Bridget Jones’ Diary – Enneagram and Encaustic

MARK DARCY, SIX

What a good sport Colin Firth is. Not only is he playing the same character twice, once as sincere and once as a derivation, but since his version of Pride and Prejudice is so beloved, he’s also playing a reaction to himself. How complicated! He’s a spoof played absolutely straight and with charm. Well done.

Bridget was nothing like Elizabeth. Darcy, though, besides sharing the name reflects many character traits, too. He’s aloof, successful, and a “catch”, to put it in old school terminology. At first he’s portrayed in a bad light, and then his character is revealed to be excellent.

So, if Fitzwilliam Darcy is a Five, what is Mark?

This Darcy is not judgmental. He likes Bridget “just as she is”. When Bridget’s birthday dinner falls apart, Darcy jumps in and whips up an omelette. He’s handy, and isn’t too stuffy to help. He’s a bit pushed around by Natasha, though. All of these traits are the opposite of Fitzwilliam. I’d say this Darcy is not a Five. (My goodness, I should officially look at our P&P Darcy just to make sure about this!)

He’s a Six.

The world is clearly very black and white to Mark. His legal case is righteous. Cleaver’s behavior with his wife is unforgivable.

Hahaha! I just thought of the reindeer jumper. How Six-ish to be completely unselfconscious while wearing a hideously ugly garment.

Bridget, possibly because of the paddling pool incident, is classified in Mark’s view as okay, even though she takes questionable actions. She’s been filed and catalogued, and that’s where she lives.

I don’t feel one hundred per cent sure of this call. I keep getting distracted by Firth’s real life build — decidedly un-Six. He’s plausible, though, and we’ll leave it at that.

DANIEL CLEAVER, NINE

He’s the Wickham, so we know he’s charming and utterly deceitful. (I haven’t done Wickham yet! Holy cow, what am I thinking?) The casting of Hugh Grant leans in to the whole picture of a rascal who ends up being a rake. (I believe those are the proper Regency period-specific terms.)

So, what Enneagram is this version of Wickham? Cleaver is successful. He mentions that the Americans have come because the publishing house is in financial trouble, but we don’t see signs of hardship. It could just be one of his ruses, I don’t know. Unlike Wickham, Cleaver is not going to end in wrack and ruin. He’s a plain working stiff, moderately successful and fully employable.

Cleaver doesn’t really excel at anything. He’s not even a particularly great villain! He’s handsome and socially comfortable, and that’s all he needs to get through life.

Oh, gawd, he’s a Nine.

With Bridget as a Four, this makes perfect sense. The Four/Nine combo are drawn to each other, but they are more toxic than supportive.

I’ll officially delve into Wickham later, but I feel quite certain he won’t end up being a Nine.

BRIDGET JONES, FOUR

I’m tempted to classify this under the Works of Jane Austen category, because we all know that Bridget Jones’ Diary is an admitted derivative of Pride and Prejudice. However, I think it’s become a stand-alone franchise that deserves its own category.

Does Bridget show any character traits that resemble Elizabeth Bennet? I’ll say no. The plot — one man who seems attractive, one repulsive, switch places as the heroine learns more — is the similarity. She has no sisters, no cousins; we have no Bingley, no Lady Catherine. It’s just the love triangle and the mistaken assumptions therein. I’m not bothered that Bridget is a unique person.

I do like the social commentary comparison. For both women, society expects them to be married at their age. They want to be married, too, but not at the expense of their standards. They both have pushy, socially embarrassing mothers, and fathers who are ineffectual.

So, what Enneagram is our Bridget? She has a beloved circle of friends and a party-hardy attitude. (Lol I just went down a rabbit hole of whether it’s party hardy or party hearty. I’ll stick with my first instinct.) Her diary writing suggests she’s not happy with herself. However, she is indomitable. She’s embarrassed, yet she continues to forge ahead. Sliding down a fireman’s pole bottom-first into camera doesn’t keep her from going out on assignment again. She misses the post-trial interview while she’s buying a cigarette, and then nails it. Shaming moments are heaped on her, but she’s still chasing Darcy down the street in her “knickers”. Isn’t all of this exactly what we love about Bridget and why we watch her over and over?

A Four? She seems like a Heart Type. Her exercise is something she does to lose weight, not as a Body Type. Her publishing job is more about the social connection than the intellectual pursuit; not a Head Type. She’s clearly not a Three. I’ll say that her lack of punctuality is what marks her as a Four. A Two would be more concerned about tardiness and what people will think. A Four is going to tend to themselves first (in her case, nursing a hangover), and an obligation to their work schedule would come second.