Rachel vs. Esther

Like just about everyone else that’s posted I noticed that Rachel and Esther have several similarities. Both of them are stuck in a rut basically and unsure how to get out. They also envy people who are able to do what they want without worrying about what others think of them. Esther and Rachel seem to have this need to always do what everyone else thinks is right. Rachel always listens to her mother and does the right think in society’s eyes. Esther tries to do the ‘right’ thing by gaining as many accomplishments as possible. They both seem to have a person (Nick and Doreen) that does allow them to occasionally come out of their shell and just live for a while.

I do think they are different in the fact that Esther seems to be the more ‘grown up’ one between the two. She’s had more life experiences compared to Rachel and is at least putting herself out in the world. It’s interesting that Esther doesn’t know what it is she wants. She doesn’t seem too interested in her current career field but doesn’t know what else she wants to do. Her only thought seems to be on being as perfect as she can be and getting as many accomplishments as possible. Esther relies on college as what defines her. When college is over for her she’ll have no idea what to do with her life. On the other hand Rachel knows what she wants, she wants to get out of her town and be free. It might be a vague idea but at least it’s an idea of what she wants to do. Rachel also seems to be more pessimistic compared to Esther, probably because Rachel has been in her ‘rut’ for longer than Esther and so she takes that out by pointing out everyone else’s faults. Esther seems to give a more realistic account of the people around her, granted she has her biases as well. Overall Esther seems to be more of a reliable and likeable narrator than Rachel, as least so far.