Parallels between Esther’s mental health and her narration
From our very first impression of Esther and the way she described what she saw of New York, we could feel how she felt unsteady in her life. After convincing Doreen to come with her to go out with Lenny and the guys, Esther is trying to lead the way into experiencing what it’s like to really embrace the atmosphere of New York city. She displays nervousness as they stay at Lenny’s apartment and soon become frightened by the reality of the sexual activity between Doreen and Lenny while they were still in front of Esther. During this phase of her life, it seems like she wants to be “cool” or step outside of the scholarship girl she was always known to be. I think throughout this entire book, we see Esther finding her actual personal identity through the choices she makes without involving the consequences of all other variables. One of which is when she comes back home to find out the news that she didn’t make the writing course. She says, “Then my mouth shaped itself sourly. I had expec...