Preview

Social Structure of the 1930's - Daphne Du Maurier

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
965 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Social Structure of the 1930's - Daphne Du Maurier
Social Structure of the 1930 's
Daphne Du Maurier uses her own reflections in Rebecca to criticize the social structure of the 1930 's. The settings throughout the book are taken directly from Daphne 's memories as a young child and adult portraying the high social class environment. Important characters and their actions can easily relate back to Daphne 's relationship with certain individuals in her life. The characters everyday routines show Daphne 's social views on the stereotyped British civilian. There are also many significant events in the novel resembling important moments throughout Daphne 's life. Rebecca is, overly, very autobiographical of Daphne Du Maurier 's life.
The elaborate atmosphere displayed throughout Rebecca can closely be related to the surroundings seen throughout Daphne 's life. These characteristics establish the wealthy social class Daphne wanted to portray. As a young child, Daphne stayed at the Milton, which was an exquisite mansion, built for a superior family. The house, called Manderly, described in the novel demonstrates extremely similar features suggesting a relation between the two. Both houses illustrate a massive entrance hall with countless rooms, ran by an authoritative housekeeper. Daphne used more than just use these early memories to create the imaginative setting within Rebecca. She used many attributes from a small town called Menabilly to generate the ambiance of Manderly. Not only are their overall names quite similar, but also the set-up of the two areas. Menabilly was the home of the Rashleigh family, which is just outside Fowey in Cornwall. It 's mansion is hidden from the long driveway with immense forestry toped off with the pathway that leads towards a small cottage beside the sea with two beaches secluded in a small cove. Daphne often visited Menabilly, but only as a trespasser. She undoubtedly cherished this place so much that she ended up living there for many years. Here, she created some of her



Cited: Cook, Judith, ed. Daphne - A Portrait of Daphne Du Maurier. Great Britain: Bantam Press, 1991. Du Maurier, Daphne. Rebecca. 1938. Great Britain: Arrow Books, 1992. "Daphne Du Maurier Book Review." Rev. of Rebecca. Daphne Du Maurier. 2003. Westwind Internet. 8 Nov. 2007 .

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls describes her childhood and her views of the world as she grew up. She pushed herself through poverty to eventually become successful. Throughout the book, Jeannette describes her horrific ordeals and crazy adventures her family had. They moved to dozens of different places and even lived in the family car for some time. The Glass Castle shows Jeannette’s power of forgiveness, a common theme in the book.…

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Daily Life in US 1920-1935

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The 1920s is an era remembered as the “Roaring Twenties”. The age of mass marketing had begun. With a model T in every driveway and the stock market soaring, the 1920s made more than a few men millionaires. The 1920s will always be remembered for its speakeasies, Babe Ruth, Amos and Andy, Charles Lindbergh, and the flapper. This must have been a very exciting time to be alive, without the knowledge of what was to come, to only live for today. The image of a cavalier nation with everyone visiting speakeasies and dancing the Charleston gives way to the 1930s. The 1930s was a decade of heart wrenching poverty, the Dust Bowl of the American south west and FDR’s New Deal.…

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Walls family did not exactly live what you would call an ideal life, but to their family it was as good as it could get. In the book The Glass Castle, the author Jeannette Walls explains her life story. Jeannette, being the main character in the book, lives with her family who is always moving to different cities whether it be Arizona, California, or even West Virginia. Being a kid at the time, Jeannette does not quite understand how irresponsible her parents are, but by the time she is an adult she understands how badly her parents have screwed up. Jeanette decides to leave her family and build a new and improved life for herself. Throughout the book, Jeanette Walls changes from an adventurous girl to a responsible woman.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Roaring Twenties is a term for society and culture in the 1920s in the Western world. It was a time of economic prosperity, with rapid change both socially and culturally. The 1920s brought a feeling of freedom and independence to millions of young Americans. Soldiers returned from world war 1 with new ideas after having seen a different world in Europe. Many of these young soldiers no longer wanted the simple life and old traditions of their families and countryside villages when they returned home. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms.…

    • 154 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the roaring twenties captivated the lives of American families with its great profits, big business, and optimism, the thirties altered the nation’s economic dreams, values, fashion, and everyday life. After ending an abundant decade in the twenties, the 1930’s brought forth pain, poverty, and hardships.…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the 1920s, there was a new sense of freedom after World War One. Popular culture became very relevant to almost every citizen in this period of time because they were constantly mulling over the high life. Technology became readily available for ordinary citizens. The 1920s had a burst of popular culture, movies became popular, radios were considered the device that, “knitted the nation together,” Women became more proactive in getting low paying jobs. Modeling also became very popular for publication of products. This era was very progressive in the working movement, a lot was…

    • 96 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    women in 1920s

    • 1317 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Women’s rights were important to them because they want to have freedom like men’s do. They just don’t want to stay home and take care of their family. They wants to works, rights to vote, gain education and etc. That’s why women’s rights were important to them lot.…

    • 1317 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The 1920s was a quite controversial decade concerning women’s position. People, trying to forget about the shock of the Great War, buried themselves in an unabashed materialism and hedonism. It was a decade when all old norms were extinguished not only for women but for the whole society. It was the time of one of the greatest changes American society ever experienced.…

    • 1390 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Would I rather live in America in the 1950s or America in the 2000s? I would most definatly live in America in the 1950s because there was no internet to cause drama, cyberbulling etc. It was a lot less expensive for everything then America in the 2000s and also kids were not as messed up as they have became in the 2000s.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women in the 1920's

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Before World War II no one believed women had a place in the military, yet women overcame this and helped the United States reach victory. Women felt they needed and wanted to get involved in the war instead of sitting at home, taking care of the children, cooking dinner, and cleaning the house. Women joined military support organizations like the WACs, the WAVES and the WASPs. These kinds of organizations contributed immensely toward the United States war effort. Women felt that if men could serve in the war, they could, too. Women relieved men of certain jobs so the men could go fight in the war. Women worked hard and took the men’s places, but they could not fight or get close to battle. Women’s roles in the war changed society, and lasted long after the United States declared victory.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    As the candle flickered in the corner of the room, the shadows danced across the stone wall, casting light upon my aged face. I had sat in darkness for days now, the war becoming worse, and so was my eyes.The silver rimmed cup in my hand trembled, as Parkinsons Disease had taken over my body, I never managed to remain still. As my hair reseeds and my eyes grow tired, I know that it is time for me to leave. My whole life was spent in Manderly and now that it is burnt down, and I have retired, I don’t know what to do. I am just biding my time, waiting for the moment that I will this estate. I only have my memories for company, memories of Sir, Mrs De Winter, Madame Rebecca, Robert and Mrs Danvers. A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as the first glance, as they are often the truest. The memories of my first glances at the first and second Mrs De Winter now come back to me.…

    • 1239 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    woman how to dress, please her husband, raise her children, and cook her food” . There were also occasional cases where women were advised not to get a job, however, usually the job was in domestic service – like housekeeper, maid, dressmaker, babysitter, waitress, cook etc.…

    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women In The 1930's

    • 1887 Words
    • 8 Pages

    During the two decades from 1920 to 1940, the number of American women working outside the home increased slightly. In 1920, women made up 23.6 percent of the labor force; by 1940, this percentage had risen to 25.4. Some advances were made in working women's rights, but during the Great Depression, many female workers lost their jobs or were forced to accept severe cuts in pay. Despite the economic difficulties of the period, some outstanding businesswomen achieved great commercial success. In the 1930s, despite the fact that women were a big part of the society, they were not treated equally in the workplace compared to their male counterparts.…

    • 1887 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1920s Women's Equality

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages

    This document shows how women were fighting for equal rights in not only in the workforce; but also equal rights socially as well. These women were worried about equal pay and that if women do not advance their status now they will never fill top executive jobs with larger salaries than the salaries that are being provided for them during the time. For example; "Because such restrictions mean the closing of opportunity to women whose ability would enable them to rise to executive positions, the business and professional women of the country are nearly a unit in opposing them" (paragraph 7). Because these women were able to fight against this inequality that in "In 1920 the National Federation of Business and Professional Women passed the following…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Roman Catholic

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages

    4. With whom did Marguerite and Bailey live at the beginning of the book? Why?…

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics