Rebecca Essay, Research Paper

The novel written by Daphne Du Maurier entitled ?Rebecca? is very unique and interesting. Most of the story takes place in England, at a marvelous mansion called Manderley. It is about a woman, whose name is never revealed, meeting and marrying a wealthy man, Max De Winter. The new couple moves to his house in England to begin their married life. Upon arrival Mrs. De Winter is introduced to the housekeepers, firstly the head housemaid, Mrs. Danvers. Right from the very beginning of the meeting of the new bride and head housemaid, things were hostile. Mrs. Danvers is still emotionally attached to the first wife of Mr. De Winter, the late Rebecca De Winter. Throughout the entire story the new Mrs. De Winter is trying to fulfill her shoes. She always feels that she has to live up to everything that Rebecca accomplished. In reality, Max never wanted his new wife to be anything less or more than what she was. In the end of the story Max and his wife are talking when some flares go off in the sky at a nearby cove. When they go to see what has happened, Max flees. Mrs. De Winter finds him in a cottage by the sea. She enters as he is quivering in a corner. He reveals to her that there was a boating accident and some divers found a boat, it was Rebecca?s boat. The divers busted a window and found a skeleton inside of the locked cabin. When Rebecca?s body was found several months ago, a grief-stricken Max went to identify the body and it was determined that she was traveling alone. Puzzled, his wife does not understand what this had to do with the body found in the cove. Then Max lays it on her that it was Rebecca. He said that she was very evil, and that she was not what everyone portrayed her to be. After he married her, he found out a number of awful things about his wife. Too embarrassed by divorce, the couple made an agreement to put on a fa?ade for the world. One evening Rebecca came to him with a sheepish grin on her face proclaiming that she had news for him. Angry and jumping to the conclusion that she was pregnant with another mans baby, he shot and killed her, then put her in the boat and tried to forget all about it. Then as an investigation is carried on it is found out that the Manderley mansion is burning down. The book puts the condemnation on one of Rebecca?s cousins, however the true culprit is not revealed.

After reading the book, viewing the movie version of a story is always a good idea. Picking out the ways that the novel and movie are different is like comparing a picture of someone in their adolescent years to retirement pictures. The differences are very few in this case. Two main differences are brought out in the finale of the story. Where Max gets angry and says that he shoots Rebecca is different. In the movie, Rebecca falls and hits her head, killing her. After the investigation is taken, it?s found that Rebecca had cancer and wanted Max to kill her. Then, when Manderley is burning, Mrs. Danvers is seen in the room that was Rebecca?s. Also, Mrs. De Winter tells Max that the maid went crazy, saying that she didn?t want the two of them to be happy living there, in Rebecca?s house. The differences in the movie and book are very significant. They give two different endings. The reason behind the movie changing the ending may be to ensure a happy ending for the viewers. Max is found to be not guilty and he and his wife are free to live happily ever after. Also, by telling who starts the fire, it pleases the audience. It is a typical ending like most movies. However, in the book, it is common, and enjoyed, that the readers are left to come up with the ending on their own.