The balance between masculinism and feminism in Rebecca

Daphne Du Maurier was one of the most popular English writers of the 20th Century
when middle-brow genre fiction was accorded a higher level of respect in a more
broadly literate age. (IMDb, 2020) However, living in a time when traditional
patriarchalism prevailed and women suffered from repression and bondage, she was
raised as a boy by her family that preferred sons over daughters. Also, two World
Wars broke out in her time, as well as the second and third Industrial Revolutions. All
these experiences left Daphne pondering about the nature and the social status of
women, as a result of which, most of her works revealed partly feminism.

Rebecca, written by Daphne Du Maurier in 380 pages, was published by Avon Books
in 1938. The book narrates a story about a poor young servant girl falling in love with
the dashing widower Maxim de Winter. The story begins with the fat countess Mrs.
Van Hopper's young companion maid "I" first meeting Maxim at the hotel. Moreover,
the two of them had a crush on each other. In order to keep "me," Maxime proposed
to "me" and took "me" away from "my" ladyship. "I" married into the purple,
Manderley. However, "I" soon found that everyone relating to Maxim, including the
servants and Maxim's mother, could not forget Maxim's beautiful perfect capable ex-
wife, Rebecca. Rebecca's so-called impeccability contrasted sharply with "my"
mediocrity. "I" tried to follow her example, receiving guests, and holding parties. One
day, the real Rebecca's body was found, and an entire case came out. Contrary to
people's previous impression of her, Rebecca was an extremely dissolute woman who
seduced the servants and even her cousin. After that, no longer did "I" imitate her.
Instead, "I" shouldered the responsibility as a wife and, at the same time, improved
"my" socializing skills, thus leading a happy life with Maxim.

The most inspiring part for me is the gradual transformation and maturity of the
narrator, "I," the second wife of Mr. de Winter. The protagonist "I" has experienced
three times of growth, from unquestioning obedience to masculinism (Siju Li, 2022),
blind imitation of the perfect woman, to accurate self-positioning.

Unquestioning obedience reflects that "my" concept of women's rights had not yet
emerged, and "I" was subject to male domination. From the beginning of "my"
encounter with Maxim, "I" placed myself in the subordinate position, obeying Mr. De
Winter unconditionally. At this stage, "I" rarely spoke up for myself. After the
proposal, "I" could not even say for "myself," and it was not "I" but "Maxim" who
told the truth to Mrs. Van Hopper. From my point of view, as a woman, "I" was on the
lower hand of the interaction while Maxim predominated over "me." All of these
suggest that "I" considered male supremacy as a convention without any complaint.

Blind imitation of the perfect woman shows the debut of "my" pursuit of feminism. In
this stage, I married Maxim and became the new mistress of Manderley. However, I
was not accustomed to this new role because Rebecca was too perfect for "me" to
replace. Ever since "I "first met Maxim, "I" have been hearing about Rebecca's
perfection in terms of her looks and abilities. Gradually, it struck "me" that only when
a woman has her unique shining point can she be remembered and admired by others.
Therefore, "I" deemed Rebecca as the ideal of the perfect woman and was anxious to
correct "my" shortcomings. "I" finally broke down the barrier of "inequality," talking
with Maxim and ordering the servants to do things. I can tell from this part that there
is a switch from passiveness to activeness and germination of "my" feminist
consciousness.

The accurate self-positioning between obedience to masculinism and the imitation of

feminism represents "my" successful trade-off. As soon as I learned that Rebecca was
a vicious woman, the image of the ideal woman completely collapsed. It jolted "me"
out of the blind pursuit of impeccable feminism. "I" redefined the nature of affection
and came up close to Maxim from an unequal position to an equal one. As for the role
in marriage, "I" acted as a competent wife, striving to manage the relationship, and
learning to give and take in an accommodating way. As for the role in society, "I"
played an auxiliary and sometimes leading role in receiving the guests and holding
parties. In the end, being a real couple in love, Maxim and "I" led a harmonious and
felicitous life. What I gain from this stage is that neither should we blindly obey the
male power nor pursue women's rights. Finding an accurate position is of paramount
importance in maintaining a happy marriage.

Apart from applying to the 20th Century, this inspiration is also suitable for the
present age. In a marriage, we should neither blindly follow the husband’s advice, nor
behave the individualistic way Rebecca did. If marriage is a scale, Maxim and
Rebecca are said to be sitting on two extremes, one representing absolute male power
and the other absolute female power. Both of them refuse to live harmoniously with
each other. Then the result is that they will not be friends but permanent enemies.
Therefore, only when striking a balance between obedience to masculinism and the
exertion of feminism, just as what "I" did, can we lead a good and happy life. As one
of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century Virginia Woolf said,
"in the male mind, a male is better than a female; however, in the female mind, a
female is better than a male. The best situation is to live together in harmony.
(Virginia Woolf, 1929)" There is nothing perfect in the world, and we should make
good use of the advantages and disadvantages of both sexes and strike a delicate
balance. If this is widely applied in our daily life, the disintegration and collapse of a
great number of families can be held back and the divorce rate would slow its stride,
which contributes to social harmony.

Reference：
[1] Biography of Daphne Du Maurier. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from IMDb Network
Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0238898/bio
[2] 李四菊.(2022).男性凝视下的灰姑娘——互文性视域下《蝴蝶梦》中女性形象解读 .
英语广场(09),53-56. doi:10.16723/j.cnki.yygc.2022.09.013.
[3] Virginia Woolf. (1929). A room of one's own. AZ: Penguin Modern Classics.