The nameless Protagonist of Rebecca has an employer that is both boorish and impertinent, she is known as Mrs. Van Hopper, a woman who employs the Protagonist, only cares about her own well being. While accompanying her employer, the Protagonist despises Mrs.Van Hopper and her disrespectful personality. Even though the young Protagonist was employed as a companion, Mrs.Van Hopper treats her more like a minion, which is defined as a follower or underling of a powerful person, especially a servile or unimportant one. In the beginning of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca, Mrs Van Hopper is more of an enemy than an employer to the young Protagonist. Not only is Mrs Van Hopper selfish and rude, she also treats her companion like a minion. Mrs. Van …show more content…
Van Hopper more so treats the Protagonist like a minion rather than a servant. Mrs. Van Hopper did hire the Protagonist to be companion on all of her trips, but she really just is like a minion. The Protagonist has to follow Mrs.Van Hopper everywhere and do things for her that Mrs.Van Hopper could easily do herself. A quote that represents this situation “Perhaps you could make yourself useful to Mr.De Winter.” (18) In this quote Mrs. Van Hopper is just handing over the Protagonist to Mr.De Winter like she is nothing to her. Mrs Van Hopper didn’t care if the Protagonist wanted to help Mr. De Winter; she just offered her up like she was a book. Another example that represents this situation is when the Protagonist is looking back on what Mrs.Van Hopper has done to her before, “Sometimes she would employ me as bait to draw in her prey” (12). In this metaphor Mrs.Van Hopper is being referred to as a fisherman and the Protagonist is the worm on the end of the fishing rod. The Protagonist doesn’t like that Mrs.Van Hopper sends her off to just pull in attractive aged men. This is a situation where Mrs.Van Hopper sends the Protagonist on random missions that she could easily do herself. Therefore Mrs.Van Hopper never sees the Protagonist as anything but a