In the mystery novel Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, the main character is the unnamed narrator. The main setting of the story is at the Manderley estate that the narrator’s husband, Maxim De Winter, owns. In the novel, the narrator, became Mrs. De Winter later in the story, marries Maxim De Winter after the death of his first wife, Rebecca. She then moves to Manderley, where she realizes that everyone there seems to still be deeply grieving over the death of Rebecca. The narrator shows many different characteristics. The narrator wants to please everyone, she lacks confidence, and she is curious.
One characteristic of the narrator is that she wants to please everyone. She wants everyone to like her as much as they liked Rebecca. She is under a great deal of stress to be a good as Rebecca once was. She feels as though everyone is comparing her to Rebecca, especially Mrs. Danvers. During a conversation between the narrator and Mrs. Danvers, Mrs. Danvers says, “You see,” she said, snapping the top, and walking down the stairs, “you are so very different from Rebecca.” (105). Throughout the novel, the narrator struggles to make a name for herself and her identity at Manderley, still overshadowed by the memory of Maxim’s first wife. Thus, making this one
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characteristic of the narrator. Another characteristic of the narrator is that she lacks confidence.
One of the major reasons she lacks confidence is due to her feeling unloved in her marriage to Maxim. She feels as though he is still in love with Rebecca so she tries to be more like her. Though towards the end of the novel, she finds out that Maxim killed Rebecca. The narrator does not even care that Maxim is a murderer because his action proved that he does not love her. The author wrote that she "sat there on the carpet, unmoved and detached thinking and caring for one thing only, repeating a phrase over and over again, 'He did not love Rebecca, he did not love Rebecca'" (284). Therefore, making this a reason why the narrator is
doubtful. The final characteristic about the narrator is that she is curious. In Chapter 16, before the Manderley costume ball, Maxim suggests that the narrator goes as Alice from Alice-in-Wonderland. Though when he says this, she thinks that he is joking. However, Maxim is comparing Manderley to Wonderland, saying that it is a magical place. This event causes the narrator to become curious. Eventually, Maxim decides to tell his new wife the truth. After she knows the truth, she changes forever. She is no longer the innocent girl that Maxim married. In the novel, he states, "It's gone for ever, that funny, young, lost look that I loved. It won't come back again. I killed that too, when I told you about Rebecca... It's gone, in twenty-four hours. You are so much older...." (299). By the end of the novel, Mrs. De Winter seems to have come of age, just as Alice has by the end of her adventures in Wonderland. Thus, making this a reason why the narrator is curious. All through Daphne Du Maurier’s novel Rebecca, the unnamed narrator shows many characteristics. Including that she wants to please everyone, she lacks confidence, and she is curious. The narrator’s character changes many times throughout the novel. She begins shy and worried and she ends by being more outgoing and welcome to her relationship with Maxim. She does this after she figures out that he no longer has feelings for Rebecca then overcomes her anxieties about living at Manderley.
Miss Hancock is a strange yet charming character, who is classified as both round and dynamic. Miss Hancock is flashy, bizarre, with “too much enthusiasm.” But she is more than simply that. After a discussion on “The Metaphor”, she asks Charlotte talk about her own metaphor on her mother. Here, a different side of her is shown. “She
...s, and why he writes them at all. Instead of judging him, she tries to understand and fix it her own way, and it affects how he sees his writing:
Mrs. Danvers bond with the late Mrs. De Winter is not just a typical servant/mistress relationship, nor even friendship; it is stronger and more passionate than mere companionship. In Chapter Fourteen when Mrs. Danvers finds the narrator looking in Rebecca’s room, she demonstrates adoration for everything that was Rebecca’s: “That was her bed.
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
...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.
“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (119). [1]Mockingbirds are the most innocent type of bird and cannot defend themselves. [3] Occasionally people tried to mess with Boo Radly, who was a mockingbird because he was in his house defenseless. [5] While Tom Robertson was being tried and in prison he was an undeniably mockingbird. [4] Hurting Jem, Bob Ewell was punishing an innocient kid, who was defenseless. [2] Despite being a man, Bob Ewell, who is showed to be a blue jay, blue jays are birds that no one likes. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.”(119)[6] Mockingbirds don’t hurt anyone. [1] Boo Radly and Tom Robertson are mockingbirds
There, up high on her throne, manipulating them as game pieces on a chessboard, their fate will be decided by her; their lives are used to advantage her purposes. Before the victim is trapped, they are charmed by the seemingly heartless fiend. Then, at that point without knowing, deluded into being her follower. In the novel Rebecca, the late Mrs. de Winter, or Rebecca, had shown some qualities that could classify her as a sociopath. Throughout the novel, there are small clues that whisper the truth; they are revealed to have been hints for Rebecca’s true nature. Rebecca shows essential characteristics that expose her sociopathic disposition, such as, being manipulative and lacking the ability to feel remorse.
"I've done nothing wrong - and you know it!" Mrs Birling exclaims, refusing to take responsibility for her actions, which is just one of the reasons why the audience may not see Mrs Birling as a very likable character. This essay is going to explore how J.B. Priestley creates such a disagreeable character and why the audience feels this way about her.
She makes her appearance in the beginning of the novel by making an impression as rank obsessed .Her attachment with the family brings up the question whether she is with them because of their rank or because she genuinely enjoys their company and her favoring Anne. Her first statement of her judgment being blind by knowing someone’s rank makes her an unreliable character to know her intentions.
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
...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.
knowing it. In this novel, it is evident that Vanessa does not portray an optimistic
Her criticism of the other characters and her loyalty towards them not only make her a good narrator, but also an excellent servant and a confidant to the characters. Even though she is a servant, her intelligence and knowledge of self-worth create equality between her and the other characters, giving her the ability to speak her mind. Nelly’s narration comes from being closely and privately involved in the lives of the characters in the story. She not only acts as a witness to the events in their lives, but also as somewhat of a judge and critic to their actions. Nelly is our guide through the story, and without her voice, we would never be aware of the strange and amazing events that occurred in Wuthering Heights.
In the book, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, there exist a big emphasis on social class and position during the time of this story. When we are introduced to the main character of the story, the narrator, we are right away exposed to a society in which different privileges are bestowed upon various groups. Social place, along with the ever present factor of power and money are evident throughout the story to show how lower to middle class groups were treated and mislead by people on a higher level in society. When we are introduced to the narrator, we are told that she is traveling with an old American woman; vulgar, gossipy, and wealthy, Mrs. Van Hopper travels across Europe, but her travels are lonely and require an employee that gives her warm company. This simple companion (the narrator) is shy and self-conscious, and comes from a lower-middle class background which sets up perfect for a rich man to sweep her off her feet. The narrator faced difficulties adapting to first, the Monte Carlo aristocratic environment, and second, to her new found position as Mrs. De Winter, the new found mistress of Manderley.
Primarily, Mansfield uses the foil characters Laura and Mrs. Sheridan to accentuate Laura’s beliefs in social equality while bringing out Mrs. Sheridan’s opposite actions. After the news of the death of their neighbor, Mr. Scott, Laura feels she “...can’t possible have a garden-party with a man dead just outside [her] front gate”(5) she feels sympathetic towards the family as she knows they will be able to hear their band as they are mourning. On the contrary, Mrs. Sheridan does quite the opposite when alerted of the news, and even more so when Laura tells Mrs. Sheridan of her plans to cancel the party. Mrs. Sheridan strongly believes that “People like that don't expect sacrifices from us.”(6) Mansfield shows the reader how these two characters are quite different from each other. Laura doesn’t want a garden party to be disrespectful of the Scotts, but Mrs. Sheridan believes quite the opposite as she is rude and doesn’t believe the Scotts are on the same level as the Sheridans, being quite lower...