Important Quotes Explained
"Here is Tom Jenkyns, honest and dull, except when he drank too much. It's true that his wife was a scold, but that was no excuse to kill her. If we killed women for their tongues all men would be murderers." (DuMaurier 4) |
"They used to hang men at Four Turnings in the old days. Not anymore, though." (DuMaurier 1 and 383) DuMaurier states this at the very beginning and end of the book. This foreshadows Rachel's death and ties the book together perfectly. As this is the place where young Philip saw the hung man and where Rachel walked to her death.
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Tom Jenkyns was the man that was hung at Four Turnings. The last sentence of the quote demonstrates how men thought of women during the time period. It shows how men didn't want women to freely speak their mind. Also, it has a connection and slightly foreshadows the death of Rachel; because just like Tom Jenkyns, Philip also killed his wife.
"I have never seen her look so radiant, or so happy. Louise and the Pascoes had been right after all. Rachel was beautiful." (DuMaurier 215) This is the biggest turning point, where Philip begins to like Rachel and stop hating her. He instantly changed from hating her to loving her. There really was no transition between the change of hating and loving Rachel; yet this is a concrete example of when Philip changed his mind.
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"I tried to think what else I had to give. She had the property, the money, and the jewels. She had my mind, my body, and my heart. There was only my name, and that she bore already. Nothing remained." (DuMaurier 310)
Philip wanted to marry Rachel desperately. He gave her everything he possessed but she still didn't want to marry him. This shows how Philip loved Rachel more than she loved him.
This explains Ambrose's paranoia, caused from his brain tumor, which was what had brought Philip down to visit. This also opens up the ever lasting conflict of whether to believe Ambrose's suspicion of Rachel or that his brain tumor caused his heightened paranoia.
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She watches me all the time. I have written to you several times, but there is no one I can trust, and unless I can get out myself to mail the letters they may not reach you. As for the doctors, I have no belief in any of them. They are liars, the whole bunch." (DuMaurier 29) |