Enneagram – Page 6 – Enneagram and Encaustic

ELLEN (NELLY) DEAN, SIX

Who’s that, perhaps you wonder. She’s the narrator and housekeeper. If you’ve seen the Wuthering Heights movies, she’s that older lady in the background, a gentle and tender presence.

Heh. That’s some high artistic license, considering Nelly’s role in the novel.

Nelly is the only character besides Heathcliff who spans the entire story. She’s there at the beginning, a child in the Earnshaw household when the Master brings Heathcliff home. She grows up with him and Cathy. When Cathy marries Edgar Linton, Nelly follows her into the new household. She’s the primary caregiver for Cathy’s motherless daughter. Although Heathcliff is cruel to everyone who isn’t Cathy, he’s kind to Nelly. They’re old comrades. She can even speak frankly with him and upbraid him.

This is a major character who’s barely noticed in the films.

She’s a tricky one, though. As the narrator, she speaks well of herself and her own actions, yet some of her choices are ruinous. She’s a tattler; she doesn’t really like Cathy and she undermines her. If a literary survey course were to study novels with an unreliable narrator, this book should be at the top of the list.

I’ll delve later into how the story changes if Nelly is its protagonist (versus Heathcliff).

In the meantime, what is her Character Enneagram? Whew, yikes.

She is a single woman her whole life and shows no sign of wishing to be married. When she cares for Cathy Jr., whom she loves dearly, she doesn’t necessarily envy the Linton’s family. Let’s say she’s not a Heart Type.

She’s a terrible busybody. And she’s very confident. She knows her role as a servant, but she also pushes the boundary, perhaps because she was raised among them. I’m leaning toward a Head Type.

She strikes me as too good a liar to be a Five, and she’s not adventurous enough to be a Seven. What if Nelly’s a Six? She has a clear definition of what’s right and wrong, even though sometimes it’s only her definition. Heathcliff is dangerous to others, but Nelly doesn’t fear him. She’s categorized him over their lifetime together. It allows her to be bold with him because he fits in the box she’s defined. For Heathcliff, he hates weak people the most; Nelly is strong with him, so he finds her companionable. She doesn’t have a physical dominance over him; it’s a dominance of character, something a Six would do well.

Story Enneagram of Season Two, “Avatar: the Last Airbender”

Let’s finish this!

ONE

The first episode explains Aang’s Avatar state. Remember, coming out of Season One, the last thing we saw was Giant Fish Aang wrecking the Fire Nation in the North. He can’t control or understand this superpower and it frightens him. We also learn that, although he’s unbelievably strong, he’s also vulnerable. If he’s killed in the Avatar state, the entire reincarnation cycle ends.

We also get a brief reminder that Zuko and Iroh travel alone, outcast.

TWO

The Cave of Two Lovers, that ridiculously silly episode, encompasses the season’s Two. Aang and Katara, through plot contrivance, kiss. Aang’s affection for Katara is critical at the season’s Eight.

Also, Omashu’s on fire. Returning to Bumi was Aang’s plan for learning earth bending. Now he has no teacher, and that’s definitely Trouble.

HEATHCLIFF, FOUR

I’ve been re-reading Wuthering Heights. I’ll have something to say about the story later, but for now, let’s look at some Character Enneagrams.

First caveat: this is Heathcliff from the novel. More film versions of this story exist than I could possibly want to watch. Laurence Olivier gives one of the iconic portrayals, and it might be interesting at some point to compare the different well-known iterations of Heathcliff. For now, though, I’m looking at the book.

If you’ve only watched the movie(s) you might not know that Heathcliff is one of two characters who’s in the story from beginning to end — and the other isn’t Cathy. (Cathy dies halfway through. Most film versions ignore this.) The story arc in the book is labyrinthine and finding a protagonist is tricky, but focusing on Heathcliff as a throughline is a good choice.

He’s brought into the Earnshaw house as a child, probably at five years old. The Master finds him abandoned and begging in the city. Heathcliff is dark-skinned (maybe West Asian, maybe Native American) and speaks no English. He has obviously had a very rough life up to this point, and it doesn’t improve much. After the Master dies, his son and heir turns Heathcliff out into the stables to labor.

Heathcliff’s defining characteristic, after brutality and cruelty, is his love for Cathy. The novel barely touches on physical affection and never indicates that Cathy and Heathcliff are intimate. It’s their souls that merge and twine.

I want to say that Heathcliff is a Four. He is emotionally driven. Love for Cathy, hatred for Hindley Earnshaw, revenge on all who’ve hurt him — these are his motivations. Besides Cathy (and sometimes Hindley’s son Hareton), Heathcliff is temperate only to Nelly Dean, the housekeeper. Everything else is a high or a low, never a middle. He absorbs the abuse of his childhood, and the wonderment of a soulmate in Cathy, and sets them at his center. To contain the extremes of love and hate so completely seems very Four to me.

The Story Enneagram of Fort Defiance

ONE

Establish the Emerald Rose Saloon in the late 1800s American west. Two middle-aged sisters own and run the place that their parents, now deceased, built. The elder, Izzy, is a more steady presence. The younger, Luisa, is more restless.

TWO

A mysterious wagon, coming into town at the head of a monsoon, crashes in front of the Saloon. Driver and horses are crushed. Only the cargo, a large box, remains intact. Emerald Rose customer Leon notices a handbill attached to the wood. He shows it to Luisa: a reward for return of the box to its owner in Fort Defiance.

THREE

Luisa agrees to upend her life and accompany (and finance) Leon’s trip. In order to smooth her decision with Izzy, Luisa plays their family song, “Desert Lullaby.” Moved, Izzy relents. She’ll travel with her sister.

The Crossroads of Destiny (Season Two Finale, Part Two)

For the first half of this Story Enneagram, please see Part One.

FIVE

Sokka and Aang ride on Appa, headed for Katara. As they approach the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se, they see a moving cloud of dust. Of course, it’s Toph. Dipping down, they invite her to join them.

Azula meets with the Dai Li under the city, advising them that the Earth King doesn’t trust them. They must seize power now while they can. “Long Feng has placed you in my command while we overthrow the government,” she says. After the Dai Li march out, Ty Lee congratulates Azula on her speech. The Avatar and her brother and uncle are still loose ends, Azula warns.

Zuko and Iroh arrive at the palace, ready to serve tea. Iroh had often imagined himself here, but always as a conqueror for the Fire Nation. Now he’s a guest.

The Guru (Season Two Finale, Part One)

We have many storylines to resolve in this episode. It could get a little chaotic.

ONE

Iroh cooks soup — jook — in their shiny kitchen. Zuko, recovered, smiles and asks for a bowl. He’s so cheerful Iroh raises an eyebrow at him. They have a new apartment and a new tea shop. Things are looking up.

Appa lands near the dock where the Water Tribe fleet is docked. Sokka feels ill he’s so nervous about reuniting with his dad. “See you in a week,” Aang says as he and Appa lift off. On the beach, Sokka walks through camp. The men greet him and ruffle his hair. In the command tent, Hakoda holds a council. When Sokka enters, he rises and hugs him.

The Earth King, petting Bosco, chatters to the fake Kyoshi Warriors about the mutinous Dai Li and (oh, dear) the planned invasion of the Fire Nation. Close-up on Azula’s pupil as it contracts. She responds with sympathy, though, playing her part.

Katara attends the Earth Kingdom war council. They task her with taking a scroll to the Earth King so he can sign off on their plan.

Appa and Aang arrive at the Air Temple where the Guru waits. He’s ready to teach Aang how to master the Avatar state, but first he must drink an onion and banana soup. (It’s the soup episode. Blech.)

And finally we see Master Yu and Xin Fu drive a cart with a metal box in the back. They argue over which road to take. From the prison, Toph yells that she needs to use the bathroom. They won’t let her out, though. Xin Fu taunts her: she may be the greatest earth bender, but even she can’t move metal. Toph places her hand on the box.

The Earth King

ONE

Our gang rests on an island while everybody reunites with Appa.

TWO

Sokka argues that, after so much success, they should return and meet with the Earth King. It’s always been his objective to seek help against the Fire Nation, and he eventually convinces the rest of the gang to join him.

THREE

In the distance, ships sail the lake. Aang says the Dai Li are looking for them.

Lake Laogai

We’re at the last few chapters of Book Two of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This season has been a tough watch at the end. The beginning, with the introduction of Toph, is so much fun. I had forgotten, though, where the arc is headed. Let’s push forward through the darkness.

ONE

Inside our gang’s Ba Sing Se house, Sokka draws childlike illustrations of Appa.

TWO

Katara and Aang enter with a professionally printed poster of Appa. Sokka, who’s been working all day at it, protests. Toph (who, remember, is blind) says his posters look great to her.

THREE

Gliding over the city, Aang and Momo drop leaflets.

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.

LITTLE WOMEN (2019)

My breakdown of this version, Little Women (2019), is going to be very strange. If the filmmaker decides to take an extremely well-known story and change its ending, chaos can ensue. In this case facts about Louisa May Alcott are incorporated into the climax. I didn’t know any of these details and found the end confusing and infuriating.

It felt Author’s Message to me, and in a way it was. No matter how interesting real life information is, if you go against audience expectations, especially ones so deeply ingrained as they are for this story, you have to be crystalline. LW2019 doesn’t cross that bar.

It makes for a very interesting Enneagram pattern.

ONE

The girls are adults. The beginning of the movie starts near the end of the characters’ arcs. Okay, fresh and interesting. Jo sells a story, Amy is in Paris, Meg spends money recklessly, and Beth plays the piano. Professor Bhaer is introduced; he and Jo see each other at a pub and dance together.

I don’t understand why this scene exists. (The movie, at two and a half hours, needed trimming.) It’s Four-ish stuff put in the middle of the opening. That’s the danger of leading with your ending, it seems.

Jump to Seven Years Earlier. Meg’s hair is burnt by the curling iron and Jo’s dress is burnt by her carelessness. Classic scene. Laurie comes to the dance and the March family meets their neighbor. Meg twists her ankle, Laurie’s carriage takes them home, and here’s Marmee, Hannah, and the bustle of Orchard House.

You see the problem here, right? This is all Four stuff! Where is our anchor to begin the story? No scene is edited to stand out.

Except one.