Cathy Character Analysis

Cathy is Rachel’s roommate and longtime friend since their university days. Niceness, Rachel believes, is Cathy’s defining quality—no matter how many times Rachel gets into trouble or makes a drunken mess, she feels that Cathy will always accept her as she is. As Rachel descends deeper and deeper into her struggles with alcoholism, however, Cathy takes a stand. She serves Rachel with a formal eviction notice (though she later rescinds it) and becomes determined to help Rachel stop drinking, find a new job, and get back on her feet. Cathy’s faith in Rachel’s capacity for change and self-improvement never wavers, and her generosity and patience toward Rachel are seemingly boundless.