Gaining the Upper Hand

~Gaining the Upper Hand~

Blog Post #4

Topic C

May 9^th, 2015

By Joanna Badillo

               The Relationship between The Main Character and Mrs. Danvers has grown significantly and has helped the main character face her insecurities about herself. In the beginning of the book, when the Main Character went to Manderly for the first time, Mrs. Danvers intimidated her by her appearance of being “tall and gaunt…whose prominent cheekbones and great, hollow eyes gave her a skull face” (66). By describing Mrs. Danvers as skull like, gives the reader a sense that Mrs. Danvers intimidates her. This continues throughout the book, like when the main character answers the phone saying “Mrs. De Winter has been dead for over a year” to Danvers, or when Mrs. Danvers tries to show Rebecca’s room to the main character. Mrs. Danvers also uses this fear and intimidation to her advantage and convinces the main character to become more insecure and to feel overpowered by Rebecca. This Relationship between Mrs. Danvers continues throughout the book and is even in main parts of major plot points like the time Mrs. Danvers told the main character about the night Rebecca died and when she convinces the main character to wear the dress for the ball. The main character doesn't gain her confidence of herself until she confronts Mrs. Danvers after the ball. That encounter was the climax of their relationship together. It was the defining point that causes Mrs. Danvers to lose her last hope to get rid of the main character, and the main character to become stronger than Mrs. Danvers. After this encounter, as well as finding out that the marriage to Rebecca was a sham, the Main character was able to become herself again and to even start ordering people around. The Relationship between the main character and Mrs. Danvers has grown positively for the main character and negatively for Mrs. Danvers.