Rebecca Ptsd

Rebecca is a romantic gothic novel that seems to be about 2 unlikely lovers molding their love in the city of London, but twists into a mysterious murder story. Although each character seems innocent in the beginning, it is revealed that each has a backstory that leads to the horror exhibited in the novel. Each of the main characters is struggling with psychological issues, which motivates the events in the book.

Maxim struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his marriage with Rebecca. When reminded of Rebecca or the events of his death, he exhibits classic signs of PTSD. When taking a walk to the beach where Rebecca’s death took place, Maxim begins to feel anxiety and frantically speedwalks away from the area. What he

When describing her murder, Maxim describes how she laughed as she died-- as if she knew that her murder would not be the end of her torment of Maxim. He says, “‘It was her last practical joke’ said Maxim, ‘the best of them all. And I’m not sure if she hasn’t won, even now’ ” (380 ; ch27. ). Maurier put “even now” at the end of Maxim’s dialogue in order to emphasize the fact that Rebecca’s control over Maxim lasts far past her physical death.This is important because it gives insight into Rebecca’s character. It shows that what was most important to her was her getting the last word. She exhibits almost all of the criteria required by the DSM-5 for a diagnosis, but this quote especially a fixation with the fantasy of control. This is clear because she did everything she could to keep control over Maxim, even after death. When she was laughing as she was shot, she knew she was going to die, but she made sure to die in that way so she could still possess Maxim’s mind while she was gone. If she had died in a normal fashion from her disease, Maxim may have moved on ordinarily and lived his life without guilt. However, he now lives under constant suspicion and fear, also dealing with PTSD and a stained conscience. As this shows, Rebecca’s narcissistic personality disorder affected the story by creating the trauma that haunted Maxim through the