In Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca, Rebecca de Winter, the first wife of Maxim de Winter, imposes her presence posthumously into Manderley. Rebecca’s power over the de Winters is compared to an ivy “held place in [the] lost garden…and would soon encroach upon the house itself”, who had “thrown her tendrils about the pair and made them prisoners” (Du Maurier 3). Although the reader never sees Rebecca as a living character, her lust for power over Maxim is ever present. Rebecca’s power over the narrator and Manderley is well represented by Mrs. Danvers, a ghastly housemaid who remains loyal to the original Mrs. de Winter. Mrs. Danvers, who is like a puppet for Rebecca, states, “sometimes, when I walk along the corridor here, I fancy I hear her just
Rebecca’s identity as “lady of the night,” ultimately contrasts 1920s society’s “ideal woman.” She is the antagonist of a classic love affair heroine: strong, willful, sexually promiscuous, and overtly manipulative. Du Maurier’s characterization of Rebecca as a woman in control of her own body and destiny deliberately shows the female novelists defiance of oppression. Rebecca states in bargaining with Maxim, “You’d look rather foolish trying to divorce me now after four days of marriage. So I’ll play the part of a devoted wife mi...
In Chapter 1 of Rebecca, du Maurier depicts Manderley as a magnificent estate with overgrown nature, a house and a long drive and gate. To begin, du Maurier describes Manderley as an estate with uncontrolled, foreign nature. "And there were other trees as well, trees that I did not recognize, squat oaks and tortured elms that straggled cheek by jowl with the beeches, and had thrust themselves out of the quiet earth, along with monster shrubs and plants, none of which I remembered" (du Maurier 3). Many new trees, along with plants that the narrator does not remember, invade the estate. Similarly, the hydrangeas exhibit this uncontrolled growth of the nature. "Scattered here and again among this jungle growth I would recognize shrubs that had been landmarks in our time, things of culture and grace, hydrangeas whose blue heads had been famous.
The Wife of Bath, Dame Alice is quite a spiteful woman even though she desires only a few simple things in life; power and control. Through her prologue and tale, she makes mirror images of herself , which reflects the person who she really is.
Winterbourne’s aunt is also critical of the way in which Daisy carries herself in social situations with men. In fact, Daisy has become the primary focus of gossip in Mrs. Costello’s circle of friends. Miss Miller has become notorious for the way she carries on with men and openly flirts and goes out in public with them unchaperoned. This is breach of ...
In Daphne Du Maurier’s book, ‘Rebecca’, She uses contrasting features in her characters to emphasise their characteristics.An example of this is one of the main characters, Maxim de Winter. Maxim is portrayed as both attractive and forbidding, but also a mystery and an open book.In this essay I would like to explore how true this is throughout the chapters two to six, and come to a conclusion on if he is either attractive or forbidding, and wither he is a mystery or an open book.
3 The author also describes Mrs. Mallard as feeling “young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (12)-- the strength of God. [What suggests that it is the strength of God, and not just a personal strength of her own?] From the statement “now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously” (12), the reader can sens...
Alfred Hitchcock's film Rebecca, the 1940s film based on Daphne du Maurier’s novel, contains themes like death, murder, adultery, and incest. The film is also organized in a manner that is meant to be enjoyed by mature people or people who would take the film seriously. However, looking at the organization of the film in terms of the cinematic techniques, the director of the film made the right decisions regarding lighting and camera movement. The film attempts to explore the relationship between present and past, Mrs De Winter and Rebecca. In the chosen sequence, a defining character is Rebecca, a dead woman whose presence is dominant. Mrs De Winter is Maxim De Winter’s new wife who is placed into the position of lady of the house —a position
Throughout George Eliot’s Middlemarch, a young woman, Rosamond Vincy, is constantly being observed. The citizens of Middlemarch see Rosamond as a flawless specimen of womanhood whereas the narrator sees her as malicious and manipulative. Is Rosamond faultless or wicked? A third alternative exists: she is neither. Miss Vincy on the surface appears perfect, yet upon further examination one can see that she is flawed and unintentionally manipulative. Rosamond manipulates the way others see her, yet she is unaware that she is doing so. Rosamond is not only a pretty face but a fully developed character with her own faults, strengths and desires and should not be written off as simply
One major convention of the Romantic genre is the innocence, vulnerability and lack of confidence of the heroine. In Rebecca, the narrator constantly refers to herself as an un-educated, inexperienced and young schoolgirl, ??I was a youthful thing and unimportant?there was no need to include me in the conversation.? Throughout the first six chapters, the narrator is depicted as very young with no experience. She admits this herself, ?It was a s...
Though many of the leading female characters in Jane Austen’s novels seem to emphasize the gender stereotype of the 18th century woman, Northanger Abbey’s Catherine Moreland displays strong feminist tones. Several critics might agree that Catherine Moreland is most often described as a submissive young lady confined to society. However, coming from a society that desired their women to be mostly docile, Catherine openly expresses her opinions and moods. The dominance of her views and her ability to be able to share her thoughts straightforwardly, makes Catherine a feminist character. In an even more drastic effort, Catherine imparts onto Henry Tilney how to divert himself from societal limitations and voice his own opinions. By taking a different approach on understanding the feminist elements of Northanger Abbey, it is clear to see that Austen’s believes women are smart, independent and have ingenious competencies equivalent to their male counterparts. Many critics may only read Northanger Abbey as a parody of the endangerments of a hyperactive imagination of a mindless young woman, but a careful reading of the passages displays the intelligence instilled in the unlikely heroine. Although Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is not outwardly represented as a feminist novel, by portraying Catherine and the other characters in a satirical way, Austen is able to question the stereotypes of women in literature.
While she is buying flowers for her party, Mrs. Dalloway has an existential crisis regarding the meaning of life and the inevitability of death. She reflects on the atmosphere of the London streets and her old suitor Peter Walsh as she reads some lines from Shakespeare’s Cymbeline. Mrs. Dalloway’s existential crisis demonstrates situational irony since the concept of life and death is quite deep and complex, yet she seems to live a shallow life consisting of throwing parties and picking which flowers to buy. Although she is contemplating her own mortality, Woolf’s word choice, such as “consoling,” suggests that death is positive and liberating, applying a light tone to a dark situation, adding to the irony. Mrs. Dalloway describes the trees,
Literary Analysis of Audre Lorde's Power. Audre Lorde uses her poetic prose to express her feelings of anger and fury over an unfortunate incident which occurred in New York City in the late 1970's. She shares her outrage and disgust at a racist society that can allow a child's death to be buried with no true justice found to help resolve the loss of an innocent child. Audre Lorde adopted an African name at the end of her life, Gamba Adisa, which means "Warrior-She Who Makes Her Meaning Known."
At the beginning of the story, the author describes Mrs.Mallard as a woman having the distinctive trait of self-assertion which is constrained by her marriage. She seems to be the "victim" of an overbearing but occasionally loving husband. Being told o...
In the novel Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier tells the uncommon, suspenseful love story using a small range of characters with many different personality traits. The reader begins to feel as though they truly know these characters only to discover the unseen truth as their masks fall off. As these personalities develop throughout the novel one can discover that the narrator, Mrs. de Winter, strives to please people and feels very insecure in her identity. She tries to stick up for herself, but her words have no effect on her cruel, manipulative, controlling husband, Mr. de Winter. Mr. de Winter appears as a gentleman in the very early chapters of the book; however, the reader soon discovers that Mr. de Winter seems not to care about other people’s feelings, and that he contains controlling characteristics. Besides being controlling, he also verbally abuses his wife. In simple and plain terms, Mr. de Winter is a jerk. Later in the book, another malevolent and controlling character becomes introduced, Mrs. Danvers. Mr. de Winter’s controlling, abusive ways and Mrs. Danvers malevolent tendencies collide together as the new Mrs. de Winter strives to please them.
Woolf presents three characters who embody three different gender roles. Mrs. Ramsay is the dutiful wife and mother. Mr. Ramsay is the domineering patriarch. Lily Briscoe is an independent, aspiring woman. Woolf sets these three roles in contrast with each other. She allows the reader to see the power and influence each character has. Mrs. Ramsay’s submissive and supportive nature arouses admiration. Mr. Ramsay’s condescending manner provokes animosity. Lily Briscoe’s independence enables her to find meaning and fulfillment in her life.