Analysis on Two Female Figures in Rebecca

李婧雯

【Abstract】Rebecca is written by British writer， Daphne du Maurier， in 1938. It is a Gothic novel in the post-Victorian era. In this novel， women characters play a determining role in the development of plot. Based on the analysis of Victorian women， this thesis will analyze two post-Victorian female characters in Rebecca， namely， Rebecca and the second Mrs. De Winter. The author argues that post-Victorian women were still prejudiced and fettered by the Victorian patriarchal values.

【Key words】Rebecca； Victorian wife； patriarchal values

1. Victorian Women

Daphne du Maurier published Rebecca in 1938. At that time， the Great Britain was in the post-Victorian era. However， two heroines in this book still must abide by Victorian patriarchal values. Prejudices are in two aspects： job options and marriage life. Women were left few jobs to choose from. Governess was often a sensible choice but considered as a servant who sold her knowledge. To secure a comfortable life， women had to seek a rich husband. Their marriage lives were miserable. They were required to stay at home and do housework. Their husbands had the right to force them to do everything. So， it is evident that womens talents were hindered， and their happiness depended on men.

2. Rebecca

In Rebecca， Rebecca uses her feminine traits to ensnare men， bringing disasters to them. This part will analyze Rebeccas promiscuous life and disasters she gives to others. On the basis of analysis， I argue that Rebecca is actually killed by Victorian patriarchal values.

Firstly， Rebeccas promiscuous life violates the rule that Victorian women must be chase， so it arouses her husbands hatred. Rebecca often throws lavish parties on which she uses her charm to flirt with men. Her sexual appetite is so strong that Jack Favell， Mr. Giles and Frank all become her lovers. In her spare time， she stays in London to have trysts with her lovers. Her husband is so angry at her licentious lifestyle that he threatens to bring her into justice. But she claims that every servant will stand by her side. Finally， her husband kills Rebecca after hearing that she is pregnant with Favells child whom she will bring up as the heir to their mansion. Rebeccas death is caused by her violation of patriarchal rule that Victorian wife must be loyal. Secondly， Victorian wife should obey her husbands instructions， but Rebecca is so presumptuous that she always brings disasters to others， so she is expelled from her family. Beatrice and her husband are breaking up because of Rebeccas flirtation with the latter. The poor insane Ben becomes lunatic after she threatens him with the asylum if he tells anyone her immoral affairs. However， the victim who suffers most is Mr. De Winter. He always worry that her wifes misdeeds will be exposed. Manderley is changed into a lurid showplace and may be passed down to Rebeccas illegitimate child.endprint

After analyzing Rebeccas promiscuous life and disasters she gives to others， it is clear that women， if violate Victorian womens virtues， will be deserted by patriarchal society.

3. The second Mrs. De Winter

Pure， selfless and angel-like， the second Mrs. De Winter is an ideal Victorian wife. This part will analyze how the heroine is symbolic of the Victorian wife. There are two phases in her life to be discussed： one is the period when she is employed as the maid of Mrs. Van Hopper before marriage while the other is the period after she becomes the wife of Mr. De Winter.

Firstly， as the maid to Mrs. Van Hopper， Mrs. De Winter is pure， unsophisticated. She is an orphan and has not received any education， so she is innocent that she follows Mrs. Van Hoppers instructions. Different from Mrs. Van Hopper who seizes every opportunity to arrange encounters with Mr. De Winter， Mrs. De Winter does not show off her youth to attract his attention. She is also docile. She follows every instruction and is loyal although being scolded. Secondly， after marriage， the heroine always offers support to her husband. To manage Manderley well， she asks servants for instructions and learns how to arranges things. After knowing her husbands miserable marriage life， she spends more time with him and patiently listens to his grievances. When her husband is suspected of murdering his wife， she staunchly supports him. Following her advice， Mr. De Winter is out of suspicion and lives happily with the heroine.

In two above-mentioned periods， the heroine is willing to offer comfort to other people. It is clear that only being pure and considerate as the model of a Victorian wife can woman win mens heart.

References：

[1]Maurier，Daphne Du.Rebecca.Nanjing：Yinlin Press，2013.

[2]曹曉东.《蝴蝶梦》里女性形象评析[J].社科纵横.2005（1）： 186-187.

[3]陈蔚.从女性哥特主义传统解读《蝴蝶梦》[J].疯狂英语（教师版）.2008（5）：142-145.endprint