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Similarities Between Rebecca And Atonement

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Assess how Daphne du Maurier and Ian McEwan explore the themes of social class in relationships within Rebecca and Atonement.

Relationships and social status tie in together as the main source of conflict in Atonement and Rebecca. Both authors exasperate the challenges and contrasts of relationships and the economic responsibility that comes with the social class in England in the 1930s.

Both authors display the significance of status within relationships through the social constructs of Mr. and Mrs. De Winter and Cecilia Tallis and Robbie Turner. The novels explore the immense pressures to uphold a social status and how during the 1930s, an individual’s social class characterizes and defines their reality. Throughout atonement, the readers …show more content…

This drastic contrast between both women, ultimately causes an inferiority complex as she feels she is unable to live up to the aristocratic values, “I was not even on visiting terms with half the people who had come to the house”. The shock and inability to even comprehend why the social class of someone has such a huge effect on her likability as a character is shown by the “not even”. implying she’s just a lower-class toy that is “not even” capable of respect. She’s insecure and questioning her compatibility with Maxim, comparing herself to Rebecca as she refers to herself as shabby, used to describe someone who is in poor condition through lack of care. Both novels explore how social status can cause ramifications and tension in relationships. And how altercations between different classes, inevitably cause a power dynamic and one is perceived as the superior one, which can ultimately destroy …show more content…

Although the novel emphasizes the natural struggles of your background, much like atonement, the novel also represents the possibility of social mobility. Rebecca began in a lower class yet was still able to charm her way into the upper class due to her beauty and witty personality. Rebecca’s ability to move up the social hierarchy due to her looks also highlights the importance of beauty and looks like the narrator in Atonement was “not beautiful but was certainly very lovely and knew how to dress”. This indicates that her appearance was not enough to gain acceptance from Maxim's social group, and how appearances and dressing well were a crucial part of fitting in. and social class has vital role in someone’s appearance. Her class inevitably haunted her as a shadow that she could not avoid and could not

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