Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls follows the story of a young mother as she and her daughter navigate the ups and downs of life. While struggling to raise her daughter, Rory Gilmore, Lorelai Gilmore also struggles to connect with her mother, Emily Gilmore. This show emphasizes the relationship between the Gilmore Girls- Lorelai, Rory, and Emily Gilmore. Since it is a long series with a lot of ground to cover I cant discuss every important character and major plot point, but I will cover most of them. On this page I will also discuss some of the growth & relationships of characters. Enjoy!

There are many characters that play an important role in this series, I cant cover all of them but here is little about each person in the Gilmore family.

Rory

Rory is a smart and quiet booklover with big ambitions of one day attending an Ivy League University. Throughout the series she dreams and works toward her goal of becoming a Journalist. Rory has an incredibly close relationship to her mother and has one best friend, Lane Kim. Beside reading, Rory loves to watch movies and enjoys food and fashion, similarly to her mom.

Lorelai

Lorelai is the mother of Rory. She had Rory at the age of 16 and has given her endless time and affection. Lorelai is a coffee lover who enjoys movies and has a unique sense of fashion. She spends most of her time with her daughter and always pushes her to be the best she can be. Towards the beginning of the show Lorelai runs the small local inn, but with her cunning and skill she quickly climbs her way up the ladder.

Emily

Emily is a rich, old-fashioned housewive who spends most of her days with her husband or keeping the house. She loves to shop and enjoys antiques. Emily is the mother of Lorelai. She is a stern and frankly judgy individual, but she cares about her family more than anyting.

Richard

Richard is a business man and the father of Lorelai. He works in insurance and spends most the time he has off work with his wife, Emily. Richard is more laidback than Emily, yet a formidable opponent.

The way the characters interact makes up half of the show. Besides the relationships the Gilmore girls- and Richard- have with each other, there are some other characters that play a role in the developing lives of Rory & Lorelai. Some of these notable characters are Rorys friends, Paris and Lane.

Rory & Lorelai

Rory and Lorelai had a way closer relationship than most mothers and daughters. Since Lorelai had Rory at a young age they were closer in age and shared an interest in the same things. They did absolutely everything together and considered each other their best friends. But this need of Lorelai to be Rorys best friend, instead of her mother, ultimately lead to her downfall (more on that later). She played the role of "cool mom" instead of being a little strict and structured with Rory.

Lorelai & Emily

Lorelai and Emily have a complicated relationship that derives from a lack of understanding of each other and a lack of communication. Emily was always a little harsh on Lorelai, criticizing her every move. As the years went by and Lorelai and Emily drifted further from each other and eventually Lorelai ran away from home, baby in hand with no money to her name. Lorelai didnt like the life of privilege she was born into, while Emily reveled in it. Emily was raised a certain way ans taught values Lorelai didnt understand or respect. They had constant arguments and could never agree on anything. When Lorelai seeked Emily and Richards help, for Rory, it was ovbious that all Emily had wanted was to be closer to Lorelai and more involved in her life. However, she had a hard time expressing this and often came off and overbearing and controlling. Both Lorelai and Emily are to blame for their rocky relationships. They never take accountability or talk out their problems long enough to solve them.

Rory & Her Friends

Since Rory had such a close relationship with her mother, people often point out how much she neglected her friends. Lane had been Rorys friend since they were both litte kids, yet often times Rory would ditch her for her love interests, for her mother, and sometimes even to be alone. Rory was very self-involved and didnt care as much about Lanes life or problems. Once when Lane suspected her parents were shipping her off to Korea. When she was leaving Rory didnt even say goodbye. While this behavior was not excusable, Rorys behavior towards Paris was more justified. At the beginning of the show Rory and Paris were not friends. Paris was hostile and aggressive towards Rory, insecure & intimidated by her abilities. Throughout the series they had their ups and downs but overall remained good friends. However, while Paris considered Rory her best friend, Rory didnt feel the same way.

There are many other characters not mentioned that have their own stories & growth. Aside from them, the main characters dont evolve much, except Lorelai, who manages to create a succsessful business for herself.

Rorys Downfall

Rory is a character that is deemed to have a "downfall." People suggest that her character devolved over the course of the show. Starting as a kind, quiet, and intelligent individual she takes a major turn and becomes a selfish and spoiled brat. I believe that, while she does make a lot of mistakes and devolves as a character, Rory is not entirely to blame for her actions. Rory is a product of her environment, as most people are, and I believe that the constant coddling from her mom, and the spoon-fed behavior from her grandparents created a person who believed the world should cater to her needs. People often discuss the exact moment Rorys "downfall" started, and I believe that it began the second the show did. Before the show began, Rory was raised by her mom who, may have babied Rory a little but, overall raised her well. Rory also had the support from her close-knit community and best friend, Lane. All in all, she was shaping up to be a bright individual who had a promising future ahead. However, when presented with the opportunity to attend a prestigious school with a hefty tution fee, Lorelai had to request her parents help to land Rory a spot in the school that was the key to an Ivy League University. The introduction of Rory's grandparents into her life, who she previously had little contact with, altered her personality and made her more privileged than she had ever been. While Rory's grandparents were a big part of her "downfall" Lorelai didnt help by teaching her values that caused her to devolve. Lorelais constant lack of communication in relationships rubbed off on Rory. She had taught Rory how to keep things from her partners and to not take accountability for her actions. Time and time again the actions of the people that surrounded Rory affected her own behavior. Additionally Rory didnt realize the immense privilege she had because of her grandparents. Remembering the way she was raised she judged rich people, not realizing she was one of them. When Lorelai ran away from home she seperated from her parents financially and never relied on them. Rory, however, never said no to her grandparents and yet she still didnt realize exactly how lucky she was. To quote her own mother, "Rory is used to getting what Rory wants." The main problems in her actions came from the fact that she never took accountability for her behavior and constantly made excuses. But after all, is that really HER fault?

Below is a picture of 1. Rory & Lorelai 2. Emily, Richard, & Rory and 3. Emily & Richard

•written by blossom•