Jane Erye

I enjoyed the novel Rebecca thoroughly because of its many plot twists, suspense,

universal themes and realistic characters. This novel ties closely with the novel Jane Eyre ,

in theme, plot and characters. My second novel A Room With A View has similar women

characters and themes but has a very dissimilar plot line. All three of the novels are set in

Italy in the early 1900's. All three authors wrote love stories that included a strong willed

man and an inferior woman.

I found Daphne DuMaurier and Charlotte Bronte's writing styles similar in many

ways. Rebecca is written in the first person as a memory from the past. The novel begins

by sinking directly into the story, " Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly

again."(DuMaurier 5). At no point in the novel does the author get so wrapped up in

description that you loose the story. We learn about the authors characters through their

actions and insight from other characters. A Room With A View, begins by describing a

elegant dining room in the present tense. Although this description gives you a clear view

of the setting it looses the readers interest in the first few pages. Jane Eyre, commences

with , "There was no possibility of taking a walk that day" (Bronte 3). This quote shows

Charlotte Bronte introducing her novel also in the past tense as a vivid memory.

All three novels included the character of a very inferior feeling, plain woman.

Although all three of these characters begin with low self esteem they evolve throughout

the novel and end as very strong respectful women. In Rebecca the main character's name

was Mrs. De Winter. Rebecca is Mr. De Winter's first wife and is only reflected as a

memory of the past. In Jane Eyre the character's name was Jane and in A Room With A

View , the character's name was Lucy. Mrs. De Winter in the novel, Rebecca, looks back

on herself and states, " I have lost my diffidence, my timidity, my shyness with strangers. I

am very different from that self who drove to Manderly for the first time, hopeful and

eager, handicapped by a rather desperate gaucherie and filled with an intense desire to

please. It was my lack of poise of course that made such a bad impression on people like

Mrs. Danvers."(DuMaurier 13). This quote shows how Mrs. De Winter has become

strong since the first time she seen the enormous mansion called Manderly. All three ladies

are dressed quite plain in the novels. This characteristic parallels the ladies plain

personalities. Jane describes her attire as, " I dressed myself with care: obliged to be plain

- for I had no article of attire that was not made with extreme simplicity - I was still by

nature solicitous to be neat. I ever wished to look as well as I could, and to please as much

as my want of beauty would permit." (Bronte 35). Although Jane, Lucy and Mrs. De

Winter are shown at the beginning of the novels as plain and inferior they all have a place

in their hearts to be strong and confident. Throughout the novel A Room With A View ,

Mr. Bebbe expresses his feelings by saying, " If Lucy lived as passionately as she played

the piano she would become an extraordinary person"(Forster 62). . This quote illustrates

Lucy's place in her heart of sophistication and brilliance. All three women were seen as

inferior and impressionable, but, showed potential of strong characters. All three

characters evolved into confident women and became the characters they were in their

hearts.

The main women characters were initially weak, but, evolve to be the strongest

characters in the novel, the three men characters in the novels were confident and

oblivious to what their wife or finance is feeling. In the novel Jane Eyre, Rochester is the

object of Jane's affection. Rochester says to Jane in a meeting, "You examine me, Miss

Eyre,' said he: 'do you think me handsome?'(Bronte 114). Jane replies, ' I should, if I had

deliberated, have replied to this question by something conventionally vague and polite;

but the answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I was aware- 'No, sir.'(Bronte

114). Jane is very nervous and trembles when Rochester is around. When Rochester enters

the household he is highly respected and all the housemaids run around to complete his

every whim. Mrs. Fairfax described Mr. Rochester as, " He is considered a just and liberal

landlord by his tenants: but he has never lived much amongst them"(Bronte 91) .In the

novel Rebecca Mrs. De Winter feels inferior and nervous when Maxim is around. Mrs. De

Winter says, "One was too sensitive, too raw, there were thorns and pin-pricks in so many

words that in reality fell lightly on the air"(DuMarier 15). Both Jane and Mrs. De Winter

feel that all they should do is please people and do not think much of themselves.

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