The novel Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier, is part of the genre of Gothic fiction. Gothic literature has common themes such as an interesting setting, sense of mystery, moments that create tension or terror, and occasionally romance. The major element that is common in all Gothic literature is that there is a sense of terror. Terror is the intense fear that comes during the anticipation of something about to happen. In the story of Rebecca, once the protagonist arrives at the Manderley there is a sense of terror that occurs. In the beginning the feeling of terror is small and it may be classified as fear, but as the story progresses the sense of terror is prominent in the plot. This sense of terror is mostly developed from the character Mrs. Danvers. A specific scene where terror can be seen is when Mrs. Danvers is trying to convince Mrs. de Winter to commit suicide. Mrs. Danvers creates a feeling of terror by telling Mrs. de Winter that Maxim does not love her and she should just end her misery now. This is nerve racking because Mrs. de Winter is either going to die or stay alive, and the reader does not know which ending will occur. The reader feels very worried for what is about to happen, in other words, the reader is experiencing terrified about what could happen to Mrs. de Winter.
Along with terror, there are also some moral issues in the story. One of the biggest moral issues in the story is how Mrs. de Winter is completely ok with covering up the murder of Rebecca that her husband committed. Usually if someone commits a murder this would be seen as very wrong, but in this case Mrs. de Winter is a great supporter of her husband and tries to help him get away with it. This moral issue had the biggest impact on the story because the rest of the plot was based on the murder of Rebecca. This focus on the murder made the moral issue more prominent and apparent to the reader.
Along with terror, there are also some moral issues in the story. One of the biggest moral issues in the story is how Mrs. de Winter is completely ok with covering up the murder of Rebecca that her husband committed. Usually if someone commits a murder this would be seen as very wrong, but in this case Mrs. de Winter is a great supporter of her husband and tries to help him get away with it. This moral issue had the biggest impact on the story because the rest of the plot was based on the murder of Rebecca. This focus on the murder made the moral issue more prominent and apparent to the reader.