Rebecca Gender Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

"She looked very pale, very thin. She began walking up and down the room, her hands in the pockets of her trousers. She looked like a boy in her sailing kit, a boy with a face like a Botticelli angel." (20.67)

Maxim describes Rebecca as a boy just before he kills her. What's this all about? Is he trying to forget that he killed his wife? Is killing an angel-faced boy any better?

Quote #8

 "She was not in love with you, or with Mr. de Winter. She was not in love with anyone. She despised all men. She was above all that." (24.119)

This line is often interpreted as suggesting that Rebecca might sexually prefer women over men, or that Mrs. Danvers would like her to. We can also read it more plainly: maybe Mrs. Danvers agrees with Rebecca and believes that romantic love is foolish.