Identity In Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca

The theme of identity is a chief subject in the book, Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier. Throughout almost the entire novel, the narrator remains nameless in search of her own identity. Du Maurier establishes this theme from the very beginning by maintaining the narrator’s secrecy, as only Maxim learns the narrator’s name. After marrying Maxim, the storyteller is inevitably given a new identity as Mrs. Maxim de Winter, but she does not feel suited to her newly given role. The narrator’s indeterminate identity deteriorates throughout her time at her new home, Manderley, because of the continuous reminder of Rebecca, Maxim’s first bride, the “real” Mrs. de Winter. The narrator is swiftly overpowered by the intensity of Rebecca’s ghost like presence