Chapter 10 -- In which a visit to the beach makes it abundantly clear that Maxim de Winter was in no way ready to marry again.
Re: The raincoat. I doubt that Maxim would have even attempted to boss Rebecca the way he bosses Mrs.deW2. (Of course, if he had made the attempt, she probably would have laughed at him. And he would have loved her for it.)
Was he actually angry with Beatrice for something she said, or was he just angry in general because her visit reminded him of The Past?
The items Mrs.deW2 omitted when she told Maxim what she and Beatrice talked about: Mrs. Danvers, Maxim's personality and temper, that coming to Manderley would be a strain on Mrs.deW2, Mrs.deW2's appearance.
His look of astonishment after she asks his opinion of her hair made me wonder if he'd ever even noticed her hair.
If Ben the Idiot Fisherman isn't a Classic Gothic Character, I don't know what is.
This was good:
There was another door at the end of the room, and I went to it, and opened it, a little fearful now, a little afraid, for I had the odd, uneasy feeling that I might come across something unawares, that I had no wish to see. Something that might harm me, that might be horrible.
All of the pauses in that first sentence worked for me, made it a billion times creepier. I kept waiting for Maxim to storm in the other door and start yelling at her for trespassing. The situation gave off a real Bluebeard vibe.
The power walk back: It was nice to see Mrs.deW2 stick up for herself, for once -- shades of an actual personality (I continue to suspect that she has more strength than she's been letting on) -- even though she backed down pretty quickly.
I still don't loathe Maxim the way that some do. He's totally self-absorbed, at least a little bit crazy, and he certainly (as I said above) shouldn't have remarried, but it's not like he presented a different face to Mrs.deW2 during their courtship period. Heck, on the first drive he took her on, he acted like he might throw himself off a cliff! She didn't have to marry him. I found this interesting:
"Yes," I said. "I've made you unhappy. It's the same as making you angry. You're all wounded and hurt and torn inside. I can't bear to see you like this. I love you so much."
"Do you?" he said. "Do you?" He held me very tight, and his eyes questioned me, dark and uncertain, the eyes of a child in pain, a child in fear.
Okay, her crazy logic aside, this made me think that he's desperate to be loved (and/or worshipped) and made me wonder if he had doubts about Rebecca's feeling for him. Or something. But I might be being overly suspicious again, and/or employing my own crazy logic.
Chapter 11 -- In which our narrator has a heart-to-heart with Frank Crawley.
This made me want to slap her: "It was all my fault, because I had gone down into the bay."
"...we lived our lives together, sleeping, eating, walking, writing letters, driving to the village, working hour by hour through our day..."
But not, you notice, enjoying it. Man, free time is so wasted on some people.
"...not the normal happy self I knew myself to be."
HA! I say again, HA!
"You have qualities that are just as important, far more so, in fact. It's perhaps cheek of me to say so, I don't know you very well. I'm a bachelor, I don't know very much about women, I lead a quiet sort of life down here at Manderley as you know, but I should say that kindliness, and sincerity, and if I may say so--modesty--are worth far more to a man, to a husband, than all the wit and beauty in the world."
AHA! My suspicions continue.
This got a guffaw:
I was not sure what he meant about modesty. It was a word I had never understood. I always imagined it had something to do with minding meeting people in a passage on the way to a bathroom...
Chapter 12 -- In which our narrator moans about Rebecca a bit more and might even realize that this is shaping up to be one of the Worst Marriages Ever.
Frith is a jerk.
"Writing letters is a waste of time," said Maxim.
Interesting that he would say that, as Rebecca had apparently spent a good part of her life writing letters.
The China Cupid Incident:
She did not seem to be surprised that I was the culprit. She looked at me with her white skull's face and her dark eyes. I felt she had known it was me all along and had accused Robert to see if I would have the courage to confess.
While I'm aware of Mrs.deW2's seriously high paranoia level, I'm inclined to agree with her on this one. Even more so after this:
"It's very unfortunate," said Mrs. Danvers, "I don't think we have ever had any breakages in the morning-room before. We were always so particular. I've done the dusting in there myself since--last year. There was no one I could trust. When Mrs. de Winter was alive we used to do the valuables together."
Wow. What a BEAST. Note that she didn't even say "the first Mrs. de Winter".
"Little idiot", "sweet child". Slappable, he is.
I think she pegged it here:
"What a slap in the eye I must be to them," I repeated. And then "I suppose that's why you married me," I said, "you knew I was dull and quiet and inexperienced, so that there would never be any gossip about me."
And, going back to the last chapter -- I think this makes it perfectly clear that she knows exactly what Frank meant by modesty. See?? She's tricky.
Maxim has noticed that she's lost weight. That's something, I guess. He's realized and admitted that he may have married her for selfish reasons. Aaaaand he's still treating her like a pet:
He patted my cheek in his terrible absent way...
Still don't hate him, though. Wouldn't want to be married to him, but I don't hate him. I just think he's a disaster.
"We are happy, aren't we? Terribly happy?"
Oh, Mrs.deW2, if you have to ask...
Past entries:
Chapters 1-3
Chapters 4-6
Chapters 7-9
Full Schedule
Other reader/bloggers:
Reading with Becky
The Leaky Dinghy
There's always time for a book
http://readingwithbecky.blogspot.com/2007/11/reading-rebecca-pt-4.html
Posted by: Becky | 19 November 2007 at 11:00 AM
I can't pinpoint anything Beatrice said (although I have only thought about it in a lazy fashion) so think it is Teh Past that is the problem.
I think you're giving Mrs deW2 too much credit for hiding strength and abilities. But I finished up this section wanting to bop her on the head so maybe that's why I'm dubious. (Interesting to see the way we're both getting a bit slap-happy as we read!). And sure Max might have noticed there's problems in his marriage but I bet you the next part of the book doesn't see him do anything practical to help Mrs deW2.
Max does play a good Husband with a Tortured Past, though. I give him that.
Posted by: Emmaco | 19 November 2007 at 02:11 PM
Ooh, I know, Isn't Ben awesome? I love the way she notes his "sly, idiot's smile." I can't remember if he plays a bigger part in this or not. Hoping he does!
One thing I've been wondering about: she's mentioned several times how bothered she is by the labels in Rebecca's handwriting on the cubbies of her desk. I can understand why she hasn't changed the rest of the room around--that would draw too much attention to her, take too much courage--but why doesn't she re-do the stupid labels? Maybe she LIKES feeling this tortured. I'm beginning to suspect she's a total drama queen.
Posted by: Elizabeth | 19 November 2007 at 02:50 PM
I'm up. http://leakydinghy.blogspot.com/2007/11/great-read-chapters-10-12.html
Posted by: Elizabeth | 19 November 2007 at 02:51 PM
I've just realised it might have been easier for you Leila if I gave you the actual entry each time around (so much for my posting once a week - I've been sucked into the saga!)
http://emmaco.livejournal.com/81385.html#cutid1
Posted by: Emmaco | 19 November 2007 at 03:20 PM
The labels on the desk got to me, too. For heaven's sake, woman, rip them off.
I think Mrs. deW2 is a little passive aggressive. While she sees herself being treated like a pet, and accepts it to a great degree, she also stands up to Maxim in conversation, maybe in a whiny way. Then you'll see her back off again, blaming herself for any happiness she perceives in him. It can be trying.
In this section I think you see the de Winters and their class being treated as, I don't know, anti-intellectuals? Beatrice doesn't read if she can help it. She's sending her boy to college because she doesn't know what else to do with him, though she clearly doesn't see the benefit of it. Maxim thinks writing letters is a waste of time. The bishop's wife treats Mrs. deW2's interest in art as a hobby. (Since we never see Mrs. deW2 doing anything with her so-called interest in art, she's probably not far off the mark in this case.)
Again, what am I to make of this?
Maxim and Mrs. deW2 can't meet as intellectual equals because Maxim and his kind disparage it and Mrs. deW2 doesn't seem to have any interest, either. They also can't meet as social equals. She is more comfortable talking with Frank, an employee, and with her new maid.
Finally, earlier Leila suggested Mrs. deW2 may be an unreliable narrator. I'd like to suggest that all the characters are unreliable.
Posted by: Gail | 19 November 2007 at 04:23 PM
Really? The 'modesty' thing didn't get you? I'm still holding out hope that Mrs.deW2 isn't as weak as she appears to be. (Maybe because otherwise I'd want to Fforde Book Jump in there and start busting heads.)
"...but why doesn't she re-do the stupid labels?"
AND GET A NEW PEN! She's driving me crazy with her "Rebecca touched THIS, Rebecca touched THAT" mantra.
I don't think Maxim will do anything practical to Fix Things, either. (But I don't see Mrs.deW2 stepping up, either. It takes two, is all I'm saying. Stick the two of them and Ben in a room, and I'd trust Ben to be the first one to do something sensible.)
So what do you think, O Those Who Are Reading This For the First Time... was Rebecca the town flirt? I vote yes.
Posted by: Leila | 19 November 2007 at 04:25 PM
Oh, Gail, we posted at the same time.
I think she's totally passive-agressive. She's pissed, so she makes that crack about gossip, and then she acts all innocent about it. She totally knew what she was saying.
In the argument/conversation at the end of Chapter 12, Mrs.deW2 brings up the differences in class, even mentioning how she's comfortable with her maid and her maid's mother.
Maxim basically tells her that she just needs to work at it, that she will gain confidence and poise if she actually puts some effort into it. I think he's right, though could have been a little nicer about it -- he was not at all sympathetic. More of a "Buck up, you silly little fool" reaction, though I can't double-check that because my book's at home. If he's used to women like Rebecca and Mrs. Danvers and Beatrice, it isn't surprising that he's find Mrs.deW2's lack of gumption irritating, even if that quality is one of the reasons he married her.
I think it's hilarious that everyone talks about her interest in art, yet I think we've only seen her draw once (and of course, it was that picture of Maxim).
I'm having a hard time identifying with her for a lot of reasons, but one of the big ones is that she has no passion. And I don't mean a passion for Maxim, or her lack of verve -- I mean that she doesn't seem to have any interests. She's there, at Manderley, with (I'd assume) pretty much unlimited time and resources, and SHE CAN'T FIND ANYTHING TO DO OTHER THAN BITCH ABOUT THE LABELS ON HER DESK.
Posted by: Leila | 19 November 2007 at 04:38 PM
Leila, what do you mean? Mrs deW2 is a happy normal person! :)
I was hoping she'd take an interest in walking one of the dogs or something - didn't she mention one of them nostaligically at the start? - but no, it's only Maxim.
And yes, my vote's in for Rebecca being a less than virtuous wife.
Gail, going back to your theme of disapproval of the upper class from last time, there was a moment in this section where I thought Du Maurier was poking fun of the upper classes' manners - when Robert isn't acting himself at lunch and hands Max the cutlets without giving him a plate.
Posted by: Emmaco | 19 November 2007 at 05:04 PM
While I was making dinner, the significance of Mrs. deW2's interest in art hit me like a ton of bricks. But I can't say anything about it until you've finished the book. Hope I don't forget.
At "There's always time for a book," our reading companion talked about being a sucker for a good story line. I do think this book has a marvelous story line. I think du Maurier does a wonderful job of revealing something in each chapter.
Posted by: Gail | 19 November 2007 at 06:49 PM
Ooh, I'm so glad the art thing got mentioned because I think it's really major, and I think it ties into her passive/aggro thing, in that it's the only thing that the narrator has given us as a normal identity to hang something on (we don't know what she looks like, how old she is, what she likes (if anything)) but we see in action how much Mrs deW2 (in the actually story) rejects that identification. Because she doesn't sketch in the story, and it's not important to her.
I am *dying* to hear what your revelation was, Gail. But don't tell. Also, I totally guessed the intertext. It's awesome.
In fact, the more I think about it, the more I'm with Leila on this one. Can she really think of nothing better to do with her time? Nothing? Really?
Posted by: cc | 19 November 2007 at 08:03 PM
Gail, patience is not my thing. I am no good with surprises. You and your bombshell are welcome to mosey over to the Leaky Dinghy and tell me what that art thing is all about.
I won't tell!
Posted by: Elizabeth | 19 November 2007 at 08:19 PM