Why I dislike Esther and Holden
Esther and Holden both suck, but Stephen does not. I think it may be a matter of perspective. The main thing is just how judgemental that Esther and Holden are towards others. We're able to see from a first-person perspective how much they ridicule others in their own heads. They constantly make others the butt of the joke, and that attitude makes them frustrating to read. In both of their cases, I feel like that might be why they feel so threatened by society--they're always judging others, so they assume that others view them the same way. With Stephen, though, we see him through the eyes of Joyce. Stephen is the butt of the joke this time. He's the same dorky outcast as Esther and Holden, but because we view him from a different standpoint, we see him for who he truly is. For me, being able to view the character in this way makes them much more tolerable. It doesn't mean that Stephen has humility, but the unflattering way in which Joyce depicts him gives a sense of