London

London is a city of thresholds in Rebecca, a place where the narrator passes from one phase of her life into another and where the decisive revelation about Rebecca's death is obtained. It first appears as the point of departure for Manderley, then as the destination of Maxim's business trip that leaves the narrator vulnerable to Mrs Danvers' manipulations, and finally as the setting for the journey to Doctor Baker that resolves the legal crisis.

Departure and Arrival

The narrator's first experience of London in the novel is as a transit point on her journey to Manderley as a bride. She and Maxim leave the city in a heavy shower of rain, which she superstitiously interprets as an omen of ill-will, and the leaden skies make her silent with anxiety. Maxim reassures her that the sun will be shining when they reach Manderley, and his prediction proves correct: the clouds clear at Exeter, leaving a great blue sky above them. This contrast between London's gloom and the eventual brightness of the west country underscores the narrator's nervous anticipation and her sense of entering an unknown world.

Maxim's Absence and the Narrator's Vulnerability

Later, Maxim travels to London alone for a public dinner, leaving the narrator at Manderley for two days. His absence triggers in her a vivid, anxious fantasy of a fatal accident, and she goes through the entire imagined ordeal of receiving a telephone call from a cottage hospital. The relief when she learns he has arrived safely is tremendous, and she experiences a surprising sense of freedom, realizing she has not felt so lighthearted since coming to Manderley. This freedom is immediately complicated by the arrival of Jack Favell, who visits Mrs Danvers while Maxim is away, and by the narrator's subsequent exploration of the west wing under Mrs Danvers' malevolent guidance. London, in this episode, is the place that removes Maxim and leaves the narrator exposed to the house's most sinister forces.

The Journey to Doctor Baker

The most critical function of London in the novel is as the destination for the journey that resolves the inquest. After the discovery of Rebecca's boat and the coroner's verdict of suicide, Maxim, the narrator, Colonel Julyan, and Jack Favell drive to London to consult Doctor Baker, whose name and telephone number were found in Rebecca's engagement diary. The drive is long and exhausting, and the narrator feels the noise and heat of the city as a physical burden. They find Doctor Baker at his retirement home in Barnet, north of London, where he reveals that the woman who called herself "Mrs Danvers" — actually Rebecca — was suffering from a terminal, inoperable cancer. This revelation provides the motive for her suicide and destroys Favell's blackmail attempt, freeing Maxim from the threat of exposure. London, in this climactic scene, is the place where the truth is finally spoken and the legal danger is lifted.

Aftermath and Return

After the meeting with Doctor Baker, Maxim and the narrator dine in a small, dark restaurant in Soho, where they experience a moment of quiet relief and begin to plan their future. Maxim telephones Frank Crawley from the restaurant and learns that Mrs Danvers has disappeared. They then decide to drive through the night back to Manderley, rather than staying in a hotel, because Maxim has a premonition that something is wrong. This decision leads them to witness the fire that destroys Manderley, as they see the sky glowing red on the horizon. London, in this final sequence, is the place of temporary respite and the point from which they return to find their home in ruins.