Previous
Similes
Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Wife or Dog:
In Chapter 9, the narrator sits outside on the lawn with Maxim and Beatrice while the siblings discuss their grandmother. The narrator uses a simile to capture the situational irony of Maxim's attitude toward her:
I listened to them both, leaning against Maxim’s arm, rubbing my chin on his sleeve. He stroked my hand absently, not thinking, talking to Beatrice.
“That’s what I do to Jasper,” I thought. “I’m being like Jasper now, leaning against him. He pats me now and again, when he remembers, and I’m pleased, I get closer to him for a moment. He likes me in the way I like Jasper.”
The narrator has been feeling self-conscious for Beatrice's whole visit. She did not have time to prepare to receive visitors, only just having arrived at Manderley herself. Beatrice has been nice enough but has already commented that the narrator is nothing like Rebecca. This comment sticks with the narrator and makes her feel as though she may not be good enough for Maxim. Sitting with both Beatrice and Maxim, she does not have much to add to the conversation about the grandmother she has never met. She touches Maxim affectionately, hoping to convey to him, Beatrice, and herself that she is his wife even if she is quiet. It seems that she is both trying to give him attention and asking for attention in return to affirm that he is including her in the social interaction with his sister. He complies, but the way he touches her is not what she expects. Instead of caressing her like she imagines he would a wife he considers his equal partner, he instead pats her "like Jasper," the dog. Her attempt to get affirmation completely backfires, making her feel like a dog desperate for love.
For the narrator, who has been desperately trying to become both more adult and more sophisticated as she enters Maxim's middle-aged, aristocratic world, this is a devastating blow. She can never hope to fill Rebecca's shoes if she is on the same level to Maxim as Rebecca's dog. The narrator spends the next 10 chapters flailing to prove that there is more to her than this.
Related Themes:
Chapter 25
Explanation and Analysis—Guilty Lovers:
In Chapter 25, Maxim and the narrator finally get some time to themselves after the inquest. There is situational irony in their behavior toward one another, which the narrator drives home with a simile:
In a few minutes the telephone began ringing again. I did not do anything. I let it ring. I went and sat down at Maxim’s feet. It went on ringing. I did not move. Presently it stopped, as though cut suddenly in exasperation. The clock on the mantelpiece struck ten o’clock. Maxim put his arms round me and lifted me against him. We began to kiss one another, feverishly, desperately, like guilty lovers who have not kissed before.
The narrator compares herself and Maxim to "guilty lovers" who are eager to finally kiss each other for the first time. Their "feverish" desperation seems connected to the fact that they are complicit in covering up Rebecca's murder together. It also seems connected to the fact that they are the only two people who are part of this conspiracy. They have been dealing all day with the inquest and with Favell's accusations after the fact. Favell, Frank, and Colonel Julyan have finally left, and the narrator has just gotten Beatrice off the phone. In the morning they will have to go see Dr. Baker, who may reveal Maxim's motive for murder. For now, though, the "guilty lovers" can take pleasure in ignoring the phone. They can enjoy being together against the outside world. This is especially exciting for the narrator, who usually feels like the odd one out when she is in a room with Maxim and others.
Even though the two of them are glad to be alone together, it is ironic that this is the moment when they finally feel like lovers. It has been a draining day, during which the narrator has watched Maxim be grilled by the coroner about Rebecca's death. Beatrice and the rest of the world are shocked to hear the death ruled a suicide. Meanwhile, it seems oh-so-likely that Maxim will be arrested tomorrow, after the visit to Dr. Baker. On top of all of these reasons to feel overwhelmed, the narrator is alone with a man who murdered his last wife. She ought to be terrified of him, and yet she finds him more attractive than ever. This irony demonstrates that the narrator has grown from a seemingly innocent young woman into a woman who relishes being a "guilty lover."
Related Themes:
