Daphne du Maurier's gothic romance novel, Rebecca, is about a young woman, who remains nameless throughout the novel, and her life of self-inflicted misery. Having recently married into a higher social class, the protagonist, Mrs. De Winter, faces internal and external struggles with her new environment. She has to deal with her husband, Maxim, who continually shows signs of indifference towards her, Mrs. Danvers, the head housekeeper, who is the physical form of her deepest fears and insecurities, and Rebecca, Maxim's late wife, whose memory casts an eternal shadow. about her as she is introduced to her new life. Throughout the novel Rebecca there is much focus on Rebecca's compelling memory and Mrs. De Winter's quest to overcome it, as seen in chapter two when Mrs. De Winter mentions "we have both known fear" and "we all have the our particular devil who rides us and torments us” (Du Maurier, 5). This focus is provocative because it foreshadows Mrs. De Winter's attitude towards Rebecca throughout the novel. With the disturbing presence of Mrs. Danvers, the constant tales about Rebecca and the allusions the author provides by naming the novel about Rebecca, it is easy to recognize how Rebecca's memory is so compelling that it will always be a constant tormentor and driving motivation behind Mrs. De Winter's every action. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Escaping the memory would seem like an easy task, but with the help of Ms. Danvers, a considered physical form of Rebecca, Mrs. De Winter he could not discourage Rebecca's memory. Mrs. Danvers did not see Rebecca simply as a lover or even as a friend, but more as an idol. It is easy to assume that Mrs. Danvers has become obsessed with her and keeps her memory alive. As the novel's antagonist, Mrs. Danvers constantly antagonizes Mrs. De Winter and belittles her whenever she approaches her. Mrs. De Winter is insecure because she will never be like Rebecca and in chapter 14, Mrs. Danver demonstrates her obsession and confirms her status as an antagonist by using Rebecca's reminiscence against her. While showing the narrator the old room, Rebecca says, “That was his bed. It's a nice bed, isn't it” (Du Maurier. 168), Mrs. Danver mocks Mrs. De Winter by calling what would appear to be both an insignificant object and an extraordinary rarity. Mrs. Danvers uses this stunning bedroom item to further enhance Rebecca's already elevated personality and with this belief now instilled that Rebecca can make even a bed beautiful. Mrs. De Winter's sanity and confidence are tested and, once again, defeated. Mrs. Danvers ensures that all of Rebecca's household habits have remained the same, even the way the menus are organized. With each memory of Rebecca, Mrs. De Winter becomes more and more lost. Mrs. Danvers' mission is to make sure that Mrs. De Winter always feels Rebecca around her, and remembers that she can't and will never be like Rebecca. Mrs. De Winter's self-resilience is so lost in chapter 14, that Mrs. Danvers nearly drives her to suicide, and digging deeper into the chapter the reader can tell that Mrs. De Winter is literally and figuratively forced to see, smell, and feel Rebecca's attitude. memory. It is in this chapter that the idea of ​​Rebecca “obsessing” Mrs. De Winter becomes an actual conscious thought. Mrs. Danver describes Rebecca almost as a living ghost, instilling the thought that “the deadthey return and look at the living" (Du Maurier.172). Within the scene, Mrs. Danvers has managed to diminish any trust that Mrs. De Winter had left. Together with the ill-disposed Mrs. Danvers to strengthen Rebecca's memory in a sense physical, Mrs. De Winter has to deal with the constant rumors about Rebecca, even in their dramatized way. Rebecca is remembered as a beautiful, graceful, talented, elegant woman, etc. Not only does Mrs. De Winter's insecurities not allow her to recognize inside of himself these adjectives, but Rebecca's stories and Maxim's eternal love also puts a strain on his conscience. Maxim admits: "No one, meeting her, would imagine that she is not the most kind, generous and gifted person in the world". Du Maurier .271).Through the rumors about Rebecca her memory lives on and will forever be known as "so lovely, so accomplished, so funny" (Du Maurier. 272). of Rebecca, the stories persist and constantly remind Mrs. De Winter of what she is not. Being in second place to someone who is talked about so much is a constant nuisance in Mrs. De Winter's mind, and those rumors constantly torment her even after knowing the hard truth about her. To emphasize her torment, Mrs. De Winter cannot unmask the real Rebecca because the truth will unmask Maxim. Rather than let the public know what Rebecca has really done, forever tarnish Rebecca's reputation, and finally prove herself to be Mandery's superior wife and woman, Mrs. De Winter must accept Rebecca as the idolized figure with whom she cannot compete and play along as if she doesn't bring with her the secrets that could finally tarnish Rebecca's perfect memory and put an end to the constant rumors about how perfect she once was. Although it could be argued that Mrs. De Winter's torment is self-afflicted and that of Rebecca's Shadow is exaggerated by the unreliable narrator, Mrs. De Winters herself. The author denies this theory by naming the novel after Rebecca. Just like her personality, Rebecca is so influential that it manages to be the title of the novel. She is so dynamic that Daphne du Maurier gave her a name rather than the protagonist. Mrs De Winter is instead given the name already used, obviously by Rebecca, simply Mrs De Winter. There are constant references to Rebecca on every page and it seems that if Mrs. De Winter were not the narrator, Rebecca would be talked about more than Mrs. De Winter because everything in the book is about Rebecca or her influence. This shapes Mrs. De Winter as a character for the reader because it is evident that she is not the main focus of the novel. From the title named after Rebecca, the reader is able to establish the connection between the entire novel and Rebecca's memory. This memory lives on through constant gossip and growing rumors about Rebecca. They are spreading and thriving so much that Ms. De Winter was even able to compare how she has fewer rumors about herself than Rebecca. In chapter 12 on page 144 Maxim's reactions to this confession make Mrs. De Winter even more uncertain of herself. From this the reader can see another insecurity of Mrs. De Winter. She is worried that even after she is gone, unlike Rebecca, no one will remember her or have anything to say about her. Alive or dead, Mrs. De Winter is tormented by Rebecca's long-standing memory, and it becomes apparent that Rebecca is the cause and effect of everything Mrs. De Winter seems to do or think, and with that, she comes added more power to her voices which creates Rebecca is an even more dominant character. So, along with the fact that Mrs. De Winter lives, 1971.