Stephanie Storczer
Topic A
May 12, 2015
At the very end of the trial, when all seems to have worked out for the main character and Maxim, a bad feeling happens. Maxim expresses his desire to get home saying "something's wrong, I know it is. I wasn't to get home" (368). Reading farther in the final chapter, it is concluded that Maxim's feelings were correct. To ruin their happy ending was Manderley, burning down. It was a quick realization that it wasn't northern lights or a wrong direction but a burning home. It can be led to believe that when Mrs Danvers realized she hadn't won against MC, she burned down one of the only things holding them together - Manderley. This concluded Maxim's fear of a wrong problem, and he was indeed too late to prevent it.
I agree that Manderly's destruction can be contributed to Mrs. Danvers, probably with the assistance and encouragement of Jack. This is ironic for the pair, as their actions are most likely an attempt to sabotage Maxim and the main character; instead of destroying the relationship between Maxim and the main character, the fire at Manderly ends up lifting a huge weight from the couple's shoulders. The main character hints in the first two chapters that she and Maxim could never have gone on living at Manderly comfortably because Rebecca's lingering presence would have been a source of constant stress and discomfort. After all, Manderly was Rebecca's life. She put all of her time and energy into keeping up Manderly's image, planning parties and placing flowers and being a seemingly flawless hostess. Although Rebecca is gone physically, she lives on in Manderly. When Mrs. Danvers destroys Manderly in an attempt to hurt the de Winters, she actually ironically succeeds in destroying the last traces of Rebecca, giving Maxim and the main character freedom from her undying presence.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Manderly's destruction can be contributed to Mrs. Danvers, probably with the assistance and encouragement of Jack. This is ironic for the pair, as their actions are most likely an attempt to sabotage Maxim and the main character; instead of destroying the relationship between Maxim and the main character, the fire at Manderly ends up lifting a huge weight from the couple's shoulders. The main character hints in the first two chapters that she and Maxim could never have gone on living at Manderly comfortably because Rebecca's lingering presence would have been a source of constant stress and discomfort. After all, Manderly was Rebecca's life. She put all of her time and energy into keeping up Manderly's image, planning parties and placing flowers and being a seemingly flawless hostess. Although Rebecca is gone physically, she lives on in Manderly. When Mrs. Danvers destroys Manderly in an attempt to hurt the de Winters, she actually ironically succeeds in destroying the last traces of Rebecca, giving Maxim and the main character freedom from her undying presence.
ReplyDelete