The Haunting Memories of Manderley: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me. There was a padlock and a chain upon the gate. I called in my dream to the lodge-keeper, and had no answer, and peering closer through the rusted spokes of the gate I saw that the lodge was uninhabited.”

-Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Opening Line

My Personal Ratings:

One of the most well-regarded opening lines that immediately caught the attention of many readers of this novel. This opening line is so powerful that it builds a dreamlike trance and resonates a tense atmosphere to the one who reads this spectacular novel. 

Rebecca is an all-time bestselling classic gothic novel written by Daphne du Maurier. This won multiple awards, including the National Book Award for Fiction (1938) and Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century (2000). Regarded as one of 100 most inspiring novels by BBC and adapted in an innumerable number of movies and stage play. 

The novel is about the capricious unnamed narrator (2nd Mrs. De Winter) recalling how she met and impulsively married a recently widower Maximilian de Winter, the famous estate owner Manderley. As the story progress, she discovers that his newlywed husband and the house are haunted by the memory of his previous wife, Rebecca.

Jealousy and Love

“I wish I was a woman of about thirty-six dressed in black satin with a string of pearls.” -Narrator

The ethereal beauty of Daphne du Maurier’s novel preys on the narrator’s insecurity and jealousy of the deceased wife of Mr. De Winter. It builds a looming tension and claustrophobic feeling to her surroundings. The narrator’s shyness, uncomfortable, and paranoia become more convincing as the story progresses, creating a more sympathetic character. That bad characteristic she has is so profound but not annoyingly obtrusive. The melancholy of being alone and the tiny amount of uneasiness to the people surrounding her create more anxiety to her, and her only cure is affection to the one she loves most, Maxim.

“Je Reviens (I will be back)”

“Rebecca has won” -Maximilian de Winter

The dead cannot hurt people, but the pieces of her do. Daphne du Maurier created an amazingly invisible antagonistic character through Rebecca. Rebecca shows that even in her death, she is still capable of destroying the lives of others. What is worse is that she still uses people to accomplish her sinister plan through Mrs. Danvers and Jack Favell as her pawn. Even though her background is blurry and underdeveloped, the author intends to add a cloud of mystery to the protagonist’s dreadful life. 

“Breeding, brains, and beauty” is what Rebecca encompasses, according to Maxim. She uses those qualities as an advantage. Though it is not clearly stated in the novel, it proves that she possesses an antisocial personality. She is unfaithful, manipulative, and deceitful. Also, it has been noticed that she has a sadistic personality based upon the story of Mrs. Danvers on the part she mercilessly whips the horse until it bled.    

Rebecca terrorizes the life of new Mrs. de Winter through Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper of Manderley. Mrs. Danvers’s scheme focuses on the narrator’s gaucherie and shyness. She tries to undermine and put pressure on the new Mrs. de Winter’s sanity but eventually fails. The boundary of her obsession with Rebecca is inexplicable, but her action proves that she can carry it to her grave. 

Inside the Beauty of Manderley

“If only there could be an invention that bottled up a memory, like a scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again”. – Narrator

Manderley is undoubtfully a sublime setting for a chilling novel. The beauty of Manderley is so serene and also disturbing. We can distinguish this clearly from the perspective of the view outside the room of the two Mrs. de Winters. From the window of Rebecca, we see the eternal tides of the sea and its noise. In the room of the new Mrs. de Winter, we see outside the beauty of nature. The author also presents the two paths, the Happy Valley, which indicates color, freedom, and happiness, and the other leads to another cove that presents resentment, sorrow, and death.     

The Timeless Classic Gothic Novel

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier novel is no doubt a masterpiece for her elegant and humble writing. She even managed to blend the atmospheric suspense and romance with grandiose by entailing the majestic settings (Monte Carlo and Manderley) of her novel. She creates a haunting feel to the reader without an appearance of the supernatural. She managed to haunt her characters through their sanity. Her writing is poetic and flowerful, sentimental and sorrowful, tragic and romantic. To people who want to start to read a psychological thriller, I prefer this novel to you.  

“The road to Manderley lay ahead. There was no moon. The sky above our heads was inky black. But the sky on the horizon was not dark at all. It was shot with crimson, like a splash of blood. And the ashes blew towards us with the salt wind from the sea.”