The novel Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier is not a new one. In fact, the plot of a naïve young woman marrying a mysterious and distant widower? Also not very new. Due to these facts, as well as the fact that the book was written in 1938, it may often come off as dated to the modern reader. So far, the women come off as hypersensitive and Gothic (not goth), the men seem detached, and overall, everyone behaves in the most stuffy and English way they can possibly manage. This may make the book seem unappealing, but despite the old-world characterizations, de Maurier continually draws the reader further into the world of the unnamed young narrator, beginning with the very first chapter. This is perhaps the best known part of the book, retelling a vision that the narrator has of the famed estate Manderley, where her story takes place. The description of the mansion is dark and dreamy, appropriately setting up the tone for the rest of the novel, which is raked with suspense and jealousy. The book is definitely effectively escapist once you can really get into the story and ignore the constant choruses of "Oh dear," and "I say..." The narrative begins with the main character meeting wealthy Englishman Maximilian de Winter while visiting Monte Carlo. After the two quickly become enamored with each other and marry, they honeymoon in Venice and return to his beautiful and foreboding home, Manderley. The reader is easily sucked into this world of luxury (and brooding. So much brooding.) As our innominate narrator spends more and more time at the estate, though, there seems to be more and more evidence of peculiarity surrounding the tragic death of de Winter's first wife. From my current place in the book, tensions are rising while the already shaky confidence of our main character slowly continues to crumble in the shadow of her predecessor- it seems that something is about to come to a heads and I can't wait to find out what it is. | The famously dark and descriptive opening of Rebecca's first chapter: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again... I came upon it suddenly; the approach masked by the unnatural growth of a vast shrub that spread in all directions... There was Manderley, our Manderley, secretive and silent as it had always been, the gray stone shining in the moonlight of my dream, the mullioned windows reflecting the green lawns and terrace. Time could not wreck the perfect symmetry of those walls, nor the site itself, a jewel in the hollow of a hand." |
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(spoilers ahead)
The film Slumdog Millionaire was a smash hit when it was released in 2008. Through a series of flashbacks, it tells the story of Jamal Malik, born in the Juhu slum in India. He spends his life overcoming nearly impossible odds until winning an Indian variant of the popular television gameshow Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? at age 18, and reuniting with his life-long love interest. The movie won critical accolades as well as eight Academy Awards, and was generally well-received for its feel-good ending. Maybe though, the reason that this movie was so satisfying and universally liked was its easy relation to the Hero Monomyth. We witness numerous formative experiences in Jamal's life, from the autograph he receives from India's pre-eminent actor to his and his brother's abduction and escape. Despite the multiple flashbacks and triumphs, though, Slumdog does not follow the each and every step of the Hero's Journey. However, it is still possible to apply many of those steps to the movie. There is the major example of the step "Brother Battle", matched in Jamal's closeness and conflict with his brother Salim throughout the film's progression. The audience recognizes early on that they are each others only and closest companions, especially after their mother's death. As the brothers get older, though, they are thrown into growing discord until they are separated for years. That is, until the finale of the story, in which Salim gives his life so that Latika, friend and romantic interest to Jamal, can escape danger and and find her way back to Jamal. Jamal's relationship with Latika also relates strongly to the step of the Hero Monomyth called "Sacred Marriage". While Latika is legally married to an abusive ganglord, her true amatory bond remains with Jamal, who seeks her out again and again after they are separated during childhood. The scene in which they find each other for the last time, after Jamal wins Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? can be matched with the final step of the Hero's Monomyth, "Freedom to Live". By the end of the movie, it appears that all of Jamal's problems are solved. He finally has the money to do what he pleases, he is admired by the entire country for his win, and most importantly, he has been reunited with Latika, who no longer has to worry about being tracked down by her husband's men. Though despite this romantic ending and his clearly un-Christian background, Jamal's path can also be interpreted as that of a literary Christ figure. Indeed, he spends much of the film suffering, whether in his flashbacks or at the hands of police trying to figure out how he could possible have come so far on Millionaire without cheating. He is also a very forgiving figure. Even years after it Salim threatens his life and seemingly abandons him, even when Jamal swears to Salim that he will never forgive be forgiven, he shortly ends up living with Salim and renewing their bond. There is also the fact that, by the time he has reached the very last question on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Jamal has gained not twelve followers, but apparently the whole of India's lower class. People gather in the streets to watch his final question together and cheer him on as he passes- the hype over Jamal's performance had spread across India overnight. Just as masses did for Christ, crowds proclaim their love for him as someone who elevated from humble beginnings to fame and splendor. Because he goes from living like his impoverished, sometimes immoral, audience to being an inspirational leader for them, he redeems the morale of the oppressed lower classes, much like Christ. Finally, Salim even redeems himself to his brother in a way that feels appropriately Christian; he commits a selfless act for Jamal, our Christ figure, before symbolically "baptizing" himself and meeting his doom (albeit the fact that his "baptism" doesn't take place in holy water, but in a bathtub of money). |