Rebecca explores how characters maintain power over others through manipulation, intimidation and other psychological tools. The narrator’s weakness exposes her to those who are more powerful than her and characters like Mrs Danvers use her weakness to frighten, intimidate and manipulate her.
“I knew then that I was no longer afraid of Rebecca…She could not hurt me…Rebecca’s power had dissolved into the air, like the mist had done. She would never haunt me again” – Narrator, Chapter 21
Meaning and context
- This quote occurs when the full truth about Rebecca’s death and the events leading up to it have been fully revealed
- In this chapter, the narrator reflects on the aftermath of this revelation
Analysis
- This quote demonstrates the change in perspective of the narrator:
- The phrase “she could not hurt me” indicates a change in the power dynamics between the narrator and Rebecca
- The narrator, initially threatened by Rebecca, realises she no longer wields any power over her
- The imagery of Rebecca’s power dissolving “into the air, like mist” suggests an irreversible fading of power
- The phrase “she would never haunt me again” underscores the narrator’s liberation from Rebecca’s grip and her feelings of empowerment:
- This quote conveys the narrator’s transformation as a character
“I can’t forget what it has done to you… It’s gone forever, that funny, young, lost look that I loved. It won’t come back again. I killed that too when I told you about Rebecca…You are so much older…” – Maxim, Chapter 21
Meaning and context
- In this chapter, Maxim reveals the truth about the circumstances of Rebecca’s death
- He expresses his regret about telling the narrator the truth
Analysis
- In this quote, Maxim conveys a deep sense of regret and sorrow
- The phrase “it’s gone forever, that funny, young, lost look that I loved” suggests that the narrator’s innocence and youthfulness has been irrevocably altered:
- The revelation has robbed the narrator of her naivety, which Maxim had found endearing
- Further, the phrase “you are so much older now” implies a loss of innocence:
- While Maxim laments the loss of his wife’s innocence, he also recognises the growth that accompanies it
- This aligns to the Gothic as the corruption and loss of one's innocence is a common element of this genre
“She’s still mistress here, even if she is dead” – Mrs Danvers, Chapter 18
Meaning and context
- In this chapter, the narrator is exploring the west wing (Rebecca’s domain) and encounters Mrs Danvers
Analysis
- In this quote, Mrs Danvers’s devotion and loyalty to Rebecca is portrayed:
- The use of the present tense illustrates the pervasive influence of Rebecca’s memory
- Despite her death, Mrs Danvers considers her to be the true mistress of Manderley
- It serves to contrast Rebecca with the second Mrs de Winter
- It illustrates the power and dominance that Mrs Danvers has over the narrator
- It also links to how the past continues to shape the present
“The letter R was the last to go, it twisted in the flame, it curled outwards for a moment, becoming larger than ever. Then it crumpled too; the flame destroyed it” – Narrator, Chapter 6
Meaning and context
- In this chapter, the narrator looks at the poetry book Maxim had given to her, while Maxim speaks with Mrs Van Hopper
- The narrator tears out the inscription from Rebecca and throws it into the fire
Analysis
- The motif of fire recurs twice in the novel: in this chapter and again when Manderely is ablaze at the end of the novel:
- Fire symbolises a purification and this action foreshadows the end of the novel when Manderley is on fire
- The letter R is the last to burn and alludes to the enduring memory of Rebecca:
- Despite the narrator tearing apart the inscribed page from the book, the spirit of Rebecca persists