Esther Waters: A Realistic Chacter Anonymous 11th Grade

In Aspects of the Novel, E.M. Forster answers the question: What makes a character real? According to Forster, “it [a character] is real when the novelist knows everything about it” (Forster, pg 77). Esther Waters, the title character in George Moore’s novel, exemplifies a real character in two senses: she meets Forster’s criteria, and more conventionally, her experiences and her growth through them make her realistic.

Regarding the novelist, Forster says, "He may not choose to tell us all he knows – many of the facts, even the kind we call obvious, may be hidden." (Forster, pg 77) At the very beginning of Esther Waters, Moore hides one of the most crucial facts: the main character’s name. “She stood on the platform watching the receding train.” (Moore, pg 1). This vague wording gives chapters worth of insight into Esther's character, and establishes her as real. “He will give us the feeling that though the character has not been explained, it is explicable, and we get from this a reality.” (Foster, pg 77) At her core, Esther is a plain, average girl. Especially at the beginning of novel, there is nothing particularly notable about her. Upon coming to Woodview, however, Esther experiences something as realistic as it is...