Abstract：Daphne du Maurier is a celebrated English female writer in the twentieth century. She has written 17 novels and tried more than 20 kinds of styles in literature’s writing. Rebecca is the most famous of her many books. The novel was published in 1938 and became an English and American bestseller.
Initiation story, originated in Germany, is the story of a single individual’s growth and development within the context of a defined social order. The novel Rebecca is a typical Initiation story. The nameless narrator is originally a timid and shy girl from lower class. Later she marries Mr. de Winter, a rich widower and lives with him in a grand estate Manderley. In the new environment, she experiences great hardships and pressure from other people, especially from the first Mrs. de Winter Rebecca. The narrator finally overcomes the influence of Rebecca and protects herself as well as her marriage, thus gaining her maturity and confidence.
Based on the theory of Initiation story, the paper explores the female initiation theme in the novel and analyzes the process of the narrator’s growth from a shy, timid companion girl to a mature and responsible mistress of Manderley.
Key words: initiation theme Rebecca Initiation story process of growth
摘要：达夫妮•杜穆里埃是二十世纪著名的英国女作家。她写过17部长篇小说，并尝试创作过20余种其他体裁的文学作品。《蝴蝶梦》是其中最有名的一本小说。小说于1938年出版，并成为了当时英国和美国的畅销书。
成长小说起源于德国，讲述了特定社会背景下，个人的成长与发展的过程。《蝴蝶梦》就是一部典型的成长小说。无名的叙述者原本是一个身处下层社会的女孩，她胆小且羞涩，后来嫁给了鳏居的德温特先生。德温特先生很富有，拥有一座华丽的庄园——曼陀丽。随丈夫住进庄园后，在新的生活环境中，叙述者经历了各种困难、承受着巨大压力。这些压力不仅来自庄园里的其他人，更来自第一位德温特夫人，已经去世的吕蓓卡。最终，叙述者克服了吕蓓卡的影响，不仅保护了自己还捍卫了自己的婚姻。她也由此变得成熟、自信。
基于成长小说的相关理论，本文探讨了小说中的女性成长主题，并分析了叙述者从羞涩、胆怯的女孩成长为成熟、负责的庄园女主人的过程。
关键词: 成长主题；《蝴蝶梦》；成长小说；成长过程
