Rory Gilmore is such a weirdly one-dimensional character and I think that's kind of the point? (Part 1 ?)
Rory Gilmore is such a one dimensional character
Like I watched the show when I was younger and the more I think about it over the years, I'm like that ending was in the writing from the start.
She has little to no personality outside the studious book girl thing we see and her relationships and stuff. Itās like she didn't really want for anything.
Like I fully believe she liked journalism enough, but it was never the passion they made it out to be. She was probably like "I like reading, so writing, so journalism." Because she never really showed traits of someone who desperately wants to reveal the truth or has strong journalistic instincts or whatever. She's even antisocial so it doesn't really fit.
People were always telling her who she is and she's not a strong enough personality to break away from those assumptions.
Even with the writing of the show ā she's the main character, but what do we actually know about this girl's PERSONALITY other than the basic traits and the bitchy canon typical 2000s behavior?
You can even see she's a people pleaser who just lets people tell her what to do. The whole Mitchum situation is a perfect example. She was always praised for being a quiet, no-trouble-making kid and she stuck with that. And honestly I think it stifled her in the long run.
She never had to develop a strong sense of self because everyone else told her who she was.
And I feel like when people view Rory, they view her in comparison and contrast to Lorelai, so it just amplifies the assumptions. Even how Lorelai views her is in contrast to herself.
And Rory herself definitely never knew who she was or really thought about it.
I also feel like she might have smothered down things that didn't fit the image crafted by everyone else. For example, I genuinely think she liked high society more than she was "supposed" to, but couldn't fully embrace it because of Lorelai.
Even with her relationship with Paris, I think it was consistent with the fact that Rory needed a boss. Paris being the natural steamroller she is kind of served as one for her without fully realizing it, if that makes sense.
Another thing is the constant praise and never pushing boundaries in her teenage years just set her up for failure, or at least a mediocre and honestly unfulfilling life.
Kind of the great irony of the series is that Lorelai was exactly like her mother, just with different values and methods.
The trouble is Rory wasn't a strong enough personality to fully rebel the way Lorelai did without any help. She's too much like Christopher. Totally codependent. She needs someone to lean on to make decisions for her and make her life easier.
I feel like in the Yale and AYITL period she's one of those people who did everything right and everything they were "supposed to," but still don't feel satisfied or like enough.
I also think it's possible she likes books so much not fully, but partly because she honestly doesn't like her life that much and distracts herself from being the person everyone wants or expects all the time.
Like through books she can feel the characters' lives or rebelliousness she's never really able to possess herself.
And honestly, in the first years of the show, Lane being her only friend is interesting too. I don't even think they were that close.
I feel like Lorelai kind of kept her isolated in a way.
Also the show itself doesn't really show us other kids except in specific situations.
Getting in trouble is character building and I feel like not having more friends also contributed to her people-pleasing behaviors because she's always around adults.
Like who's going to get her in trouble a little? Teach her about positive and negative peer pressure? Inspire her to test boundaries?
This might just be part 1 of this because I get really analytical when it comes to Rory.
I think it's because of how hated she is.
But I think she's actually kind of complex.
And that's the thing about complex characters: some people are obviously not going to like them or get them.
anyway this is lowkey high key disorganized thoughts so
