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ornamental line

Moving Unquiet Depths

"I wonder how many people there were in the world who suffered,
and continued to suffer, because they could not break out
from their own web of shyness and reserve" (158).
Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca (1938)


Points for Reflection

Rebecca, chps. 22-27

  1. does Frank know the truth?
  2. to what end does du Maurier insert an impending storm?
  3. does Jack Favell’s appearance at the inquest bring about the outcome he desires?
  4. did Rebecca love her cousin, Jack Favell, romantically?
  5. what happens to the narrator at the inquest, and how does this impact Maxim’s testimony?
  6. how does yet another revelation, this time about Rebecca’s doctor visit, alter the dynamic between Maxim and the new Mrs. de Winter?
  7. does the outcome of the court case shape the reader’s attitude towards Maxim?
  8. at what points throughout the novel has the final scene been foreshadowed?
  9. do Frith’s presence and knowledge pose a threat to the narrator’s happiness?
  10. why did Rebecca lie to Maxim about her health?
  11. what are we initially led to believe drew Rebecca to the doctor?
  12. does Rebecca win?
  13. why are so many people complicit in keeping Maxim’s secret?
  14. return to our narrator’s early questioning of the principle that suffering refines and strengthens the sufferer (5). Have her trials thus far made her stronger?
  15. at one point early in their friendship, the narrator wondered about Max’s sanity (29). Does this fleeting thought deserve to resurface?  Is there reason to be concerned?
  16. why do Maxim and the narrator leave Manderley?


painting of cliffside next to ocean, with neary, marooned ship on beach
Beer, Devon; Figures Walking on a Beech Beneath Cliff
George Marks


Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu