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Maximillian "Maxim" De Winter is one of the main protagonists of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 Gothic suspense novel Rebecca. He is the owner of the stately manor Manderley, where he once lived with his first wife Rebecca and where most of the plot is set.

We are first introduced to Maxim's character through the first-person narrator of the novel, known only as the second Mrs De Winter. She meets him in Monte-Carlo working as a paid companion for an elderly socialite and describes him as, "arresting, sensitive, medieval in some strange inexplicable way" contributing to his mysterious character. On the surface he seems calm, collected and charming, a great example of the perfect English gentleman. However, as the story unfolds we see he is hiding many dark secrets about his first marriage and the details surrounding Rebecca De Winters death, such as the fact that it wasn't a tragic accident but instead a murder he committed.

Creation
Originally Daphne du Maurier was going to name Maxim's character Henry, however upon final publication she decided to change it to Maxim reflecting that "perhaps I thought Henry sounded dull". Alison Light comments that the final published version made it less parochial as 'Maxim' sounds more glamorous and international in comparison to the stodgy-sounding 'Henry'.

Characterisation
We are first introduced to Maxims character from almost the beginning of the novel, and immediately it is evident that he is a man of importance from the excited reaction of Mrs Van Hopper when she realises who he is. He is described by the narrator as a man out of the ordinary and she compares him to an old painting she once saw in a gallery, of a dark and mysterious man from a distant century.

As the narrator begins to spend more time with Maxim on their secret day trips together and long drives in his car, he appears to be well-mannered and charming. However, some critics argue that he is aware of his charm and charisma and uses it to manipulate the young and naive narrator into marrying him.

Indeed, throughout the novel he seems to behave more like a father figure than a husband, treating the narrator like a little girl, which can be seen in Chapter 16 of Rebecca:


 * He considered me a moment, his eyebrows raised, whistling softly. “Listen, my sweet. When you were a little girl, were you ever forbidden to read
 * certain books, and did your father put those books under lock and key?”
 * “Yes,” I said.
 * “Well, then. A husband is not so very different from a father after all. There is a certain type of knowledge I prefer you not to have. It's better kept
 * under lock and key. So that's that. And now eat up your peaches, and don't ask me any more questions, or I shall put you in the corner.”
 * “I wish you would not treat me as if I was six,” I said.

The above conversation between the two of them illustrates the condescending way in which he communicates with his wife, showing how he holds the power in their relationship. It also shows how secretive he is and opposed to her knowing certain things about him.

However, towards the end of the novel when he finally reveals the truth about what happened to Rebecca and that he shot her, interestingly the roles become reversed as the narrator takes charge in order to protect him. And when they both run away together in exile, the female narrator admits that since the secrets that were once between them have been disclosed, she has never felt closer to her husband and "Maxim has apparently abandoned his distant and demanding ways, showing his vulnerability and even emotional dependence on his younger wife"