#op spawned a new headcanon in my brain

[conquerthenight]

Good theory, but I raise you this:

Maxim is also trans and at the age of 42 is still desperate to prove himself a real man. His identity is the most open secret to ever open secret. He goes through life trying to shake off the fact that he wasn’t actually born male and ends up throwing himself into the depths of toxic masculinity as a result. The narrator says the line about being ‘a sort of boy’ and Maxim’s gaydar (trans-dar?) goes off. His “wife” is just like him and now he just has to wait for “her” to realize it for “her”self. Inquest happens, fire happens, all that jazz. The narrator starts raiding Maxim’s wardrobe when he’s not looking. “She” wants to know what it’s like to wear men’s clothes. “She” secretly does this for a while, always putting the clothes back before Maxim realizes anything was missing. Then one day while the de Winters are jaunting around Europe the narrator has an a-ha moment. They’re lying in bed together. It’s 3 am. The narrator shakes Maxim awake. He asks “her” why the hell “she” woke him up at this hour. “Maxim, I think I’m a man” the narrator says. Maxim just laughs. “You thought I didn’t know?” He asks the narrator, before saying “I was a woman once, long ago. I was just waiting for you to discover you were the same way”. He starts buying the narrator masculine clothing. Narrator goes through the usual ‘baby trans figuring out how to dress’ phase. Maxim cringes a few times but is still supportive, he was in his spouse’s shoes once. But there’s one glaring problem, the narrator CANNOT figure out a new name. Cut to the de Winters devouring baby name books, family archives, the works, and eventually a name sticks. The narrator, being an absolute nerd, had chosen the name Darcy after the character of Pride and Prejudice fame.

The de Winters are now a t4t couple.

The narrator of Rebecca is a trans icon..

I'm convinced that's part of what's going on here. We never learn their name-- possibly due to them not wanting to deadname themselves, or not wanting to out themselves, or not finding a name that suits them. The whole story is about them struggling with living in the shadow of Maxim's first wife, struggling to live up to this perfect ideal of femininity. Struggling with womanhood. Body image issues galore.

And then they literally say this direct quote to their actual husband:

"I don't want you to love me. I won't ask impossible things. I'll be your friend and your companion. A sort of boy. I don't ever want more than that."