In the gothic horror novel, Rebecca, written by acclaimed early 20th century poet, Daphne du Maurier, there is clear evidence of traditional gothic conventions throughout the text. The significant use of metonymy and the characterization of the archetypal gothic villain, Mrs. Danvers, and the female protagonist, the Narrator du Maurier successfully convey these techniques to develop the characters, mood and genre of the novel. There is a haunting a predominant presence of mist and fog in the novel and in chapter 18, page 276, it engages the Narrator in a trance like state and consumes her thoughts and sanity. “The fog filled the open window, damp and clammy, it stung my eye, it clung to my nostrils.” Are the words of the woman as she is first …show more content…
The personality and also the characterization of the Narrator is shown quite vividly here as she shown to be a person who can very easily be persuaded and intimidated by forces of nature or other people. Earlier in the chapter, she describes how her marriage to Maxim was a fail, admitting to herself how desperate and infatuated she was with him: “I was too young for Maxim, too inexperienced, and, more important still, I was not of his world. The fact that I loved him in a sick, hurt, desperate way, like a child or dog, did not matter.” Her naïve and gullible nature is furthermore reinforced when she says she states that her cruel employer was right about her marriage to Maxim, saying he only married her to fill the house and for pure pleasure and preoccupation. She is the damsel in distress Rebecca as she consistently becomes weak and falls into trances of confusion, self created stress and trauma and the foreboding presences of
Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca Rebecca has been described as the first major gothic romance of the 20th century; Mrs. Danvers’ character is one of the few Gothic interests within the novel. Her unnatural appearance and multi-faceted relationship with Rebecca provides scope for manifold interpretations and critical views. Furthermore, Mrs. Danvers connection with Rebecca and Manderlay is a sub-plot in itself, making Mrs. Danvers the most subtly exciting character in the novel.
Written in 1818, the latter stages of the Gothic literature movement, at face value this novel embodies all the key characteristics of the Gothic genre. It features the supernatural, ghosts and an atmosphere of horror and mystery. However a closer reading of the novel presents a multifaceted tale that explores
In reading this story we find a woman tired of being a mother, a wife and of her life in general. "The sight of them made her so sad and sick she did not want to ever see them again" (35). Do you not see what she is thinking? They are sucking the life out of me. Why did I choose to get married? I could have been anything, instead I am the mother of this child and the wife of this man and am here to take care of their needs. Who will take care of my needs? She feels that she is some how letting herself ease away and needs to regain her identity. She soon isolates herself even more by moving into another room maybe thinking she will be able to find the part of herself she has lost. "She was a young queen, a virgin in a tower, she was the previous inhabitant, the girl with all the energies. She tried these personalities on like costumes" (38).
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...
The main traits of the narrator are that the narrator is very observant with things that interest him, and is determined to find out everything about them in either through fascination or to use that information to his advantage. For example, the narrator knows many aspects of Sheila Mant’s mood through observation, “I had learned all of her moods/ if she lay flat on the diving board with her hand trailing idly in the water, she was pensive, not to be disturbed” (Wetherell 1), the narrator had a big crushed on Sheila, so he decided to learn everything about her, even knowing how her moods change based on observation her body language, which shows immense dedication. However, despite being deep in love with Sheila, the narrator had also great love
... the Victorian ideals is seen as a threat to society and is deemed unfit. This scene illuminates and magnifies upon addressing his strong character by nature, which in many ways contrasts upon Harkers character in the novel.
The narrator’s inner conflict can be seen when she says, “ I had indeed lost my mind, for all the smoldering emotions of that summer swelled in me and burst—the great need for my mother who was never there, the hopelessness of our poverty and degradation, the bewilderment of being neither child nor woman and yet both at once, the fear unleashed by my father’s tears. (9) Through this quote, we can see how Lizbeth struggled greatly with what has happened in her life and all the things she had to go through. The unfortunate, sad resolution to this conflict further develops the theme that growing up can be hard and things will happen that you may not like or have control of what happens. When Lizbeth says, “ ‘M-miss Lottie!’ I scrambled to my feet and just stood there and stared at her, and that was the moment when childhood faded and womanhood began. (10) This resolution shows that we can allow guilt and shame to show us that their are not always a happy ending in every story. Therefore, the plot elements of conflict and resolution further develop the
She is cast aside when she no longer conforms. Her fights with her husband lead to clarity when she decides that the life she is living isn’t the one she desires.
...aracter, possessing many unwanted personality traits, but without obsession, it is unlikely that events would have escalated in such a way, resulting in the death of everyone he loves. Rebecca illuminates this idea, showing that no matter how strong the love may be between the protagonist and Maxim, the obsession for the deceased wife overpowers.
The gothic romance and mystery of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca show the style in which a deep, dark secret is held at the beautiful Manderley, and a young love is influenced by the haunting of Manderley’s former mistress. Using the harrowing style of suspense, Daphne tells a tale of a young woman trying to live a life in the home of someone who has not quite left yet. With extraordinary scenery, strong symbolism, and plenty of hidden irony, Daphne du Maurier has made an everlasting psychological thriller.
Contrastingly, Mrs. Darling, his wife, is portrayed as a romantic, maternal character. She is a “lovely lady”, who had many suitors yet was “won” by Mr. Darling, who got to her first. However, she is a multifaceted character because her mind is described “like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East”, suggesting that she is, to some extent, an enigma to the other characters, especially Mr. Darling. As well as this, she exemplifies the characteristics of a “perfect mother”. She puts everything in order, including her children’s minds, which is a metaphor for the morals and ethics that she instils in them. Although ...
When Zora Hurston wrote this novel, she wanted to explain how a young women search for her own identity. This young woman would go through three relationships that took her to the end of the journey of a secure sense of independence. She wanted to find her own voice while in a relationship, but she also witnessed hate, pain, and love through the journey. When Logan Killicks came she witnessed the hate because he never connected physically or emotionally to her. Jody Starks, to what she assumed, as the ticket to freedom. What she did not know was the relationship came with control and pain. When she finally meets Tea Cake she was in love, but had to choose life over love in the end.
characters or by her own tale to illuminate her ultimate loss of innocence. One of the most
...e relationship with men, as nothing but tools she can sharpen and destroy, lives through lust and an uncanny ability to blend into any social class makes her unique. Her character is proven as an unreliable narrator as she exaggerates parts of the story and tries to explain that she is in fact not guilty of being a mistress, but a person caught in a crossfire between two others.
Beauty’s sisters marry rich men, who seemingly have acceptably desirable attributes as husbands. One man is detailed as a man of good looks. The other man is noted for having great wit. The two possess qualities most women seek in a husband, but it is indicated in descriptions that the two sisters are both unhappy in their marriages. Although the first husband is handsome, this serves him as a drawback, for he is a narcissist, only concerned with himself. The second husband’s wit is also a severe disadvantage due to the fact he uses his wit to torment other people, including his wife. It is when Beauty reviews her sisters’ marriages and the unhappiness her sisters experience in relation to their husbands that helps Beauty realize The Beast’s true worth and her love for him: “I should be happier with the monster than my sisters are with their husbands; it is neither wit, nor a fine person, in a husband, that makes a woman happy, but virtue, sweetness of temper and complaisance and Beast has all these valuable qualifications.” (9). The juxtaposition made between the husbands and The Beast create the disclosure of the appropriate masculine qualities a man should encompass. De Beaumont presents the contrast of characters to the reader as a method of emphasizing the