In the novel, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, the author showcases multiple characters and their desires to find their true selves. However, in reality they are only all trying to give off artificial personalities in order for them to become well liked and accepted into a society that is filled with nothing but lies and secrets. This only goes on to show how people are taught to become and attain a fake life and persona, that in reality is never even possible for anyone to attin, and that there will always be unreasonable expectations for someone to live up to. Du Maurier even puts all of this together in a setting that is full of extraordinary expectations, Great Britain in the early 1900’s. This era was filled with nothing but fantasies and kings and queens, with Britain booming due to the great success of the Industrial Revolution, and everyone at the time was living in what seemed to be a wonderful life. Du Maurier combines all of these things in her novel in order to illustrate the constant struggle of all of the characters in trying to find their true identity, also not ever knowing what may or may not be the true identity of the other characters around them, and forever thinking that one person may be one way but never finding out their true identity. The novel continues to demonstrate how someone needs to go out and meet the correct ideals set by those that other found to be the best person. The most perfect and ideal example of this would have to be how everyone in Manderley did not want to accept Mrs. de Winter after she was brought in as the new wife. They were all still used to how Rebecca was, and that she was the “real” Mrs. de Winter. She tries to become like what Rebecca was so bad, that even at the Manderley costume ball by being in the same costume that Rebecca wore, but only to be overshadowed by Rebecca once again because of all the memories that were brought back of Rebecca being in the same dress (Du Maurier, 1971, p. 175-178). Mrs. de Winter feels so insecure about trying to be like Rebecca, because of the hate that she receives from everyone like Mrs. Danvers and how everyone is always making it seem like she isn’t god enough, or isn’t anywhere near being like Rebecca, that she questions if Maxim even truly loves her or not. So through most of the novel Mrs. de Winter is trying to see why Maxim doesn’t “love” her and tries to be like Rebecca as much as she can, but seems to continually fail. It gets so bad that Mrs. de Winter even tries to kill herself because Mrs. Danvers tells her that she can never become like Rebecca and she might as well kill herself (Du Maurier, 1971, p. 200). This just shows how the narrator was so obsessed with trying to please everyone by becoming someone who she clearly was not. This might be due to the fact that she came from a poorer background than her new husband and all of those in Manderley, and the psychological effect of needing to be just like them too, overcame her completely leading her to feel inferior and deviate from what was her true identity. This inferiority complex may have been prevalent through her whole life even, which is also an explanation for wanting to always please people and fit in, so she may have never really gotten to know her true identity or may have just hid it from everyone she comes to meet. The author was able to hide the true identity of other characters from everyone and letting them realize who the real person truly was. The first example of this that comes to mind has to be the most mysterious character in the entire novel, Rebecca. She may be dead, but ultimately is the one who controls all that goes in the novel. Everyone at Manderley thought she was such a great person, especially Mrs. Danvers. She was so in love with Rebecca and was almost like a mother figure to her in a way that she would always overlook any flaw or bad characteristic that she may have had. It s