This essay, composed for an English class, examines the 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film, Rebecca. The purpose of the assignment was to craft a short 1000 word essay analyzing the character of Maxim de Winter as a Bluebeard archetype.
Maxim de Winter: Tortured Soul & Loving Husband
In Bluebeard Gothic Jane Eyre and its Progeny by Heta Pyrhönen, she argues that Maxim forms a marriage contract with his second wife, one that she cannot hope to fulfill. I plan to show that this is not the case, that Maxim truly loves his second wife, and his reasons for temper flares are due to his own insecurities.
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 film, Rebecca, offers a complex and nuanced examination of the character Maxim de Winter. Maxim starts the film portrayed as an angry, brooding figure. Through the course of the film, his character is shown to be layered, complex, and with a vulnerable side that challenges the traditional Bluebeard archetype. He loves his second wife and tries to protect her from life’s harsh realities. Maxim de Winter is a character who develops into a sympathetic person who, in contrast to other Bluebeard characters, genuinely loves and cares for his wife.
When the Second Mrs. de Winter encounters Maxim in the hotel, he is debonaire and charming. He includes the Second Mrs. de Winter in his coffee invitation, whereas Mrs. Van Hopper has not. Maxim sees the Second Mrs. de Winter as a worthy social companion. During his conversation with Mrs. Van Hopper, his eyes rest on the Second Mrs. de Winter and not on the former.
When Maxim takes the Second Mrs. de Winter out on their first excursion, their interactions are playful and light. He kindly teases her about her sketch. The atmosphere of their interaction darkens noticeably when the Second Mrs. de Winter brings up Manderley. Maxim’s demeanor immediately changes. He becomes withdrawn and as the Second Mrs. de Winter tries to engage him in conversation about swimming and drowning, he abruptly turns and walks away (Rebecca, 1940, 00:12:23). This is an early look into Maxim’s tortured past. The mention of Manderley and the mention of drowning, which is how Rebecca died, reminds Maxim of his guilty secret.
Though Maxim’s temper often gets the better of him and he acts roughly toward the Second Mrs. de Winter, the root of his temper is his struggle with his tumultuous past. It is, however, abundantly clear that he shows genuine love and affection for her. He says to her, “I asked you to come out with me because I wanted your company. You’ve blotted out the past for me more than all the bright lights of Monte Carlo” (Rebecca, 1940, 00:17:14). Despite the rough delivery, this is a clear indication that Maxim has found a respite from his past turmoil in the form of the Second Mrs. de Winter.
When Maxim and the Second Mrs. de Winter are watching videos from their honeymoon, his temper flares when she says, “I suppose that’s why you married me; because you knew I was dull and gauche and inexperienced. There could never be any gossip about me” (Rebecca, 1940, 01:00:14). Maxim brusquely asks why Second Mrs. de Winter why she had said that. The word ‘gossip’ is a trigger to Maxim. He lives in perpetual fear that his secret will be discovered and the mention of gossip alerts him to the fact that people might be talking about what happened to Rebecca. Though this scene is punctuated by anger, the home film in the background shows the couple, uninhibited, happy, and in love.
There are several instances where Maxim tries to protect the Second Mrs. de Winter from Mrs. Van Hopper and Mrs. Danvers. After their engagement, Maxim breaks the news to Mrs. Van Hopper. When he sees the Second Mrs. de Winter start at the knock on the door, he reassures her, “Don’t worry, don’t worry. You won’t have to say a word” (Rebecca, 1940, 00:24:32). He takes control of the conversation and puts Mrs. Van Hopper in her place, shielding the Second Mrs. De Winter from having to confront her.
Later, when Mrs. Danvers is interrogating the Second Mrs. de Winter about the broken figurine, Maxim steps in to protect her. He interrupts Mrs. Danvers “yes, yes, alright. Thank you, Mrs. Danvers” (Rebecca, 1940, 00:59:17) and shoos her from the room.
In her book, Bluebeard Gothic: Jane Eyre and Its Progeny Heta Pyrhönen claims that Maxim has formulated a marriage contract for his second wife that involves her submitting to his will and never achieving her own goal of merging herself with Rebecca.
In an examination of the ball gown scene, Pyrhönen states, “Like Bluebeard, he punishes his wife. Maxim symbolically destroys her by ordering her to put on an ordinary evening gown, which, for her, equals appearing as her insignificant self. This punishment teaches her that her role is not to strive for a merger with her ideal self. Maxim castigates her for misunderstanding their marriage contract” (Pyrhönen, 2010).
This is not the reason for Maxim’s distress. There is no covert marriage contract. He is simply a man, crumbling under the weight of his secret. The dress is the exact one Rebecca wore for their last ball. His anger towards the Second Mrs. de Winter all stems from the crushing guilt of that secret; he hated his wife and he is partially responsible for her death. He is desperately afraid of having that secret uncovered. Any reminder of it sends him into a rage.
After his confession, Maxim’s temper towards the Second Mrs. de Winter abates completely. His secret is exposed and he is free. When the Second Mrs. de Winter says Favell had been to the house while Maxim was away he asks gently, “Why didn’t you tell me?” (Rebecca, 1940, 01:34:58). Previously, he almost certainly would have flown into a rage.
Later, when Maxim and the Second Mrs. de Winter are having their last night together before the inquest, he is tender, gentle, and kind towards her. He expresses regret at what the whole situation has done to her. “I don’t mind this whole thing, except for you. I can’t forget what it’s done to you. I’ve been thinking of nothing else since it happened” (Rebecca, 1940, 01:44:40). Then they embrace and kiss.
After the Second Mrs. de Winter faints, Maxim rushes immediately to her side to care for her. His voice is affectionate and soft when he asks her, “Are you alright?” and he puts his hand tenderly on her knee (Rebecca, 1940, 01:50:21).
At the film’s end, Maxim frantically searches frantically for the Second Mrs. de Winter. His tone is desperate as he asks Frith if he has seen Mrs. de Winter. When she calls his name, he rushes to her and embraces her while asking “Are you alright darling? Are you alright?” (Rebecca, 1940, 02:09:13) between kisses. This is the most obvious and explicit demonstration of Maxim’s love for his wife.
While it can certainly be said that Maxim is not the most courteous or chivalrous husband initially, Maxim unquestionably loves his wife. He develops into a sympathetic Bluebeard character, whose love for his second wife is undeniable. Though it is marred by his tortured past and ongoing personal turmoil, Maxim’s love for his second wife is sincere. Maxim challenges the Bluebeard archetype by displaying genuine love for his wife.
References:
Pyrhönen, H. (2010). Bluebeard Gothic: Jane Eyre and its progeny. Univ. of Toronto Press.
Screenshot from Rebecca (1940). (n.d.). https://auxiliarymemory.com/2023/09/11/rebecca-1940/.
Selznick. (1940). Rebecca. United States. Retrieved April 1, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1uvgx3NUR0&ab_channel=CIN%C3%89MOI.