Self-Esteem In Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca

Through struggle, one can come out on the other side of adversity feeling stronger knowing that they have survived hardships. In Daphne du Maurier’s novel Rebecca, this concept is examined through an insecure, anonymous young woman who marries above her class to the enigmatic Maxim de Winter. Her marriage leads her to move into the grand Manderley estate, where she encounters constant reminders of her husband’s deceased first wife that force her to see herself as inferior. The narrator’s most obvious distinction is her low self-esteem, highlighted by a barrage of self-loathing thoughts and a consistent belief in her inadequacy. However, when the awkward, unconfident narrator is forced to overcome the obstacles that arrive with life at

For instance, after the narrator arrives at Manderley and is greeted by an intimidating crowd of servants, she drops her gloves in shock; when Mrs. Danvers picks them up for her, the narrator admits, “I guessed at once she considered me ill-bred. Something, in the expression of her face, gave me a feeling of unrest” (du Maurier 68). The narrator’s knee-jerk reaction to Mrs. Danvers’ presence is that the servant thinks her crude; this diverges from the typical dynamic between master or mistress and servant. As well, the only mistake she has made in Mrs. Danvers’s presence was dropping her gloves, which would not be as noteworthy if she were more self-assured. Additionally, after working up the courage to explore Rebecca’s old bedroom, the narrator relays, “I realized for the first time since I had come into [Rebecca’s] room that my legs were trembling, weak as straw….How white and thin my face looked in the glass, my hair hanging lank and straight. Did I always look like this?” (du Maurier 168-169). The quivering of the narrator’s legs indicates her fear of Rebecca; it highlights that Rebecca, though dead, is stronger than she is. The manner in which she surveys her appearance contrasts the striking way she envisions Rebecca, who she imagines has a face that is “small and oval, [with] clear white skin [and a] cloud of dark hair” (du Maurier 237). While the narrator’s hair is described as “lank” and plain, the use of the word “cloud” in the description of Rebecca’s appearance emulates an almost fantasy like image. The narrator believes herself less than her predecessor; not just in intelligence, but in appearance, vitality, and physical strength. Her habit of comparing herself to others shines through in this moment, underlining her interpretation of her adequacy. To further