53 pages • 1 hour read
Daphne du MaurierA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses domestic abuse, sexual violence, and ableism.
“‘I don’t want to make trouble,’ he repeated, ‘and I don’t know anything. It’s only what people say. Respectable folk don’t go to Jamaica anymore. That’s all I know. In the old days we used to water the horses there, and feed them, and go in for a bit of a bite and drink. But we don’t stop there anymore. We whip the horses past and wait for nothing, not till we get to Five Lanes, and then we don’t bide long.’”
The reactions Mary receives when she tells people that her destination is Jamaica Inn foreshadow the difficulties that lie ahead for her. The inn’s bad reputation precedes itself, and honest locals avoid the area entirely.
“‘You mustn’t mind your Uncle Joss,’ she said, her manner changing suddenly, fawning almost, like a whimpering dog that has been trained by constant cruelty to implicit obedience, and who, in spite of kicks and curses, will fight like a tiger for its master.”
Aunt Patience’s obedience to her husband evokes pathos and is a mark of how deeply Joss has broken her spirit. Patience has little personality or spirit beyond her devotion to Joss. This is an indication of the abuse she suffers. Like with Francis Davey’s paintings, du Maurier uses the effects of the uncanny to unsettle the reader: Patience’s sudden change makes the reader encounter this familiar character in an oddly taboo and unfamiliar context.
“‘That’s very pretty,’ he said; ‘very prettily put indeed. Now we know just what sort of lodger we have. Scratch her, and she shows her claws. All right, my dear; you and I are more akin than I thought. If we are going to play, we’ll play together. I may have work for you at Jamaica one day, work that you’ve never done before. Man’s work, Mary Yellan, where you play with life and death.’”
Joss respects Mary for standing up for herself; her courage makes her a potential accomplice or at least a worthy adversary. His reference to “claws” juxtaposes with the oddly delicate physicality of his own hands. Joss also hints at the dark business going on behind the scenes at Jamaica Inn, which is a vital part of his character exposition since it demonstrates that he enjoys bragging about his dangerous life.
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