Transforming

One of the key features of fiction is the transformation of the protagonist. By this, I am not referring to a certain genre of fiction known as Transformation Fiction, where a character, often an animal, changes its form like a shapeshifter, which suggests fantasy and science fiction. No sir, I’m talking about a realistic transformation of personality, the kind of thing all humans go through. Here is what our friend AI says:

Transformation in fiction is a fundamental narrative technique where characters, themes, or the story world undergo a significant, evolving change, often leading to a new equilibrium by the story's end. This can involve external or internal shifts, such as a character developing new beliefs, adopting different behaviors, or physically changing form. The process involves an inciting incident, a series of actions, and a compelling before-and-after contrast that shows the character's evolution. 

It is commonplace to believe that people transform due to an outside event, perhaps meeting a charismatic person or experiencing some trauma. This may lead to an internal conflict which is resolved by change. Satisfying, relatable fiction makes use of this causal relationship, and Rebecca is an outstanding example.

The story begins with the unnamed protagonist who describes herself in this way: “…with straight bobbed hair and youthful, unpowdered face, dressed in an ill-fitting coat and skirt, and a jumper of my own creation, trailing Mrs. Van Hopper (her employer) like a shy, uneasy colt.”

“Any measure of self-possession I had gained hitherto…was like a rag now, fluttering before the wind; it seemed to me that even the most elementary knowledge of behaviour was unknown to me now; I should not know my right hand from my left, whether to stand or sit, what spoons and forks to use at dinner.”

In short, at the beginning of the story, the protagonist suffers from poor self-esteem.

Her husband Maxim seems to abet this process of self-loathing. He is some twenty years older and treats the protagonist more like a daughter than a wife, kissing her on top of the head, and addressing her as “my sweet child.” He is often withdrawn and grumpy and the protagonist takes this personally, believing he is dissatisfied with her because she’s such a wretch. Of course, we learn that she is incorrect, although one might wonder why Maxim does marry her. She does become very stalwart and more womanly, perhaps old Maxim saw a potential in her that she ignored.

The marriage is what Ai would call an inciting incident.

A crisis develops. She believes he longs for his first wife and actively tries to emulate her. However, the protagonist becomes convinced that she will never measure up to the deceased Rebecca, and that Maxim must regret marrying again. At the fancy dress ball, the protagonist acts out this crisis by dressing as a forebear of Maxims, not realizing Rebecca had done the same. Maxim loses it, and the protagonist is plunged into despair. It should be noted that the evil Mrs. Danvers encourages all this drama, wishing to discredit and drive away the protagonist.

The situation seems to be lurching toward disaster when Rebecca’s sailboat is discovered with her corpse inside a cabin.

Maxim confesses to the protagonist that he shot Rebecca to death and tried to conceal the murder by scuttling the boat. He describes Rebecca as emotionally abusive, a woman who taunted him into a homicidal rage, and that he didn’t love her.

Here is where we get the protagonist’s transformation. “I held his hand against my heart. I did not care about his shame. None of the things he had told me mattered to me at all. I clung to one thing only, and repeated it to myself, over and over again. Maxim did not love Rebecca. They had never known one moment’s happiness together.”

And: “I was the self that I had always been, I was not changed. But something new had come upon me that had not been before. My heart, for all its anxiety and doubt, was light and free…I did not hate her (Rebecca) anymore. She could not hurt me.”

‘Kay.

Some of you may raise your eyebrows at all this. Why does Maxim shoot his wife? That’s pretty extreme behavior. Well, there is some foreshadowing—mention of Maxim’s bad temper, but, hey, no book is perfect. The protagonist’s reaction to learning of the murder may also seem a bit surprising—if your spouse confessed to murdering your predecessor, would you conclude he didn’t love her and exult? This does get at the point of reliable/unreliable narrators, but Rebecca never raises this question. If Maxim says the sky is blue, it is.

My point here is to show how the story handles the process of transformation. As things develop, the protagonist describes sexual behavior with her husband (very discreet)—the likes of which you’ve never seen before! She transforms from being a sort of teenager to being a woman who can be sexual and can also support her partner through a rough time.

Let’s stop here and pick up next time.

Till then.

#Rebecca #DaphneDuMaurier #AlanBray