying she thinks about how she loved him some of the time. She also thinks about how she feels very liberated. Later, her sister Josephine is outside her bedroom door who is trying to get Mrs. Mallard to open the door. Finally, Mrs. Mallard gives in and her and her sister go downstairs. When they are going downstairs the door opens and Mr. Mallard comes inside.

Rebecca is the ideal wife and lady for all those who met her. The narrator aspires to her and idealizes her even without laying eyes on her, and she feels she knows her quite well and more importantly desire to be

Also, Maxim's past relationship with Rebecca only makes it worse. When the new wife is quiet she somewhat helps the forces of evil by not sticking up for her self and easily being put in the background. The youth and jealously of the character is not able to be understood, and in the end, it can only be understood by the narrator herself. 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 her.

Author, Kate Chopin, presents the character of Mrs. Louis Mallard. She is an unhappy woman trapped in her discontented marriage. Unable to assert herself or extricate herself from the relationship, she endures it. The news of the presumed death of her husband comes as a great relief to her, and for a brief moment she experiences the joys of a liberated life from the repressed relationship with her husband. Finally, she recognizes the freedom she has desired for a long time and it overcomes her sorrow: "Free! Body and soul free! She kept whispering." In her soul, the dark clouds are disappearing because she is illuminated. All the memories of her husband are now of the past. She is living in the present. At this point, she is no longer "Mrs.Mallard." She is Louise and is ready to welcome a new horizon of freedom : "Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own." Overwhelmed with a new sense of herself, she feels as if she