There is also a sense of relief and thankfulness that the past has been laid to rest. We come to this conclusion as the heroine says, “The house was a sepulchre, our fear and suffering lay buried in the ruins”. The use of the word sepulchre shows us that there was no more fear, whatever had happened at Manderley, the fear was over, buried. We understand by the text that sepulchre means, empty shell, not alive and can not cause harm or any more suffering.
Maxim and Rebecca were known as the prefect couple. Both beautiful, dignified and complimenting each other. But this was all a façade, in real terms Maxim and Rebecca hated each other and their marriage was a complete farce.
A great deal of mystery surrounds the heroine. The heroine of the story married Maxim; they met while they were both travelling. The heroine was a companion of Mrs Van Hopper a quite mad, upfront American woman who employed the heroine as a travelling companion. The heroine was much younger and from a different class than Maxim, and she struggled to live up to the memory of his former wife Rebecca. We never learn the heroine’s real name at all. Mrs Van Hopper introduces the heroine to Mr De Winters; she implies that he would not be interested in the heroine. We recognize this by the quote; “...waved a vague hand in my direction and mumbled my name...” Not knowing the heroine’s name symbolises her search for identity throughout the novel. The heroine is desperately trying to prove she is worthy of her new title Mrs De Winters but finds it hard with everyone, especially Mrs Danvers’s the sinister housekeeper of Manderley and former devoted personal maid to Rebecca.
As the novel progresses, we learn the truth about Rebecca’s death. Maxim confesses to his new wife, who has found it hard to communicate with Maxim about his past, that he murdered Rebecca. Maxim had kept this part of his life a secret which added to the mystery of the story. When Maxim found out about his former wife Rebecca’s relationship with her cousin Jack, this revealed to us Rebecca’s true character. Jack was an alcoholic and not a very nice person. The public’s view of Rebecca was one of perfection and if they knew of this hidden relationship their outlook of Rebecca would have been different. On the night of Rebecca’s death, Maxim found her at her cabin which was located on the grounds of Manderley. She was intoxicated and told Maxim that she was carrying Jack’s child. This angered Maxim, as he knew the child would be brought up as his own and gains his estate in the event of his death. Through sheer rage, Maxim shot Rebecca and then staged her death as one of drowning caused by problems with her boat. This part of the story takes us to a new way of thinking about the characters. We, at the beginning had a sense of remorse for Maxim as he had lost his wife. But now knowing he had committed this crime we still do not class him as guilty as the murder of his wife was in some way justified through her own behaviour. Rebecca on the other hand, our feelings have changed from feeling sorry that her life was cut short to feelings that she got what she deserved. The events surrounding her murder are a mystery in itself, as we learn the truth of how Rebecca died, but a greater twist follows.
As the truth surrounding Rebecca’s death comes to light, Jack Favell is suspicious of his cousin and former lover’s death and openly blames Maxim. It is then we find out, through the courts intervention that Rebecca had cancer and was attending a doctor in London. Her cancer was terminal and she had planned to enrage Maxim, knowing he would kill her. This now leads us to a sense of sadness for Rebecca in a way, as even though her behaviour was terrible and she had no respect for Maxim, it shows us that she knew her end was near and this was her escape route from life.
The last scenes of the novel are of Manderley alight with flames. The mystery surrounding Maxim’s past and Rebecca’s death are finally laid to rest. A new beginning has begun for Mr and Mrs De Winters.
