Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… on Nantucket Island. Guinevere, who goes by Beck, grew up in a middle-class family, but her father abandoned her when she was twelve. Most of her personal problems can be traced back to the insecurity instilled in her when her father left.
Living… in New York City. Beck lives in a fancy Manhattan apartment, paid for by her MFA program. She has created a very pretty life for herself in New York, but she struggles with finding a deeper meaning in it all.
Profession… writer, teaching assistant, and socialite. Beck dreams of being a famous author, but she is currently struggling to get through her MFA. Even after Beck is transferred to a more respectable professor for her teaching assistant position, she has a hard time overcoming her writer’s block. This leads Beck to prioritize many other aspects of her life over her career.
Interests… writing, Instagram, and partying. Beck cares about her future as a writer, but the lavish lifestyle of her friends draws her away from her real passion. She becomes careless, and starts to neglect her job in order to spend time at bars with her friends. She cares deeply about how she is viewed by others, and in order to maintain appearances, Beck spends a lot of time on social media.
Relationship status… complicated. Beck recently broke up with her deadbeat boyfriend Benji, and is now trying to move on. Joe Goldberg is making it pretty easy to do so, he’s charming, smart, and thoughtful. What’s not to love? Beck’s naivety seems to play a role in her relationship with Joe, but it seems like Joe will do anything to make Beck love him. Even if that means putting her in harm’s way…
Challenge… finding a meaningful life in the big city. Beck struggles to balance her job, school, relationships, and personal life. She has a hard time admitting her stress, so things often fall through the cracks. When Beck meets Joe, and she isn’t aware of how manipulative he is. He seems like the perfect guy, and she begins to lean on him as her only trusted friend. Beck believes, “If we don’t have trust, we have nothing,” so if she discovers Joe’s secrets, things might not end well.
Personality… sweet, naïve, and a little lost. Beck struggles to find her place in New York, let alone in the professional world of writing. Because of the instability in her life, Beck heavily relies on other people for comfort, even those she probably shouldn’t. She is unwilling to grapple with other people’s flaws, making her both naïve and a little selfish.
