Identity In Rebecca Du Murier

What makes people different from each other? How do people decide if someone would make a good friend or not? Why do attitudes change based on who people talk to? The answer is in people’s identity. The subject of identity is found abundantly in the novel Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. Du Murier explores the theme of identity by giving some characters a well formed and detailed identity, while others she leaves almost blank. Although the lack of a character’s identity may seem absurd, it allows one to watch one identity develop while another is stripped away.
The antagonist of the story is Rebecca de Winter, who has a very detailed identity. She was the first wife of Maxamillian de Winter and she is described as a beautiful and perfect wife, always having parties and entertaining. Many people said they loved Rebecca and enjoyed the parties that she threw for them. However, this was not her true character. A small, yet important, character in the story, Ben, described Rebecca “She gave you the feeling of a snake” (157). Even Rebecca’s own husband finally admits that “She was vicious, damnable, rotten …show more content…
She is the second wife of Mr. de Winter and is given no other name besides Mrs. de Winter. Her appearances are briefly described as plain and unnoteworthy. Through her actions readers can see that she is very shy and quiet. However, after meeting Mr. de Winter and marrying him, she begins to develop a character for herself, but is constantly hindered by. She is hindered by the looming identity of Rebecca. Even though Rebecca is dead, Mrs. de Winter continually compares herself to Rebecca and what people have said about her. It is not until she learns that Rebecca was evil that she finally begins to develop her own identity: becoming bolder and more straightforward, she takes her position as mistress of the house and beings to run things for