Compare and Contrast on Characters Rayona and Pearl Rayona and Pearl were two characters that were very alike in the stories. They are also somewhat different. They lived lives that were very troublesome. Rayona had to go through the tough times of her mother's sickness and the death of her brother. She lived away from most of it, but still had to live with it. Pearl had to go through the tough times of her mother Hester being charged with adultery, she also had to go through all of her trials. Rayona and Pearl are similar in that they both went through the tough times of their mother's problems. Rayona lived with knowing her mother was very sick.