On the one hand, Rebecca’s struggles serve as as a foil to highlight the genuine physical hardship of other characters whose struggles are for survival, and it’s easy to dismiss her as a child of privilege. On the other hand, Rebecca’s struggle, like Pival’s, or Bhim’s, is a genuine one, a matter of emotional survival: how to resist the expectations of others who see you —whether lovingly or abusively—as extensions of themselves. Psychologst Abraham Maslow described a “hierarchy of human needs” which I have found very helpful to understanding people, fictional or otherwise. Think of a pyramid and the base is survival: food, water, shelter and not getting shot at or beaten up... then comes a need for security, the reality that your survival needs will continue to be met; the next step is belonging, being accepted and valued as a member of a family, community or other group; the next need is for having some degree of freedom, of choice, of control over your life, and at the top of the pyramid, the need to fulfill yourself, to make some meaning out of your life. All people have these needs, starting with babies needing to survive and feel secure and then they can “bond” with parents/caregivers and begin to grow and learn to make choices and govern their own lives, opening up the possibility for self-fulfillment. If a person’s survival and security needs aren’t met at any age, that takes priority (the base of the pyramid). When that is not at issue, the focus may be upon the conflict —Rebecca’s, Pival’s, Bhim’s—between belonging, acceptance, and choosing your own parh in life. Privilege doesn’t exempt you from this potential conflict, or necessarily make it any easier to resolve.
Rebecca had to learn to face her conflict instead of escaping it through her hookups with men, a closet rebellion behind her parents’ back. Her relationship with Pival helped her take this step.