The Purpose Of Irony

11 Pages 2718 Words

In Daphne duMaurier’s Rebecca, the protagonist and narrator, Mrs. de Winter, strives to claim her proper role at Manderly and in her marriage as she deals with the inhibitions placed on her by her false image of Rebecca, Mrs. Danvers adoration of Rebecca, and Maxim’s reluctance to discuss his late wife, Rebecca. When reading the novel Rebecca, one must ask what the purpose of using irony in is. The role of irony in a novel is one that is used quite often as a literary technique. Generally speaking irony is used to prove a point or to give a different perspective on things or an unsuspecting ending.
When the new Mrs. de Winter is arriving at Manderly for the first time, she instantly loses any poise that she gained during her first seven weeks of marriage and honeymooning with Maxim. Daphne duMaurier describes Mrs. de Winter’s fears through her thoughts as she and Maxim are driving to Manderly and getting closer by the minute. “Any measure of self-possession I had gained hitherto… was like a rag now, fluttering before the wind…” (duMaurier, 62). Mrs. de Winter is feeling like her old-self again, and in this case it is not a desired happening. As she and Maxim draw nearer to Manderly her anxiety and anticipation rise, almost to the point where it is unbearable. Her fears are heightened when Maxim drives up in front of Manderly’s entrance and Mrs. de Winter can see through the window that the hall is full of people all waiting to meet her and determine how she measures up to Maxim’s late wife Rebecca.
The first woman Mrs. de Winter is introduced to inside the estate is Mrs. Danvers. The narrator’s first impression of this woman is that she is cold, distant, and in fact quite lifeless. Mrs. de Winter very quickly feels the judging eyes of this unusual woman once she is properly introduced. Before the narrator’s encounter with Mrs. Danvers, Maxim informs her that Mrs. Danvers would take care of running ...