These traditional fairytales act as sub-plots throughout the course of the film, acting in a way, as a series of steps, each leading a little closer to the end result and the way the audience is positioned towards the end result. The first step that must be overcome for the plot to mature, and the major characters to mature, is a version of the Cinderella myth. Fontaine is established as a child, a simple girl protected by Mrs. Van Hopper, her ungrateful employer. The audience however, subconsciously associates Fontaine with Cinderella and Mrs. Van Hopper with the evil stepmother. Maxim, her handsome prince, rescues Fontaine, they marry, she receives a name, Mrs. De Winters, exaggerating her solitude and her disability to exist without a man. They the run off back to

The end result of the film Rebecca surveys the traditional fairy tale conventions, where good wins over evil, mortal and the eternal meet and it conveys the message to the 1940's housewife audience that the "good" and naive woman (Fontaine) will be victorious over the "bad" sexual woman (Rebecca). This fairy tale of Rebecca is made up of various other fairy tales molded together to produce the end result of the film.

his castle, Mandeley, and they presumably live happily ever after. This fairy tale is suitable for use in this film, as the intended audience is for housewives in the 1940's who are generalized to wish this life for themselves and freely associate themselves with the Fontaine character. This produces a sympathetic positioning towards the character and the overall effect of the film is much greater if the audience leaves wishing the story, was, in fact, their reality.

This fairytale life is somewhat destroyed in the next scene where Fontaine, the simple child arrives at "her prince's" "castle". She is once again diminished to a trapped child and two new characters, Rebecca and Mrs. Danvers, are established. Mrs. Danvers is established as the "evil stepmother" and Rebecca as a mother figure. Many filmic codes are used in the following scenes to diminish Fontaine and establish her as a trapped child and princess, who must undergo a right of passage in order for the film to "end happily ever after". Maxim's behavior and speech establish him as a father figure towards Fontaine. He often calls her "child" and she, in turn, acts as one. She acts as a frightened child when she first a

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1081
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)