Character Fours – Enneagram and Encaustic

JO MARCH, FOUR AND EIGHT

Speaking from memory, I’d say that most of the Little Women movies keep Jo’s sisters fairly consistent. Amy, whether played by Elizabeth Taylor or Kirsten Dunst or Florence Pugh, is bold and confident. She knows her mind and pursues her future, probably making her a Three. Beth, besides being physically vulnerable, is consistently shy and reticent. She might be a Five or a Two, although ultimately it doesn’t matter. The effect of her death on Jo is what moves the story forward. Meg, who is deeply embarrassed when she’s caught breaking a rule, is probably a Nine. She’s solid and average, very much the eldest child.

However, Jo swings between portrayals. Katharine Hepburn and June Allyson both give Jo a physical, Body Type character. Winona Ryder’s Jo goes in a different direction. Her love of the family’s theater troupe is more intellectual than physical. We don’t see Jo sword fight with Laurie, for instance. She prefers the costuming and the exploration of authentic feelings. This Jo is possibly a Four. Her sisters are a social team she can’t bear to disband. She nears despair after Beth’s death, which leads Marmee to arrange the New York trip for her. When Professor Bhaer takes her on the opera date, the stimulation of music and spectacle overwhelm Jo. Much of Ryder’s Jo can be understood by emotion. The production itself leans into bright and cheerful horn music, the Victorian Christmas theme, and a May garden bursting with blooms. The visuals reinforce Jo’s relationship to her time and place.

Maya Hawke’s Jo lives in a different world. Father at war, which is shown during the opening moments, sets a darker tone. The family itself is less idealized and more realistic, with the sisters avoiding chores and responsibility. This Jo is often angry and probably an Eight. A Jo who’s a Body Type is what we expect, so this is a strong choice for the character. It’s only when she softens her shell and digs into her sorrow that she becomes the writer we know.

Saoirse Ronan’s Jo is the most difficult for me to Enneagram because, as I’ve made clear, I didn’t like the structure of her version. Her character development is difficult to follow because the section with Beth’s illness jumps back and forth in time. Also, the two endings — one expected, one surprising — make it hard to evaluate who she is. Before this movie I didn’t know that, although Alcott’s story about Beth and her sisters is based on real events, the boys’ home and Professor Bhaer are imaginary. It’s a fascinating theme to contrast our expectation of the classic Jo as a false front for a more complicated, realistic Jo. It’s only at the end at the publisher’s that we see the scope of who Jo is. The book and the real events of Alcott’s life can support this wonderful dichotomy. The tension in Jo — will she live a conventional, married life, or will she defy expectations and follow a professional career only — is the unique element in this version. Don’t introduce it at the Nine! The last shot on Jo’s face is mysterious. This was your movie. Start here and work backwards, building the shots and the beats that make this moment impactful rather than an end-of-story throwaway. Because this Jo has the potential for great highs and lows — because of the suffering in the tension between the two versions of Jo — I would guess she’s a Four.

If you look at my Enneagram reviews for the different iterations of James Bond, you’ll see they swing between Fours and Eights. It’s the same thing with Jo March. (Isn’t that interesting?) Am I saying that Jo and James — ruthless and unconventional in their lifestyles — are similarly constructed characters, or am I saying that Fours and Eights share so much common ground, as unbelievable as that seems, that a singular character can be either number? I don’t know. Maybe it’s only that writers are predictable, and Fours and Eights make for good storytelling.

ANTHONY AND KATE, ONE AND FOUR

Of the three Bridgerton seasons, this was my favorite. Our romantic leads are interesting people played sympathetically by beautiful actors wearing gorgeous clothes.

Anthony is this season’s Bridgerton protagonist. The eldest son, he’s a Viscount who has been competently running the family estate since his father’s early death. The pressure and weight of his position, laid on his shoulders when he was a teen, are his main conflict. He must marry and produce an heir, regardless of love. When the Queen favors Edwina, Anthony decides that she’s the one.

Edwina’s older sister and staunch defender Kate decides Anthony is not the one. Their antagonism is Kate’s conflict. (They are obviously destined to be the love interest, which is classic romance novel stuff.) Kate will do anything for her sister’s happiness, even deny her own feelings.

So who are these two and what are their Character Enneagrams?

The easy answer for Anthony is a One. His financial acumen in managing the family property is a clue. He rides his horse daily and seems rejuvenated by physical exercise, as a Body Type would. And he’s a terrible stickler for rules and order. He knows in his heart that he loves Kate, yet he proposes to Edwina anyway because she is the woman who meets his criteria for a wife.

The tricky character is Kate. She also loves horseback riding, but it’s more of an emotional outlet than a physical one. She also denies her feelings so that Edwina can marry her choice of Anthony. In many ways she’s a good match for Anthony because they share similar traits. However, her impulses come from a different place. Her love for her sister is central to her character. When Edwina learns that Kate has been lying to her and distances herself, Kate is devastated by her sister’s cold shoulder. Proper and ladylike on the outside, Kate is volatile on the inside. I want to say she’s a Four. Because Ones and Fours are strength/weakness numbers to each other, it feels like a good guess. I like Kate as a Four; her highs and lows are mostly contained inside, only bursting out occasionally. It makes her an appealing character for a Regency story. She’s the anti-Marianne of Sense and Sensibility, someone who keeps from wearing her passions on her sleeve. Mostly.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH’S HOLMES, FOUR

In the first episode, this Sherlock Holmes describes himself as a “high-functioning sociopath”. Is he? Holmes is traditionally eccentric, perhaps autistic. This is a new direction for the character. I don’t particularly like it.

Generally, Holmes’ big brain distances him from people, alienates him. It’s part of the job of being a super-detective, and he accepts that. However, he still wants to connect with people. Dr. Watson was originally a writing tool to let Holmes explain a case to the reader via his companion. Over time, though, their relationship developed into a friendship or a partnership.

That isn’t the case in this series. Watson is more of a comedic straight man, and often the butt of the joke. Holmes forgets Watson exists at times, moving on with a case without caring if he follows.

Is this a real person, or a Null?

My initial reaction is that this Holmes can’t be a Heart Type. Social interaction holds no interest for him. But, then . . . wait. Sociability is very important to him: He thrives on rejecting it and demeaning those who would try to connect with him. He’s a kind of anti-Heart Type.

Alright. Not my favorite choice, but I will grant its legitimacy.

This Holmes is, sadly, no Two. (He collects nothing, not even the arcane or macabre.) He’s too unlikable to be a Three, even with his trope subversion. That makes him a Four. In this regard, he continues to fight against convention. He’s neither happy nor sad, up nor down. Emotionally he has one speed. He’s a mash-up of depression and ebullience. I’m not sure of the clinical definition of sociopath, but this might be it.

He’s consistent. But he’s not fun. He takes the darkest aspects of a Four — selfishness, a teasing cruelty — and doesn’t offset them with a Four’s redeeming qualities of vulnerability and emotional depth. This version proves that being clever isn’t enough for a Sherlock Holmes. He needs more.

PHIL CONNORS, FOUR

It’s Groundhog Day!

With one of the greatest character arcs in screenwriting, Phil goes from selfish and shallow to considerate and complex. What Enneagram number can contain such a change?

I want to start immediately with a Heart Type choice. He’s too cruel to be a Two and too much of a professional failure to be a Three. His frustrating career as a news weatherman who’s always tasked with the bottom-level reporting from Punxsutawney would make a Three quit. (And a Two would find it endlessly interesting!) He expects strangers to recognize him and larger TV markets to employ him. These are Envy characteristics.

Four, right? He can hold our attention even while displaying the ugliest qualities. For the first half of the film he lives in the darker aspects of his personality. Fours have a great swing between high and low. They are also Enneagram numbers who aren’t afraid to dig into their flaws, which is what Phil does in the second half of the film. He’s able to think less about “poor me” and more about his strengths.

And don’t forget his wit. Fours can be scathing, as Phil is originally, or more gentle and teasing as he is later, but that consistent humor is a Four trademark. It’s also a great writing choice. It helps us stick with an unlikable character until he can become more heroic.

ADRIENNE DE LENVERPRÉ, FOUR

I don’t know how many people have watched the period drama The Bonfire of Destiny (Le Bazar de la Charité), but it’s so good I want to give it a shoutout by examining one of the three lead characters.

Based on real events in 1897 Paris, a fire at a charity bazaar decimates the venue and kills many of the women supporting the display. The show follows three of the women after the tragedy. Adrienne survives because she never attended. Instead, she uses the bazaar as a front while she has a tryst with her lover. We’d just seen her husband, denying her request for a divorce, hit her and send away their child without her permission or knowledge. After the fire, Adrienne realizes she can let her husband think she died as so many others did.

Adrienne is not completely sympathetic nor a mastermind at her ruse. She’s a fully developed character, flaws and all. While living with her lover she plots how to kidnap her daughter (who will return for Adrienne’s funeral) and run away with her. She sells her necklace to a pawn broker without realizing that thieves have robbed the mortuary of the dead women’s jewelry and the police are now investigating. It’s only a matter of time until her husband knows she’s alive and comes after her.

Who is this person who is ruled by passion and emotion? Clearly a Heart Type, not Head. She’s impulsive, not a planner. Shall we jump right to Four? She’s a bit selfish, endangering her lover with her recklessness. Her friends were greatly impacted by the fire, yet she never wonders how they’re doing. When Adrienne approaches her sister to ask for money, she doesn’t anticipate how distraught and angry the sister will be when she learns Adrienne is alive. She’s singularly focused on her daughter, not only to reunite with her but to save her from the father. Her motives are strong, but she’s careless in how she goes about achieving them.

It’s a compelling portrayal. Just to tease the show a little further: Adrienne has the least complicated story of the three! I couldn’t even begin to write about Alice’s dilemma in a concise review, nor Rose’s without spoiling many heart-wrenching details. I highly recommend this limited series.

NICK CAGE, FOUR

Just because Nicolas Cage plays himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent doesn’t mean that this character is the same as the real man. Any discussion of his Enneagram assumes that Cage is much too good to give us a simple version of who he is. This Nick is a mash-up of possibly real characteristics and all the heroes he’s played on film. It is, unsurprisingly, a delicious performance.

So who is Nick?

He’s intensely committed to acting. He insists on giving a line reading to a prospective director, terrifying him. He thrives on jobs that interest him rather than paycheck gigs. However, he’s broke from living in a high-priced hotel. (When Nick became divorced and moved out of his home is unclear.) In order to pay his bills, he agrees to perform for one million dollars at a birthday party on a private island.

So, lol, not a One (no money acuity). Not a Six (no worries), not a Nine (loves conflict), not a Five (too risk-oriented).

When he arrives he’s approached by the CIA. He’s the only one who can get onto Javi’s island, and they suspect a kidnapped girl is held there. That means he plays a double game during his visit. The ease with which he lies to his host suggests he’s not a Two.

Although he loves his work and is a master craftsman, Nick is probably not a Three. Too intense, too variable in his success.

If you’re keeping track, we’re left with Four, Seven, and Eight. I want to jump immediately to Four. Although all of those numbers can be intense, Nick is pretty extreme. Nicolas Cage’s career is defined by how volatile his characters are. I think I know already what Javi is, and their friendship is the surprising treasure of this movie. Four is going to be a good choice for Nick.

SOPHIE LENNON, FOUR

The great Jane Lynch has created an indescribable character. Sophie is a successful comedienne of the most cliché and painful humor. Even she doesn’t particularly like her alter ego, and in real life she’s nothing like her stage presence. Gosh, where do I even begin?

She wanted to do theater. She aspires to be a dramatic actress, and when she hires Susie to be her manager, she gets the opportunity. And blows it. Instead of chancing success on a risky, vulnerable move, she slides into her Sophie-from-Queens persona and ruins the play. How she falls is squirm-worthy.

And then she comes back. She grants an interview and opens up. Honest, humble, and hilarious, she saves her career. Afterwards she becomes a successful game show host who combines all the best aspects of her talent. She’s still a pretentious snob, but she might finally find professional fulfillment.

Don’t forget her vindictive side. Midge, in one of her fatal flaw moves, blurts out the truth about Sophie, something she knew Sophie guarded carefully, to an entire audience. Sophie has every right to be mad. She kills Midge’s career in revenge.

Lynch always makes me want to go with Four or Nine because she’s such a tall woman and a physically dominating presence. These are the numbers her real life body suggests to me, and it’s hard to shake that impression. Is Sophie one of these Enneagrams? It’s funny that when I was thinking of comic personalities, and I suggested they would be Ones or Eights, I also thought of Fours. They bring a different, self-deprecating kind of humor. The wit comes at a different speed, but it’s there. I want to say that Sophie is a Four.

Sophie forgives Midge long before Midge forgets what Sophie’s done to her. It’s not that Sophie’s avoiding conflict (a Nine trait) but that she lived her lowest point, reacted to it, and has moved on. Her alter ego is brash, crude, and unsubtle. Sophie is not like her at all, and yet she seems genuinely content with the brand of comedy that worked for her. Again, Sophie rolls with the lows and enjoys the highs. It’s just that single moment in her theater debut that she freezes and retreats.

Well, I can’t promise that I didn’t talk myself into a Four Sophie. The portrayal is truly sublime. Probably only Lynch knows for sure what she’s playing, and I guarantee she knows every corner of this character. I couldn’t tell how much of Sophie was on the page, and how much was Lynch creating from pure genius. I’ll stick with my instinct and declare Sophie a solid Four.

ISOBEL CRAWLEY, FOUR

Matthew’s mother and a trained nurse, Isobel is an opinionated and knowledgeable character who feels no great loyalty to propriety and aristocratic tradition. She’s often written as the foil to the family, especially the Dowager Countess, and will express a more modern perspective on whatever plot trouble is around. In some of my episode breakdowns I complain about this. She feels forced to do things against her nature so that other characters can react and advance a conflict.

If I look past what I consider to be unfair writing for her, who is Isobel? She’s competent and, let’s be fair, bossy. She wants her way with the doctor and the hospital management. She’s very respectful of Matthew’s independence. Whoever he loves, Isobel will love. However involved he wants to be in the Downton estate, Isobel is supportive.

The key to her, as I mentioned under the Dowager Countess’ page, is the friendship between these women. At first, they’re adversarial. Some of that is the writers making them represent different perspectives for the audience. Underneath, though, their antagonism is due to them both being strong leaders. It’s natural they would clash. When Violet becomes ill and Isobel is the one trained and willing to nurse her through it, their friendship advances. Isobel is a genuinely giving person. Although she often disagrees with the Dowager, she will still befriend her.

I’m leaning toward a Four. Envy does eat at her, although Isobel isn’t consumed by it. She is absolutely Heart, needing to connect with family and community. I would say Two, but she’s too confrontational. When she feels she’s right, she’ll fight for it. When Lord Merton’s children are cruel to her, though, she retreats. Their feelings get priority. Isobel doesn’t have the black and white standards of a Six. Her heart rules her reactions, and she is a woman with passion. The world can wound her, but she rallies. Very Four.

URSULA, FOUR

We lost another great this week. RIP to Pat Carroll, the fabulous pipes of The Little Mermaid’s villain. I vaguely remember her, with that contralto voice, as a guest on different TV shows. She was tiny! Nothing about her looked anything like Ursula. Carroll resembled someone who was here to prepare your taxes.

So, what Enneagram is that audacious and larger-than-life? Well, lol, I’ve got to start with an Eight. Oh, no, wait! Hahaha! She’s an Envy Person. Ursula’s a Four.

We don’t see her ride a low wave of depression. It seems like she probably did a lot of that when she was younger, and she’s over it. She battles the defeats, the failures, the sadnesses. As a mature being (mer-squid?) she’s learned much, including where she wants to invest her energy. By now, the marks are easy to spot.

I’m just guessing at her mindset, judging by the performance Carroll delivered. She packed a lot of backstory and subtext into her one showstopper. That’s what happens when a studio casts a master to inhabit a cartoon.

THOMAS BARROW, FOUR

Hello, Envy person, lol! What’s funny is that he’s very good at his job when he isn’t scheming. He should have every expectation of rising in the service ranks. No one likes him, though, so no one wants to work with him. Lord Grantham and Mr. Carson try to get rid of him over multiple seasons.

Of course, underneath the villainous “evil smoker” (as I called him and O’Brien in my breakdown reviews) is a tender heart that wants to be loved. Because he’s gay in a social era of illegality and punishment, he can’t love. He tries and fails, risking freedom and his job. Prejudice against him, and the extreme caution he must exercise, explains some of his envy and separateness.

However, he’s also someone who likes yanking people’s chains. He and O’Brien love the downstairs game they play. They both like access to the upstairs and hearing the gossip. Thomas isn’t looking to break from his role in service, unlike other characters. He just wants to get to the top and become butler for a great house.

He must be a Four. It’s the self-wounding in the war. A Three wouldn’t choose that path. And he can’t be a Two, lol, because he has no collection. Also, Barrow feels the ups and downs so deeply. His gentleness with the children — he’s the only servant who gives piggyback rides — is that sweet side of the Four when joy is let out for a spin. And his suicide attempt is the darkness winning for a moment. He’s a Four drawn and acted with full complexity. Well done.