Rebecca Suspense Quotes

Daphne Du Maurier tells the story of Rebecca, a murdered ex-wife whose true colors led to her demise. Du Maurier highlights the suspense and twisted sides of Rebecca's many faces. In the book, Rebecca is the antagonist who haunts everyone's life, even after her death. During her time alive, she had multiple affairs, manipulated, cheated, and abused her influence. In this thrilling suspense, the reader can unravel the truth through various examples of Rebecca's harsh, cruel, and evil truth, making it evident to the reader that Rebecca was not only cruel but had much influence over those around her, including her husband, Manderly, and regular civilians. Throughout the book, Rebecca makes it clear that she is a force to be reckoned with and a

The most evident example of her harshness and cruelty is her effect on people. From the very beginning of the novel, the moment Mrs. De Winter arrives at Mandelry, she is suffocated by Rebecca and her presence; wherever she went, she was reminded of Rebecca. The reader can see this when Mrs. De Winter says, "This was a woman's room, graceful, fragile, the room of someone who had chosen every particle of furniture with great care…" (Du Maurier 84). Later in the chapter, the narrator also says, "The room was filled with them…They were the only flowers in the room…" (Du Maurier 85). The reader can see the impactful rhododendrons symbolize the effect of Rebecca. Mrs. De Winter felt like the shadow of the dead wife. For example, Mrs. De Winter felt as if her influence could not match up to Rebeccas. "The servants obeyed her

Throughout the novel, the audience can see the emotional scarring Rebecca has caused on an innocent man named Ben, a worker in Manderly who had apparent mental issues. Rebecca used his vulnerability as a tool to bully him. There are various examples of her quality throughout the book, including when she threatened to send him to a mental asylum. It is clear to the reader that Ben has witnessed Rebecca's various affairs, and as a result, Rebecca would threaten him by saying she would send him to the mental asylum. This can be seen when Mrs. De Winter spoke to Ben, and he asked, "You're kind, not like the other one, you won't put me in the asylum, will you? (Du Maurier 276) Rebecca gained pleasure from exploiting those beneath her, both socially and mentally, as evidenced by her treatment of Ben. Another time this cruelty is extremely evident is when Maxim is being investigated for his murder. When Colonel Julyan brought in Ben to ask him a few questions, Ben was so mortified by Rebecca that he would not say a word out of fear of being sent to an asylum. This shows how cruel Rebecca