How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"You don't love me," he said, "that's why you did not feel anything. I know. I understand. It's come too late for you, hasn't it?" (20.6)
Maxim sounds like a phony here, as Holden Caulfield would say. He knows full well that Mrs. de Winter is super in love with him, that she's been feeling unloved, and is therefore totally primed to love him even though he's a murderer. Then again, Maxim might actually feel monstrous and unlovable at this moment. What do you think?
Quote #8
"You were so aloof," he said, "always wandering into the garden with Jasper, going off on your own. You never came to me like this." (20.26)
This – Maxim's excuse for not confessing to Mrs. de Winter sooner – sounds a little bogus, too. It seems to us that she's aloof from Maxim because he's always pushing her away, hiding things, and retreating inward. Maybe he didn't tell her before because he didn't have to.