Chapter 19 -- In which a ship runs aground and Maxim reveals a Big Secret.
Now that there's an outside crisis, it's as if Mrs. Danvers never tried to convince Mrs.deW2 to commit suicide:
"We had better go down," she said, "Frith will be looking for me to make arrangements. Mr. de Winter may bring the men back to the house as he said. Be careful of your hands, I'm going to shut the window."
Temporary insanity on both their parts? After the events of Chapter 18, seeing Mrs. Danvers act at all concerned about the narrator's welfare was rather jarring. And she seems to have no fear whatsoever that there will be any repercussions, either. Does she have a hold over Maxim, or does she just trust in Mrs.deW2's apparent inability to stand up for herself?
Maxim is down at the cove, smoking up a storm (I'm surprised the man still has lungs) and dealing with a ship that's run aground. He still hasn't spoken to Mrs.deW2 since before the dance.
Is it just me, or is Frith acting nicer? After being such a big jerk previously, it seemed odd to me that he's all chatty now. Maybe he's different when in crisis mode?
Ah, this makes it more understandable:
I thought how alike people were in a moment of common interest. Frank was Frith all over again, giving his version of the story, as though it mattered, as though we cared. I knew that he had gone down to the beach to look for Maxim. I knew that he had been frightened, as I had been. And now all this was forgotten and put aside, our conversation down the telephone, our mutual anxiety, his insistence that he must see me. All because a ship had gone ashore in the fog.
The paragraph beginning: "I wished I could lose my identity and join them" made me wonder how cross-class connections are treated in du Maurier's other books. They certainly haven't turned out very well in this one. So far, anyway.
Another run-in with Idiot Ben:
"She's run aground," I repeated. "I expect she's got a hole in her bottom."
His face went blank and foolish. "Aye," he said, "she's down there all right. She'll not come back again."
I rather suspect that Ben isn't talking about the ship. And is the narrator being deliberately obtuse? I hope so. Because if she's not, I've lost all hope.
The next page makes me think that she was willfully misunderstanding him -- for the first time, looking at Manderley gives her "a funny feeling of bewilderment and pride that it was my home". She feels as if she belongs. Maybe because talking with Ben really drove it home for her: Rebecca is dead.
Re: Captain Seale's visit: !!!!
It's amazing that incidents that are so completely devastating to Mrs.deW2 hardly even register with Maxim. He's so wrapped up in himself and oblivious.
Re: Maxim's secret: !!!!!! And even more !!!!!
Is it totally sick that now I actually like him a little bit? Probably. But I do. Because at least he's been all tormented about THAT, and not about Rebecca herself.
I'd guess that Ben saw it happen. But does Frank know? And does Mrs. Danvers suspect?
Chapter 20 -- In which we hear about The Other Side of Rebecca.
"I love you so much," he whispered. "So much."
What? WHAT?? Now he tells her?
"You were so aloof," he said, "always wandering into the garden with Jasper, going off on your own. You never came to me like this."
What? WHAT?? Now I hate him again. Jackassery unchained, man. Un. Chained.
"You remember the precipice. I frightened you, didn't I? You thought I was mad. Perhaps I was. Perhaps I am. It doesn't make for sanity, does it, living with the devil?"
Yeah, I'd agree with him. I think it's pretty clear that he snapped somewhere along the way.
If I don't find out what Rebecca said on that hilltop, I'm going to freak out. I mean, I've got plenty of guesses, but I want to know. Too bad there's not another version of the book from Maxim's perspective.
Are we talking orgies? Orgies? Yikes. And, in all probability, knocked up by her cousin? Awesome.
I did not say anything. I held his hands against my heart. I did not care about his shame. None of the things that he had told me mattered to me at all. I clung to one thing only, and repeated it to myself, over and over again. Maxim did not love Rebecca. He had never loved her, never, never. They had not known one moment's happiness together. Maxim was talking, and I listened to him, but his words meant nothing to me. I did not really care.
Yow. Don't let her anywhere near a cult leader.
Chapter 21 -- In which our narrator finally asserts herself.
I think that the narrator is a little bit crazy, too:
My heart, for all its anxiety and doubt, was light and free. I knew then that I was no longer afraid of Rebecca. I did not hate her any more. Now that I knew her to be evil and vicious and rotten I did not hate her any more. She could not hurt me.
I'm not saying that I don't understand what she's saying -- I do. But she still sounds crazed.
It occurred to me that she's the one with the power in their relationship. She might not have realized it yet. Heck, maybe she won't realize it at all.
Ah. Now that she's not worried about Rebecca, she's not having any trouble giving orders to the servants. Even to Mrs. Danvers:
"I'm not used to having messages sent to me by Robert," she said. "If Mrs. de Winter wanted anything changed she would ring me personally on the house telephone."
"I'm afraid it does not concern me very much what Mrs. de Winter used to do," I said. "I am Mrs. de Winter now, you know. And if I choose to sent a message by Robert I shall do so."
Oooooo, SNAP. An "Oh, and by the way, you're fired" would have been good, too, but I'm okay if we start small.
"It's gone forever, that funny, young, lost look that I loved. It won't come back again."
So, yeah. I was right about his reasons for marrying her -- or why he found her attractive in the first place -- she's Rebecca's opposite. I wonder if her new-found confidence will turn him off.
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"It's gone forever, that funny, young, lost look that I loved. It won't come back again."
Yeah, that might be his most dickish (dickiest?) quote of the book. It certainly implies, "This is what I loved about you--even though I never told you I loved ANYTHING about you--but now it's gone. So maybe I need to go shopping for a new ingenue. Wanna go sailing?"
Okay, he doesn't go quite that far. But I agree, Leila, it confirms your original hypothesis as to why he married her, and leaves us wondering where her newfound grown-upness will leave them. Well, actually, I guess we do know. It leaves them in that weird role-reversal we saw at the beginning of the book, where suddenly she's the care-taker.
http://leakydinghy.blogspot.com/2007/11/great-read-chapters-19-21.html
Posted by: Elizabeth | 26 November 2007 at 12:52 PM
The "It's gone forever" line, I always think, is key to the whole book. It is the moment when everything turns around -- Maxim feels sad that she isn't the lost young thing any more, and she feels so happy that she isn't that person. She's been waiting all this time to be a grownup.
Posted by: mordena | 26 November 2007 at 01:00 PM
You guys finally got to the big reveal!! I've been ready to explode waiting for you. Tell me, did you see it coming? Were you surprised?
I, of course, can't remember how I felt reading this book for the first time as a teenager. I think it gave me a jolt, since I certainly always remembered the book. Even knowing what was coming, during this reading I thought it was revealed very well.
"Will you look into my eyes and tell me that you love me now?" I think that's Maxim's best line.
With this rereading, I believe Maxim to be a very, very weak personality. Not a weak _character_. He's a well-defined weak personality. His reasoning for doing what he did is all about weakness, though, I will admit, I have trouble transporting myself back to the time of the novel and am having trouble emphathizing. He was too weak and concerned about public opinion to toss Rebecca out on her butt when he realized what she was on their honeymoon. He was too weak and conventional and concerned with status and property to divorce her when she told him she was pregnant.
Regarding Mrs. deW2's power: I think it's clear in the beginning section of the book when she talks about their life as travelers that she is the power figure in their relationship at that time. She has become the companion and caretaker that she was when Maxim first met her only now she is companion and caretaker to him. (Perhaps what he always wanted?)
I thought that once they got to Manderley, Maxim became the power figure, but now that I think about it more, perhaps he wasn't. As I said, I find him very weak. Perhaps Rebecca was the power figure in Maxim and Mrs. deW2's marriage. Rebecca loses her power once Mrs. deW2 learns that Maxim never loved her. Or, more importantly, once Mrs. deW2 becomes an accomplice after the fact regarding his secret.
More to look forward to: _Rebecca_ has not yet yielded all its surprises.
Posted by: Gail | 26 November 2007 at 01:06 PM
I wasn't TOO surprised at the big reveal - I always thought it was fishy that Maxim had been able to identify the body after months in the ocean. I mean, really. But I hadn't guessed the exact details. Leila, I also had a tiny moment of sympathy for Maxim. But honestly - he really is weak, like Gail said. Maybe he just hides his weak personality behind a lot of bluster and meanness. Which would explain why Mrs. D is still on staff, and why he doesn't explain things to Mrs. deW2 earlier.
I'm finished with the book and I'm confused and I'm anxious for everyone to catch up and see if I'm being thick-headed or what.
Posted by: jessmonster | 26 November 2007 at 01:13 PM
Oh, and remember Leila's concern earlier about whether or not Mrs. deW2 was a reliable narrator? We see now that none of the characters were reliable in what they said about her. The locals who were taken in by her, Mrs. Danvers who adored her, Beatrice and Frank, who played their cards close to the chest, the staff. The only reliable character was Ben, and no one understood what he was talking about.
I'm really admiring the writing in this book, no matter what we may think of the de Winters.
Posted by: Gail | 26 November 2007 at 01:19 PM
I don't think I guessed this was coming (you'd think I'd remember what I was thinking a few hours ago) but I certainly wasn't overly surprised. I'm looking forward to seeing if Mrs deW2 does get more power - at the moment I feel like she's still powerless to the extent that all that matters in her whole life is Maxim, so she's still dependent on him.
And Leila, I too liked Maxim better after he told his secret. It made him a bit more active and interesting to me! (although I would like to state I do not support for murder of spouses rather than divorce!)
http://emmaco.livejournal.com/82892.html
Posted by: Emmaco | 26 November 2007 at 01:45 PM
Oh, and I have to miss the rest of the discussions! Unless I can find internet access at the conference/airports I'll be in. I've really been enjoying it all so am quite cranky about it. At the very least I'll post on Saturday when I get home!
Posted by: Emmaco | 26 November 2007 at 02:15 PM
http://readingwithbecky.blogspot.com/2007/11/reading-rebecca-pt-7.html
Posted by: Becky | 26 November 2007 at 02:28 PM
I think all my favorite Du Maurier books are the ones with the crazy narrators. You really need to try My Cousin Rachel after this.
Posted by: Wendy | 26 November 2007 at 03:00 PM
I read Rachel many, many years ago, but remember virtually nothing about it. Does a crossroads figure into it somehow? That's all I've got on that one.
Posted by: Gail | 26 November 2007 at 03:57 PM
When you're done, you might want to read Michael Dirda's essay on REBECCA, in his new book. It begins:
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." With these unforgettable words the reader is launched into one of the most powerful visions of . . . what? Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca is a far more complex work of art than commonly believed, being one of the half dozen greatest romance novels of the century and a subtle undercutting of the whole romance genre. It is simultaneously a devastating examination of the sexual politics of marriage, a haunting study of jealousy and psychological obsession, and a classic of suspense.
Posted by: | 27 November 2007 at 02:23 PM
When you're done, you might want to read Michael Dirda's essay on REBECCA, in his new book. It begins:
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." With these unforgettable words the reader is launched into one of the most powerful visions of . . . what? Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca is a far more complex work of art than commonly believed, being one of the half dozen greatest romance novels of the century and a subtle undercutting of the whole romance genre. It is simultaneously a devastating examination of the sexual politics of marriage, a haunting study of jealousy and psychological obsession, and a classic of suspense.
Posted by: | 27 November 2007 at 02:24 PM
The part where she tells Mrs. Danvers not to serve the cold food is pretty much my favorite part of the book. If there was some way to say "You go, girl!" that was not completely hackneyed, I would say it.
Posted by: Laurie | 30 November 2007 at 11:52 PM
Oh, go for it. I felt guilty about resorting to "Oooooo, SNAP!", but it was called for.
Posted by: Leila | 01 December 2007 at 09:09 AM
i dont really like rebecca to be honest...it drags on a bit through the middle part.
Posted by: zak | 25 April 2008 at 07:56 AM