Mrs Danvers' devotion to Rebecca

Mrs Danvers' devotion to Rebecca is the emotional engine of the novel's antagonism, a fanatical, quasi-religious loyalty that transforms the housekeeper into a living monument to the dead first wife and a relentless enemy to the second Mrs de Winter. Her attachment is not merely professional pride or fond memory; it is a possessive, idolatrous obsession that governs every action she takes within Manderley and that ultimately drives her to attempt the destruction of the second Mrs de Winter. This devotion is the primary source of the psychological terror that pervades the second Mrs de Winter's early life at Manderley, making the house itself feel like a shrine to a rival she can never defeat.

Origins and Nature of the Devotion

Mrs Danvers' bond with Rebecca predates her marriage to Maxim de Winter. She had the care of Rebecca as a child, and her memories of that time are vivid and possessive. She recalls a girl of not yet twelve, already lovely as a picture, who would wink at her like a little devil and declare, "I'm going to be a beauty, aren't I, Danny?" . This early relationship established a pattern of worship and service that never broke. Mrs Danvers describes Rebecca's spirit as something that could not be beaten, recounting how at sixteen she rode a horse the groom said was too hot for her, slashing at it and drawing blood, and then walked off to wash her hands "as cool as you please" . For Mrs Danvers, Rebecca was not merely a mistress but a force of nature, someone who "cared for nothing and for no one" and who lived exactly as she pleased . This admiration is tinged with a sense of shared triumph; she speaks of Rebecca's exploits with a pride that suggests she felt herself a co-conspirator in Rebecca's defiance of the world.

The Devotion as a Living Presence at Manderley

After Rebecca's death, Mrs Danvers' devotion becomes a form of preservation. She keeps Rebecca's rooms in the west wing as if they were still in use, with brushes and combs on the dressing-table, scent and powder, and the bed made up with the nightdress case on the pillow . She tends to these rooms herself every day, allowing no maids to enter, and tells the second Mrs de Winter that she feels Rebecca everywhere in the house—in the morning-room, in the hall, even in the little flower-room . This is not mere housekeeping; it is an act of ritualistic devotion, a refusal to let Rebecca die. She confesses that sometimes, when walking along the corridor, she fancies she hears Rebecca's quick, light footstep just behind her, or sees her leaning in the minstrels' gallery . This obsessive maintenance of the past is a direct assault on the second Mrs de Winter, a constant, tangible reminder that she is an interloper in a house that still belongs to its dead mistress.

The Devotion as Active Antagonism

Mrs Danvers' devotion is not passive; it is a weapon she wields with deliberate cruelty. She resents the second Mrs de Winter's presence from the first moment, and her hatred is fueled by the belief that the new wife is trying to take Rebecca's place . She orchestrates the devastating moment at the fancy dress ball, suggesting the second Mrs de Winter copy the portrait of Caroline de Winter, knowing full well that Rebecca had worn the identical costume at the last ball . The expression on her face as she watches the catastrophe unfold is described as "loathsome, triumphant," the face of an exulting devil . Later, in Rebecca's bedroom, she forces the second Mrs de Winter to touch Rebecca's nightdress, dressing-gown, and slippers, whispering intimate, horrible details about Rebecca's life and death, and finally urging her to jump from the window, saying, "Why don't you go?" . This is the culmination of her devotion: a fanatical desire to eliminate the usurper and restore the house to its true mistress, even if that mistress is dead.

The Devotion's Collapse and Aftermath

The revelation of Rebecca's terminal illness and the truth of her death shatters the foundation of Mrs Danvers' devotion. When she learns from Jack Favell that Rebecca was dying of cancer and had deliberately provoked Maxim into killing her, the idol she worshipped is revealed to have been a mortal, desperate woman. The novel's final report of her disappearance—she packs her things, receives a long-distance call, and vanishes into the woods without passing the lodge gates —suggests that her entire reason for being has been annihilated. Her devotion, which had been the source of so much malice and power, leaves her with nothing. The final image of Manderley in flames, seen from a distance, can be read as the physical manifestation of the destruction of Mrs Danvers' world, a world that was built entirely on her impossible, undying love for Rebecca.