Coralie Character Analysis Essay

Right off, it is apparent that many of the characters struggle to feel comfortable in their own skin. This is especially prominent in Coralie, who faces many challenges in relation to her appearance, often putting herself down for the way that she looks. This reveals that this problem doesn’t merely exist today alone, but extends back as far as the early twentieth century. I was astonished to see a universal problem such as this so pronounced in a remarkably different era, despite the drastic change in women’s rights. Within the novel, it seems that whenever Coralie talks about her hatred regarding her webbed fingers, it stems from her father’s rule of wearing white gloves, as he does, “not wish [of her] to be thought of with disdain” (Hoffman,

10) like the many other employees. This constant reminder instills in Coralie that she is a freak that needs to be hidden away. It reminds me of when I was bullied when I was younger for being above average height. It’s already hard acknowledging strangeness, however, it is even harder when it is constantly brought up. It opens my eyes to how lucky I was compared to Coralie; I was able to get away from the abuse—she can’t. At first, I found it contradictory that, despite having this imperfection, Coralie manages to see the beauty in others.

Maureen, her nanny, whose face is riddled with defects, still inspires Coralie to think that, “she [is] beautiful, despite her scars” (10), despite the imperfections she, herself, posses. Then I realized: Isn’t this the true nature of life? Don’t we often look at ourselves, picking out the flaws that we think others will notice? I do this too often, never once thinking that, in reality, people often don’t notice these imperfections or look down on us for them. For instance, Dove had created a commercial that placed women in a position where they had to describe themselves in front of an artist. Accordingly, other women with whom they had met previously were asked to describe them. Of course, the outcome is completely different, yet many women can’t see that. Due to this blind nature, people often try to remove their faults, alike to Coralie, who “attempted to rid herself of the webbing with a sharp knife…” (19), which seems extreme, however many nowadays go through cosmetic procedures to ‘fix’ themselves too. This struggle of accepting ourselves is by no means new—it is an eternal static that doesn’t seem to

end.