~The Boat House~
Blog Post #3
Topic C
May 1st, 2015
By Joanna Badillo
The boat house shows a lot of significance in the novel
Rebecca. In the book, The Main Character finds the boat house after she chases
Jasper, the dog, own on her walk to the beach with Maxim. There she finds a
dusty cob-webbed room that is complete with a sofa bed, fine china, and a desk.
Later, Maxim tells her that Rebecca and him would go to the boat house and have
late night picnics, dropping the subject and hinting to the reader that there
is more to the story. Later we find out from the book that Rebecca would go
into the boathouse for long periods of time and even spend nights in there. We
also find out, mainly from Frank Crawley, that Rebecca enjoyed sailing greatly
and also spent long hours at sea. At the boat house Ben, another crucial
character, is introduced to the novel. He is important, because he shows a
non biased view to Rebecca and even shows a darker side of her that is never
introduced in the beginning. Ben explains that Rebecca threaten to “have [him]
put in the asylum” and even He even calls her snake-like (154). This view of
Rebecca is unlike that of everyone else, including Mrs. Danvers, who speaks
fondly of Rebecca and even calls her “beautiful"(169). I feel that the
Boat house also shows significance in crucial points of the plot that the audience
itself, isn't aware of until possibly later into the novel. I suspect that in
the end of chapter 17, Maxim might have spent the night after the ball, in the
boat house. The costume the main character wore; at the beginning of the
costumed ball was exactly the costume Rebecca wore in her last ball. This of
course caused discomfit in Maxim and caused Maxim to think that the main
character is mocking him. That would then, give Maxim the incentive to find a
secure place to think for a little and possibly relive good or bad memories
from the past. The boat house would be a perfect place for Maxim to stand and
do just that. The boat house showed a lot of significance in the plot of the
book.
I agree that the boathouse holds a deeper meaning. I feel that when MC chased Jasper down the path to the house, Maxim avoided it to not remember any of the memories of Rebecca. After her sailing death, it may also hold a certain "shrine" like atmosphere that he doesn't want to ruin by entering. He may want to preserve everything just the way it was to remember her. There is no doubt that the boathouse holds a significant connection to Rebecca.
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