Esther is a story of carrying contradictions. She maintains her personal identity while being commanded to keep her nation and origin a secret. The Midrash writes that she had a greenish complexion and concealed it under layers of makeup, as was customary in ancient Persia. Ilana Klein explains:

"This is a conceptual portrait of Queen Esther in the fifth year since she was taken from Mordechai to the palace of Ahasuerus against her will. This is the moment when she decides to say, 'Go, gather all the Jews… and if I perish, I perish.' Esther chooses to sacrifice her life for the sake of the collective. But precisely out of all the loss and pain, Esther began a process that ultimately saved the Jewish people from total annihilation."