Chapter 4


The chapter begins with Mrs. Van Hopper being diagnosed with influenza. Being order to rest for a fortnight, the narrator is released from her obligations. As the girl ventures to the restaurant, she has an awkward encounter with Mr. de Winter – which results in the two lunching together. The narrator finds herself sharing personal stories and details about her life, her parents and even of Mrs. Van Hopper with Mr. de Winter.

Why do you think the narrator does this?

The girl continues to relate her experiences to Mr. de Winter including the story of the dressmaker, Blaize. When the narrator was offered a commission for Mrs. Van Hopper purchasing 3 dresses from the dressmaker, the narrator refuses feeling embarrassed.

What do you think this reveals to Mr. de Winter?

The narrator’s opinion of Mr. de Winter beings to change:

“I had ill – judged him, he was neither hard nor sardonic, he was already my friend of many years, the brother I had never possessed”

What happens to change her opinion?

After lunch, Mr. de Winter offers to take the narrator to a place so she can sketch, however the weather is not very permitting. The two embark on a journey with no specific destination. Both the characters seem to lose themselves, but to different emotions. The girl is exhilarated and giddy, while Mr. de Winter becomes dark and quiet. Lost to his own thoughts, Mr. de Winter even seems to forget the girl is even with him. The both of them embarrassed and slightly uncomfortable, they begin their return to the hotel. Surprisingly Mr. de Winter begins to reminisce about Manderely’s gardens and scents of spring time. As the two part, Mr. de Winter lends the girls a book of poems. It is this book of poems that we are first given our first glimpse of Rebecca. The inscription reads “Max – From Rebecca”

“I shut the book with a snap and put it away under my gloves; and stretching to a nearby chair, I took up an old copy of L’Illustration and turned the pages”

Why do you think the narrator acts this way?

Thanks lana for a great summary

I shall come back and post my thoughts...

I think that the narrarater is amusing De Winter. I dont seem him realling interested in her. I think that she is very young and naive. Relating her stories makes her come off as a mouse. I think that his interest in her is perhaps in contrast of women that he may know. There is a big difference in their ages and in their class. He must be used to women that are more sofistacated and better educated. To me, his treatment of her in the car is very bad. She is having a completely different trip than he is. He gives her the book of poetry with Rebecca's inscription either because he is not interested in her or because he is just too tied up in his own drama to notice.

I've forgotten so much over 8 or 9 months, but I remember thinking that Mr. de Winter found her interesting company because she was so simple (meaning unsophisticated, not lacking intelligence) and he was clearly trying to get away from some sort of troubles of his own.

I didn't think his interest was especially deep and I thought giving her the book of poetry was more thoughtless than intentionally mean. My impression was that he genuinely thought she'd like the poetry and that he didn't think about the fact that there was an inscription. I think the narrator was uncomfortable taking something that had been a gift from his wife, so she hid it away.

I think they are, slowly, getting to know one another better. The narrator's impressions of Mr. de Winter - she finds him easy to talk to. And, I think he is learning more about her and her relationship with the overbearing Mrs. Van Hopper. I think he is realizing how different she might be if she weren't forced to work for such a woman.

I'm a little surprised that Mrs. VH didn't insist that she stay around the hotel in case she needed any little thing, but it was nice that she didn't. Was something said about that that I am forgetting?

Nice summary, Lana. The excursion was rather strange but gave the narrator and Mr. DeW a chance to get better acquainted. I gather the narrator wanted to talk about her family and life, but no one had ever inquired about it.

Mr. DeW also opens up about Manderley a bit, going on and on about the flowers and maintaining an orderly garden. Something tells me he was not just referring to the blossoms and fauna. It was disquieting to find his wife's signature in the book of poetry. Maybe he is trying to be rid of her emotionally when he lends the book. It wasn't clear if he expected the book back, but he was ready to let go of it.

I have to say that i am finding the book is slowly get better.

I think the narrator was able to open up to Mr. de Winter because i think she felt a little infatuated with the idea of someone wanting to know more about her. She didn't feel self conscious like she was being evaluated, like she would have been with Mrs. VH.

At first when the narrator explained her encounter with the dressmaker, I was a little confused and wondering why the story was going off on this tangent. I think it was to reveal to Mr. de Winter the narrator's ethics. Money was somewhat important (the fact that she worked with someone like Mrs. VH shows this) however it wasn't everything. She refused the money from Balize because she didn't earn it and did not want to feel like she was bought off for something she would have done anyway. She had pride, which is something that Mr. de Winter understands (Manderely ....)

I find the narrator easily swayed, in this chapter she mentions that her opinion of Mr. de Winter changes "he was neither hard nor sardonic". I was surprised that she thought ill of him, because in the previous chapter when Mr. de Winter meets with Mrs. VH, the narrator states that Mrs. VH is rude and gossipy. If she did not like the way Mrs. VH was being, why did she think Mr. de Winter was "hard and sardonic"??

I think Mr. de Winter gave the book of poems to the narrator as a gesture of good-will for his rude behaviour in the car. He wasn't unhappy with the girls company, but he could not stay focus on their trip. I think the narrator snapped it shut when she read the inscription, because for one i think she was pleased that Mr. de Winter lent her the book, she wanted something to keep of him, seeing the name Rebecca brought her back to reality. The reality that there was someone else that he could not forget. This was a glimspe of something personal and possible "forbiddden to others"..

Stay with it lana - it gets better !!


My impression is that Mr De Winter is rather by charmed the narrator - he is quite urbane, and the fact that he insisted she had lunch with him, reiterates his innate good manners, and he manages to encourage the narrator to talk about her self - commenting on her name (which we don't know)...and taking notice of her - it was almost like he was being quietly flirtatious - almost erring on the side of caution, as if he didn't want to frighten her away.

I loved how the narrator felt like she was seeing the places De Winter took her to in a completely new light - she was unsure of her feelings, and I think reading the poetry made her feel equally unsure of Mr de Winter.

It did seem that he was being kind to her and taking her on this jaunt to get away from the hotel and yet he is so preoccupied in his own thoughts. When she tells him the story of the dresser, I think that he realizes something of her character and is refreshed by it which has him talking about Manderly. The poem book he gives her almost seemed like a gesture and it didn't seem like he realized or cared that it was inscribed by Rebecca. However, to a girl who is quickly becoming infatuated with this mysterious man, it was a rather callous gesture. I was uncomfortable for her when she read that inscription.

I was surprised that the narrator would speak so openly about her employer, especially in the beginning of her conversation with Mr. de Winter. I think her youth and her honesty are appealing to him as a distraction from whatever he has left behind in such a hurry.

Interesting that he begins the conversation by commenting on her lovely and unusual name, yet we stil haven't found out what it is. I'm assuming at this point that we aren't going to find out. Is there a reason the author does this?

I think that she talks about her employer because she has nothing else in common to talk about and is still embarrassed by her employer's behavior at the hotel when they first met Maxim.

The whole no name thing seems to play into her character of being a nonperson to everyone IMO. Especially, as she ruminates about Rebecca's inscription of Maxim's name shortened to Max and Rebecca's signature shorted to R. There's all of this conversation about what each calls each other and yet the Narrator's name is silent.

Any thoughts on the poetry in this chapter? I googled the first line, and it's called The Hound of Heaven. According to the Wikipedia entry, the poem is about God's unwearying pursuit of the fleeing soul. Is Max de Winter the fleeing soul?

I read somewhere on the internet (so you know it's true) that Daphne Du Maurier couldn't think of a name at first and then as the story progressed it became more of a challenge to keep her with out a name.

I think it is becase it lessens the presence of the narrator, which reflects how she acts.
I do wish they woul,d give her name. I keep wondering what is so interesting her name, apparently it is even hard to spell??

You can read the poem HERE