Rebecca manages to keep a continuing presence throughout the book, even though she is never physically there. it is arguable that the fact that Rebecca is dead is what makes her presence so powerful and disturbing at the same time. It makes it very hard for the heroine to compete with Rebecca since she is dead and only exists in her husband’s memory. Other characters constantly compare the narrator to Rebecca, which influences the narrator to do the same. For the majority of the novel, the narrator gives the impression of being very innocent, timid, simple, and insecure. Rebecca, on the other hand, is described by the other characters as being overwhelmingly beautiful, elegant, and clever. The narrator herself prefers Rebecca's glamour and …show more content…
The housekeeper
Mrs. Danvers plays a very important role in Rebecca’s reputation. Whereas there were some characters in the book that liked Rebecca, or at least pretended to, Mrs. Danvers “adored” her, as Beatrice had said earlier on in the book. Mrs Danvers is responsible for keeping Rebecca ‘alive’. She is the one who persuades the narrator to replicate the costume of a portrait in the gallery for a fancy dress ball. The costume looks exactly like the kind of thing that Rebecca would wear, so it reminds everyone of Rebecca, and it even make Beatrice think that Rebecca has come back to life.
It is clear that Rebecca’s status at Manderley was very important and she like to have things her way. Whereas the narrator felt out of place and uncomfortable when left at home without Maxim, Rebecca would have easily accepted the role as the head of the house. At the time that the book was set in, it was uncommon foe a woman to be considered important in running the household, yet Rebecca seemed to have taken on that role, sometimes without even asking