Rebecca

In MonteCarlo, an unnamed narrator, a young companion working for a wealthy American woman, encounters Maxim de Winter, a wealthy widower with a reserved and enigmatic demeanor. After two weeks of courtship, Maxim calmly proposes marriage to the very young girl, barely twenty years old, suggesting that she join him at his elegant estate, Manderley, located in Cornwall. The protagonist agrees, thus leaving her previous life behind. However, as she settles into Manderley, the new Mrs. de Winter faces numerous challenges adapting to this highly refined environment. Her shyness and clumsiness sharply contrast with the sophistication, grace, and enduring beauty associated with Maxim's late wife, Rebecca de Winter, who tragically died in a boating accident. The household staff, accustomed to running the house according to Rebecca's preferences, quickly notices the disparity between the two women. Yet, it is Mrs. Danvers who stands out in this context. The somber and unsettling housekeeper not only perceives the second Mrs. de Winter's lack of experience but also indirectly, and later openly, expresses her hostility towards the young narrator. In fact, Mrs. Danvers morbidly nurtures Rebecca's haunting memory, whom she had cared for since youth, maintaining the house exactly as it was when the woman passed away. To torment the narrator, Mrs. Danvers seizes every opportunity to underscore her inadequacy by reminding her of how differently Rebecca managed Manderley, insinuating her inferiority compared to the previous mistress of the estate.