In Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca, the unnamed main character, who we call Lady, is constantly overshadowed by those around her. For nearly the entire story, one person or other always casts a shadow over Lady, in being more important or accomplished. At first, it is Mrs. Van Hopper, the woman who pays Lady to travel with her across Europe. Van Hopper is overbearing and a bit self-obsessed, leaving Lady to exist in the background, never her own person. Later, she meets Maxim, a man who is very interested in her. Then, she finally starts to step out and be her own person. Unfortunately, this leads to her stepping into another, more imposing shadow: Rebecca's. The late wife of Maxim is much older and experienced than Lady is, and the hole she leaves with her death is unfillable. Especially to Lady and a servant, Mrs. Danvers. Both are completely aware that Lady can never fill Bebecca's shoes. Even just admitting it to herself makes Lady feel as if "(she) had taken a purge and rid (herself) of an intolerable pain" (123). One of the largest themes developing in Rebecca is trying to escape the shadow of someone else and being your own person.
Very true! Lady's role in this story so far can be summed up by the last sentence. This is a daily struggle for her, trying to keep her toes in line and appear as if she knows what she's doing... she lives in Rebecca's shadow, that much is certain, and wether or not she ever becomes her own person is still unclear.
ReplyDeleteOur narrator does indeed feel as though she's living in the shadows of Rebecca. This kind of mindset causes a lot of anxiety and trouble for her but I don't believe that they don't think she can fill Rebecca's shoes. It's obvious that there is something about Rebecca that we don't neccesarily know, and I believe that they may just have trust issues with our narrator. It's much easier to idolize and pretend someone is perfect when you dont actually know them or they're not alive.
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