Critical Review of Rebecca

In her Gothic novel Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier paints the sublime and mysterious setting of Manderley, wrapped in secrets and intricacies, and casts a young unnamed heroine to establish her place within her new home. From the heroine's unknown origins as the traveling aide of Mrs. Van Hopper to her assumption of the role of Mistress de Maxim, du Maurier explores and subverts Gothic elements, asserts the power and suspense of information within characters' lives, and gives insight into the gender roles of the 1930s society of her time.

Drawing inspiration from previous Gothic works, Rebecca shares many similarities through the physical and psychological imprisonment of a young, naive heroine and the almost supernatural power wielded by Rebecca after her death. Arising from middle-class upbringings, the massive Manderley estate is wholly foreign to the young heroine, who equally lacks the mental maturity to manage the household and assume the proper role of an elegant lady and wife. Consequently, she finds herself confined in her new household, forced to uphold the expectations placed on her by her servants and others around her. The looming presence of Rebecca adds to the heroine's feelings of confinement and introduces suspense and mystery. Naive and incompetent to the point of apologizing to a servant upon breaking a vase, the heroine starkly contrasts the beautiful, intelligent, and seemingly loved Rebecca praised by all the servants. At the same time, Maxim and his gentry friends continue to act strangely toward Rebecca, dropping cryptic hints about her true character, which continue to elude the heroine. Storms and fog roll past the Manderley estate, bringing about scenes of darkness, violence, and death; on one foggy night, Mrs. Danvers attempts to manipulate the heroine into committing suicide by planting the thoughts that she was worthless before Rebecca. Similarly, during a storm, Maxim and Rebecca confront each other on the boat deck, which escalates into Maxim's murdering his wife in a jealous fit of rage. Possessing supernatural influence, the "ghost" of Rebecca haunts the present residents of the Manderley estate, furthermore imprisoning the heroine. However, unlike other Gothic novels, the once unfamiliar estate, emphasized countless times, goes up in flames at the novel's conclusion. In Rebecca, nothing is constant, whether it be Rebecca's assumed virtue, Maxim's flawless character, or even the Manderley estate itself.

Upon entering the Manderley estate as an outsider, the heroine finds herself in a powerless disposition due to her ignorance and naivety. Du Maurier suggests the superiority of the subversive power encompassed by information and manipulation that prevails over traditional modes of authority, namely wealth and status. Nonetheless, wealth and status hold significant power in the world of Rebecca; through his superior status and wealth, Maxim can effectively buy the heroine into marriage and away from Mrs. Van Hopper. Similarly, Rebecca could silence the gardener Ben through threats of sending him to the mental asylum. Yet, despite her newfound wealth and status as the new Mrs. de Winter, the heroine finds herself under the manipulation of people below her social status through the information, especially of Rebecca, they withhold from her. Illusioned that Rebecca was loved by everyone, especially Maxim, who loved his dead wife more than his living one, the heroine was easily manipulated by the otherwise powerless Mrs. Danvers. Ignorant and knowing little, she was convinced to wear Rebecca's same white dress and almost manipulated into committing suicide. Furthermore, despite being bullied to submission by Rebecca during her lifetime, Ben's knowledge, or rather his disclosure of it, proves crucial to defeating Jack Favell and the remnants of Rebecca's influence in court. Similar to the horror and suspense encompassed by the unknown and supernatural, knowledge and secrets lose their power when disclosed. When she discovers that Maxim harbored nothing but fear and hatred for Rebecca and subsequently murdered her, the heroine overcomes the manipulative power of Mrs. Danvers' lies and knowledge, effectively assuming her own power over the household. Nonetheless, the power of knowledge and manipulation transcends even traditional gender roles through the influence wielded by Rebecca. Despite being characterized by Maxim as an unfaithful and wicked woman, Rebecca still wields significant power over her husband, servants, and peers, to the point where Maxim has to resort to physical violence to subvert her influence. Valuing his social status and reputation and being unable to divorce, Maxim is effectively trapped by his wife in their one-sided marriage. In Rebecca, the subversive control and manipulation of others allow even those powerless in a traditional sense to force others around them to kneel in submission.

The power encompassed by subversive manipulation and intimidation, especially in the hands of Rebecca, allows for the deterioration of the dominant patriarchy and gender roles. Most clearly exemplifying the traditional power of men is the heroine, who remains unnamed for the entire novel, regarded only as "Mrs. de Winter"--an extension of her husband. Lacking a definitive personality, she is wholly dependent upon her husband for love and stability; a majority of the plot is driven by her jealousy and feelings of inferiority towards Rebecca. Apparent through his calling his second wife "lamb" or "child," the relationship between Maxim and the heroine is one-sided, with his wife treated like an object. Furthermore, upon marriage, both Rebecca and the unnamed heroine assume themselves into the life and society of their husband, eventually carving a space for themselves in their new home after enduring criticism of acting like a "proper lady." All the while, Maxim's immediate remarrying displays his priorities, with public appearances outweighing his wives. Moreover, Maxim's oppressiveness complicates readers' understanding of Rebecca, as since she is dead, she cannot defend her character from his accusations and judgment. No one can attest to Maxim's claims that she was a vile and manipulative woman, especially since all the servants devotedly love her. Despite her lascivious nature, it can be attributed to the constraints of society, strictly forbidding Rebecca from fulfilling her desires. Lastly, she had committed no actual crime against her husband, who reacted with murder; Maxim has no objective justification for taking her life due to his jealousy and desire to own Rebecca, but a pretty object, in his eyes. Regardless of the truth of her character, Rebecca, in addition to the unnamed heroine, has suffered under a patriarchal society that strips them of their individuality, forcing upon one-sided marriages where the only hope of preserving one's individuality arises from duplicity and subversive power.

Rebecca presents itself as not only a suspenseful Gothic mystery but also comprises deep psychological undertones regarding power schemes and feminism through its unnamed narrator and the deceased Rebecca de Winter. Ultimately, given the constrictive power of men like Maxim over the lives of their wives, it is up to the reader to decide on Rebecca's virtue.