Before I begin this blog post, I have a different book than everyone else so the page numbers won't correspond correctly. Sorry.
So, I think it's interesting how Max de Winter behaves. He is described by the narrator as "silent and detached, the man of yesterday wrapped in his secret self" (29). The narrator notes "If he loved it all so much why did he seek the superficial froth of Monte Carlo?" (33). I found that the majority of the information I've recovered from the first couple of chapters is relatable depicts Mr. Winter to be mysterious.
Some observations I've gathered:
-Mrs. Van Hopper is extremely condescending and controlling of the narrator.
-Max de Winter seems to be playing the same role as the boys, with the exception that he is not narrating the novel. For instance, I felt that Mr. Winter has an uncanny infatuation with the narrator, like the boys did with the girls in The Virgin Suicides.
-What is the deal with Rebecca? Why does Mr. Winter not want to talk about her?
-Basically, I feel like the setting is just dark right now and there is a strange tension in the air; I feel we will learn about Manderley's significance as the novel progresses.
Passage I'm going to make assertion about:
"'An empty house can be as lonely as a full hotel,' he said at length. 'The trouble is that it is less impersonal.' He hesitated, and for a moment I thought he was going to talk about Manderley at last, but something held him back, some phobia that struggled to the surface of his mind and won supremacy, for he blew out his match and his flash of confidence at the same time" (25).
My assertion:
Mr. Winter is plagued by a past event at Manderley and fears to explain it, thus causing him to be edgy around others.
Jack, i totally agree with that assertion. Another way to look at it though could be that for the narrator who I'm not sure who that is, a dark, past event also happened at Manderley that causes this fear and tension. (see first page) Even though that had different experiences at Manderley, I got a sense of some similar feelings towards whatever happened.
ReplyDeletei totally agree with both of you! I think it's strange that every thing is so vague in these first few chapters. we can assume that eventually we'll begin to receive more detail but right now everything does have a weird feel to it. it also seems that the narrator has come to terms more with whatever happened at Manderley than mr. winter is
ReplyDeleteI do agree, Jack, Mr. Winter is a very strange person, and this could definitely be due to some events that happened in the past at Manderley. He definitely is the omniscient character in this book, almost as though he drives the story. Also, his infatuation with the narrator is probably due to the need for a companion, maybe because something happened to his last companion (possibly someone named Rebecca), and he feels lonely, like you said in the quote.
ReplyDeleteLike always, a well-structured thought from you jack. Our new narrator is very similar to the boys in the fact that they both speak in generalities. In the first few chapters, we as readers receive very few names and specification when it comes to setting/characters etc. which are known are the great identifiers of stories. So, I feel like, similar to the Virgin suicides, this will be a novel in which we'll have to assume and speculate. I also feel like stories in which the author wants the reader to make messages/motifs etc. for themselves involve very little specificity, otherwise the author would be telling the reader what to think. In this format of story, it's more open to debate and thus (with discussion) the readers can get more from the story. Anyway, in conjunction with your assertion, i found a great quote from the narrator referring to pain/suffering (from a past event possibly, and possibly the same event as the one Mr. Winter refers to) : "I believe there is a theory that men and women emerge finer and stronger after suffering, and that to advance in this or any world we must endure ordeal by fire" (5).
ReplyDeleteThe quote you used for your assertion really stuck with me as well. I mean, both Max de Winter and the narrator are alone, but I thought it was strange how he listened to the narrator open up about her (I assume its a girl) father years ago, yet he still wouldn't talk about Rebecca. Both her father and Rebecca appear to be safe-guarded memories that do not like to be shared and somehow Mr. de Winter gets the narrator to feel "impelled to speak"(24) then does not return the favor by sharing his own story. Or maybe letting her borrow that poem from his car pocket was his way of opening up about/revealing Rebecca.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about the narrator and how she is controlled by mrs. Van hopper. It actually makes me mad and I still don't understand her use of we in the first chapter and what Manderley is.
ReplyDelete