Rachel

Rachel is one of the main characters of the short story “The Dress” by Julia Darling. Her outer characterization reveals that she has a “thin body” and that her sister sees her as “taller, braver, cleverer”. 

Her inner characterization reveals that her conflict with Flora is caused by rivalry. When Flora takes Rachel’s dress without permission, Rachel becomes angry and aggressive: “She wanted to spit”. However, she does not act on it, which suggests that she could have pent-up anger that she is unable to release. Her anger resurfaces when Rachel aggressively rummages through Flora’s room, knowing that she would not find the dress there:

Rachel stamped up the stairs, pushing open the door of her sister's room (…) Rachel wrenched the half-closed curtain back, so that the room was suddenly filled with floating specks of glistening dust. She snatched handfuls of clothes from half-open drawers, throwing them onto the floor. She knew that she wouldn't find the dress.

Rachel’s anger is not only mental but also physical. When she throws the empty hanger on the floor, she expresses her desire “to hurt someone”. However, Rachel forces herself to stay calm and put up a façade for her mother’s birthday: “...