In Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, the anonymous main character and narrator describes her life and her journey up Maslow’s Hierarchy Pyramid. Rebecca begins with the narrator working with a wealthy American woman who mistreats her. During one of the narrator’s trips with the woman, the narrator meets a rich Englishman, Maxim de Winter, and marries him. Upon the narrator’s marriage, she was invited to live at Maxim-de-Winter’s mansion, yet, the narrator feels unwelcomed. Maxim-de-Winter’s previous wife, Rebecca, died in a shipwreck years ago. Before her death, everybody regarded Rebecca as the perfect person, and the narrator believes that Maxim-de-Winter’s heart still belongs to Rebecca. Worse yet, the maid verbally abuses the narrator and calls her unworthy of Rebecca. Eventually, Everyone discovered that Rebecca had hidden a dark secret and committed suicide to escape it. This prompts the narrator and Maxim-de-Winter to reunite.
Maslow’s Hierarchy Pyramid is a model for understanding the motivations for human behavior. The model divides human needs into five distinct categories, each with unique desires. The pyramid starts with the “Physiological” level and then proceeds to the “Safety,” “Belongingness and Love,” “Esteem,” and “Self-actualization” levels. The bottom level, or the “Physiological” level, includes all basic human necessities, such as food, shelter, water, sleep, and warmth. Moving up, the “Safety” level introduces a stable and safe source of income, good mental/physical health, and protection from violence. The “Belongingness and Love” stage brings more modern necessities, such as friends, affection, and acceptance by loved ones. “Esteem” includes feelings of self-worth, dignity, and independence. Finally, the “Self-actualization” phase involves fully being aware of themselves and appreciating life. In the novel Rebecca, the narrator attempts to climb up the pyramid, and she eventually succeeds.
The narrator begins from the rock bottom of Maslow’s Pyramid. Before meeting Maxim-de-Winter, the narrator was a travel companion for a wealthy American woman, Mrs. Van Hopper. Mrs. Van Hopper mistreated the narrator, but due to her needs at the bottom of the pyramid, she still works with her abuser for a meager pay of 90 pounds a year, enough to ensure her survival, yet at a low quality of life. Her climb up the pyramid continues when she meets Maxim-de-Winter, who was coincidentally at her hotel and is fond of her. The two marry, and Maxim-de-Winters expresses care for the narrator, although she is convinced that he still longs for Rebecca. The narrator receives a source of income from Maxim-de-Winter and is under the sheltering and protection of her lover. As the new hostess of Manderely, the narrator is fully expected to be treated like a family member. She longs for acceptance, admiration, love, companionship, respect, and support from everyone around, but they are unfortunately unfulfilled in the narrator’s eyes. Mrs. Danvers, a devoted housemaid of Rebecca, harasses the narrator and calls her unworthy. Mrs. Danvers’ hateful speech almost prompted the narrator to commit suicide. As a result, the narrator has successfully entered the “Safety” stage, yet still a long shot away from the level above.
Fortunately for the narrator, a discovery will soon reveal new information that will remove the roadblock from her climb up the pyramid. One day near where Rebecca allegedly sank, her boat and her body were discovered by people nearby, which leads fo Maxim-de-Winter to uncover that Rebecca was a malevolent woman who carried a child that was not his. He further explains how he wanted a divorce, but Rebecca refused, so he killed her. The narrator felt relieved as she finally discovered that she belonged in the household and was loved by Maxim-de-Winter. Unluckily, the narrator’s fiance is now guilty of murder. Upon the coroner's inspection of Rebecca’s corpse, Rebecca’s death has eventually ruled a suicide; Rebecca was diagnosed years ago with cancer. To escape her terminal illness, everybody’s “idol” decided to end herself by drowning. This discovery is crucial in bringing Maxim-de-Winters and the narrator back together and finally boosts the narrator up the level of “Esteem” Life is now seemingly perfect for the narrator, as now she feels welcomed and loved after finding the truth, being that Maxim didn’t, in fact, love Rebecca. The narrator is no longer haunted by Rebecca, as everyone stopped talking about the deceased and ill woman.
Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is a classic example of Maslow’s Hierarchy Pyramid and the actions of one to achieve a tier. Although inputs from the narrator are needed to complete the journey, a large portion of the climb originates from luck. The narrator could only know the truth after discovering Rebecca’s body and consequent actions to send her to a coroner. If no was done and Rebecca was never discovered, the narrator would still have lived in the same depressed and lonely state as before.
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