Rebecca is a mystery novel published in 1938 by Daphne Du Maurier that tells the story of a nameless young protagonist and her marriage with an aristocrat named Maxim that is overshadowed by his previous wife, the mysterious yet powerful and influential Rebecca. A suspenseful, captivating story, Rebecca makes for good reading for those who appreciate mystery.
Rebecca begins with a flashback: the nameless young protagonist (I’ll be calling her “Nichola” for the sake of convenience) goes back to her previous home, Manderley, a large mansion located in the woods which has mysteriously burned down (the exact cause is not given). Nichola says that she will never forget her experiences in Manderley. Her story begins with her as a servant/companion that belongs to Mrs. Van Hopper, a wealthy old woman from America. Although Nichola’s living standards are met, she’s still dissatisfied, as she finds Mrs. Van Hopper’s activities (ex. talking with other people) to be boring. It is revealed in conversation that Nichola’s parents had died when she was young, her father from disease and her mother from heartbreak. She accidentally meets her future husband while staying at a hotel, Maxim, who seems to be grieving over the death of his previous wife. They become relatively close (though Maxim talks to her condescendingly as if she’s a child) and get married in only a few weeks. Mrs. Van Hopper lets her go, but is concerned nonetheless, as Maxim is significantly older than her, not to mention he still seemed to be stuck in the past when it came to his former wife. After traveling abroad for a few weeks for their honeymoon (for some context, remember that this was published when WWII was just about to begin: the war in the Pacific had already begun - while Nichola was worried and insecure about her marriage, millions of people were going to die in bloodshed due to the maliciousness of other humans), they go to Maxim’s house, the mansion Manderley that is situated deep in the forest. Deeply beautiful, it is also near the shore: a valley allows the inhabitants of the house to go down to the beach. Nichola meets the servants of Manderley, most of whom treat her well and seem dependable, save for the cryptically named Mrs. Danvers (whose name rhymes with “cadaver”), a morose, thin, gaunt servant who is fiercely loyal to Rebecca despite her death. Furthermore, there was a friendly dog named Jasper: Nichola would play with it and walk it around the area to provide it with exercise. As stated before, the atmosphere around her is one of seriousness and confusion, as she speaks little to anyone. Anyhow, when Nichola becomes the mistress of Manderley, she learns that Rebecca drowned in the coast of Manderley, hence Maxim’s grief. She also has trouble asserting her authority, as she feels insecure compared to Rebecca: while Rebecca, she perceived, was eloquent, had great handwriting, was beautiful, skilled, organized, and talented, she had comparatively few strengths. This inferiority complex of hers can be excellently seen in how she was largely unable to enact any major changes when it came to Manderley: for instance, she doesn’t have the inner fortitude to plan any parties (Rebecca was famous for doing this specific task) or to ask the servants to prepare for her the food she wants at a schedule that she so desires. Things continue like this for quite some time, and Nichola meets Beatrice, Maxim’s sister, who didn't like Rebecca: she said that she came to Manderley due to Rebecca being gone (quite some foreshadowing here). Nichola also meets Frank Crawley, who is basically the caretaker of Manderley and a servant who has jurisdiction over many of the others.
As time passes, Nichola’s inferiority complex increases: she is continuously intimidated by Mrs. Danvers, and interprets all of Maxim’s actions as gestures of affection towards his dead wife. For instance, on one occasion Nichola accidentally knocked down and broke a statue of a Cupid that was deeply treasured by Rebecca. Afraid that she’ll be yelled at, instead of coming clean, she puts it back on the shelf and leaves the immediate area to not appear suspicious. Mrs. Danvers, finding it, believed that a servant broke it, and yelled at one of them (Frith) until he began crying. Maxim talks to Mrs. Danvers, and Nichola, guilty, confesses to be the one responsible for breaking the Cupid. Maxim laughs, saying that what she did wasn’t a big deal, and that she shouldn’t hide the occurrence of such events in the future. Maxim proceeds to talk about the Cupid for a while, and Nichola interprets this as him fondly recollecting the memory of Rebecca. A while later, while Maxim is away, Rebecca’s cousin, Jack Favell, is seen on Manderley talking with Mrs. Danvers. When he was spotted by Nichola, he put on a friendly appearance and talked to her, and drove her around the area in an attempt to portray himself as a decent individual. He leaves hastily (before Maxim returns), and Nichola finds the occurrence strange. In another instance, she went into Rebecca’s rooms, only to be scared by the sudden appearance of Mrs. Danvers: Mrs. Danvers had kept all of Rebecca’s rooms in pristine condition, just as they were when Rebecca was alive, as if the rooms were waiting to be inhabited by Rebecca once more. Mrs. Danvers shows Nichola Rebecca’s belongings, causing her to flee to protect her ego (Nichola, as you may have realized by now, isn’t a particularly strong individual with any virtues). A while later, a costume ball takes place (said ball occurs annually). Nichola, believing it was an opportunity to prove herself to Maxim and to show that she was an adult, plays a large part in organizing the festivities. She is approached by Mrs. Danvers, who gives her a beautiful dress to wear. Nichola, unsuspecting of anything wrong, and believing that Mrs. Danvers was trying to ingratiate herself, puts it on the night of the ball. Shortly before the ball was to begin, she descends the stairs with her dress in an attempt to pleasantly surprise Maxim, Beatrice, and Crawley: instead, they are horrified, for the dress she was wearing, unbeknownst to her, was the one that Rebecca wore in a previous ball. Maxim, the one who is the most shocked, is infuriated: he believes that Nichola wore the dress to prank him. Furiously yelling at her to change her clothes, Nichola weeps and runs into her room. On the way there, she saw Mrs. Danvers, who appeared to be happy: her scheme had succeeded (Mrs. Danvers can, of course, be viewed as a symbolic character, seeing how she represents Rebecca and her remembrance - she wants to scare away Nichola because she doesn’t want her to replace Rebecca as the mistress of Manderley and wife of Maxim). Nichola, devastated, stays in the room for a while before the guests come: when that happens, she dons some new clothing and talks to them. Though she does a good job making conversation with the guests, she’s still embarrassed and fearful, as she believes that Maxim will never love her for doing what she did, even if it was unintentional.
The following morning, Nichola, depressed, looks out the window. Mrs. Danvers appears behind her, and tells her that no one wants her in Manderley, and that she should kill herself. Nichola, in a trance-like state, almost obeys, as she seriously contemplates it: the only thing that saves her were loud explosions coming from the shore. Coming to, she leaves the house to learn that a ship had run aground in the cove: it was stuck. Fortunately, while the ship was largely immobile and a goner, the crew were able to evacuate mostly unharmed. When a diver was sent to investigate the ship (which had sunk), they found another boat alongside it that appeared to have been at the bottom for a longer time. When the diver entered the recesses of the boat, they found a skeleton. Nichola, shocked, doesn’t know what to make out of it, but she knows that Maxim is devastated: she interprets his devastation as sorrow (she was told beforehand that when Rebecca drowned, her body washed ashore miles away, utterly mangled and recognizable - she believes that Maxim was shocked that the true Rebecca was not in the mausoleum, but was underwater the entire time). However, her notion is shown to be inaccurate, as Maxim reveals to her what he had hidden from her since they had met: he had murdered Rebecca, as she was an evil person. That is, she was fantastic at flattery and was great at putting on a false face that appeared beautiful and appealing. After he unsuspectingly married her, she quickly revealed her true nature: she told him that she was quite dissolute, and had many lovers. She threatened that if he revealed her secret, she would make sure his reputation - and Manderley’s - would sink into oblivion. She then gave him an offer: she would make Manderley famous with her skills, and in exchange, she would be allowed to do as she pleased. Maxim conceded, approving her offer. For their entire marriage, all their affection was feigned - it was all fake, as Maxim couldn’t accept that his wife was a terrible person (she didn't care about any of her lovers, as she viewed them as playthings, and she was also a sadist - Mrs. Danvers fondly recounted once how she had once abused a horse until it bled furiously) while Rebecca viewed Maxim with contempt. After some time, Rebecca showed up at Maxim’s house, telling her that she was pregnant with Jack Favell’s (he was both her cousin and her lover) child. She tells him that his child will inherit Manderley, and that no one will suspect a thing, as Maxim has no choice, unless he wants his reputation to be completely soiled. Maxim, enraged, took out a gun and shot her at blank-range: as she was shot, she grinned in a ghastly way before expiring and perishing of her wounds. Maxim, deciding to dispose of the evidence, took her body via boat off the coast of Manderley, and sunk it with the boat by drilling holes through the floor of said boat, allowing water to flood in. After going back to shore, Maxim feigned despair at the disappearance of his wife, and had largely gotten away with the crime (as stated before, most people viewed him with no suspicion, as people largely believed that he was enjoying a very happy marriage). Tormented incessantly by guilt and by the presence of Mrs. Danvers, Maxim traveled abroad, where he met Nichola. After telling Nichola of his history, Nichola showed her pettiness, selfishness, and lust: instead of shock, she felt relief, as she remarked that she had Maxim all to herself, seeing that he never loved Rebecca (personally, I feel great disgust for the protagonist due to this kind of behavior). She went so far as to say that she wasn’t a child to Maxim anymore, and that she would do anything to be rid of Rebecca so that she can be with Maxim (what kind of a person is she? Answer: probably a narcissist).
More divers are sent to investigate, and they confirm the existence of the corpse. Even worse, they found that the ship had been intentionally tampered with to cause it to sink, causing Maxim to be viewed with suspicion (the local newspapers had reported on the discovery of the body with great enthusiasm). Favell, learning of the news, quickly reached Manderley, and threatened Maxim: he said that he had proof that Rebecca didn't kill herself, and that Maxim was the murderer. However (like Rebecca), he made him an offer: if he gives him some money (two-three thousand dollars a year, which he can use to gamble and drink, the two activities which were his favorite pastimes), he would be willing to leave him alone. Maxim refuses to take the bargain, and calls Colonel Julyan, a judge, to come to the house and analyze and explore whatever evidence is available. Once Colonel Julyan arrives, Favell denounces Maxim as the murderer of Rebecca, and tells him that he and Rebecca were in love, and that she would never kill herself, as she supposedly wanted to leave Maxim for him. When Colonel Julyan asks for proof, Favell calls for Mrs. Danvers. Mrs. Danvers tells those present that while it was true that Rebecca had a relationship with Favell, she had never truly loved him: she never loved anyone save herself, and viewed Favell like a puppet to be manipulated like all her other lovers. Favell, shocked, continues his allegations, taking out a letter that he had received from Rebecca: it told Favell that she was waiting at the cottage near the bay (the house she was murdered in and which she used for her sexual affairs) for him, and that she had something urgent to tell him. Mrs. Danvers was asked by Colonel Julyan whether she thinks Rebecca would kill herself, she responds by saying that Rebecca feared nothing save disease and becoming old: she remarked that if she was going to die, she wanted to go out quickly and spectacularly, not slowly and painfully. This is quite incriminating evidence, and Colonel Julyan investigates by checking Rebecca’s schedule (as stated before, she was very organized) and found that she had gone to a doctor for her routine check-up the day she had disappeared. Maxim, Colonel Julyan, Nichola, and Favell leave for the doctor, and when they reach the doctor’s office (the schedule/diary had the address) the doctor, Dr. Baker, revealed that Rebecca had used a fake name when she visited him (she called herself “Mrs. Danvers”). Furthermore, he reveals that she was terminally ill: she had late-stage cancer that was going to kill her painfully relatively soon (in a few months, after rendering her bedridden). It’s also worthy to mention that aside from suffering from deadly cancer, she also was infertile: she had lied to Maxim about her pregnancy. That is, she lied in order to get him to shoot her: even in death, she wanted to cause misery and torment to others. Once it was discovered that she was terminally ill, Colonel Julyan was satisfied with the case, seeing how Rebecca had a valid reason to commit suicide. Favell, astounded at the result of the case, skulks away. Maxim and Nichola go back to Manderley: before arriving there, he learns through telephone that Mrs. Danvers had vanished without a trace. When they come upon Manderley, they find it aflame (Mrs. Danvers probably set it on fire, seeing how she didn't want Rebecca to be replaced by anyone). Also, Jasper the dog perished in the fire, perhaps representing the death of innocence.
Personal thoughts:
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is a great mystery novel that is filled with excitement and surprising implications. The plot points are quite original, and I love that she included multiple instances of foreshadowing before Rebecca was revealed for who she truly was. One of the main things that stuck out of this book for me was the pettiness and weakness of the narrator: she has no identity save of pleasing (and sleeping with, as implicated heavily by the text) Maxim, and the fact that she felt happy after learning of Rebecca’s murder and Maxim’s guilt shows that she is not a character to be respected. I also found it ironic that while she was worrying about minor problems like being loved by Maxim, countless people were facing terrible situations around the world (if the events of the book occur around 1938, the publication date), as WWII would come to claim the lives of tens of millions of people and cause tens of millions of others to lose their homes, wealth, families, and health. In the end, while I certainly enjoyed Rebecca, I found it hard to read for the most part because a large amount of the text focused on the inferiority complex of the narrator (the story, as expected, is told from first-person), which bothered me to a great extent. Nevertheless, I recommend Rebecca to those interested in mystery, suspenseful plots, realistic (due to their flaws) characters, and powerful scenery and imagery.
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