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Storytelling Output Report

for

"Heavenly Creatures"

ANALYSIS INFORMATION:



General Storytelling:
Complete

Act Order Storytelling:
Complete

Character List:
Complete

Build Characters:
Partial


Author:
Frances Walsh & Peter Jackson

Analysis sources:

Film. Miramax, 1995. (Video. Miramax Home Entertainment, 1996)

Walsh, Frances & Jackson, Peter. Shooting script, March 1993, 107 pages. Published, with screenwriter interview, in Scenario: The Magazine of Screenwriting Art, Vol. 1, No. 4, fall 1995. Unfortunately, not in standard screenplay format, hence the page numbers of the quotes are of the magazine's pages.

1995 Motion Picture Guide Annual (The Films of 1994.) CineBooks. New York, NY. 1994.

Maslin, Janet. In The New York Times Film Reviews (1993-1994.) Times Books. New York, NY. 1996.

Genre:
Female buddy picture

Setting:
Christchurch, New Zealand

Period:
1954

Analysis by:
Kevin Hindley

Comments:

"Heavenly Creatures" is a story where more emphasis is placed on the conflict between the main character, Pauline, and an antagonistic objective character, Mrs. Rieper, than on any conflict between the subjective characters. The effect that Juliet, the obstacle character, has on Pauline occurs mostly in the first act. After that it becomes Pauline's story, until by the time of the murder, Juliet has faded ineffectually into the background and we're unsure of how she feels and thinks about what's going on. This may stem from the fact that in their research, the writers had full access to Pauline's diaries but were unable to locate Juliet's diaries -- which are believed to have been destroyed -- and thus had less material from which to draw her character.

SCREENWRITER SOURCES:

(Lippy, Tod. In Scenario, p. 3)

Brief Synopsis:

(Video blurb, Miramax)

Objective Character Mini-Synopsis:

THE OBJECTIVE CHARACTERS:


Name: Pauline Rieper
Gender: Female
Description:

"PAULINE RIEPER: 16 - dark-haired, shorter and stockier than Juliet."
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 182)
Role: Matricidal schoolgirl
Characteristics:

Motivation: Pursuit; Faith; Feeling;
Methodology: Nonacceptance; Proaction; Deduction;
Evaluation: Test; Unending; Hunch;
Purpose: Knowledge; Inertia; Chaos; Ability;

Name: Juliet Hulme
Gender: Female
Description:

"JULIET HULME: nearly 16 - tall, blond and willowy"
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 182)
Role: Pauline's best friend
Characteristics:

Motivation: Help;
Methodology: Induction;
Evaluation: Trust;
Purpose: Perception; Equity; Desire;

Name: Henry Hulme
Gender: Male
Description:

"HENRY HULME - a 44-year-old bespectacled academic. He is sniffing, with a disdainful look on his face. He pulls a packet of mouldy sandwiches out of his jacket pocket."
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 186)
Role: Juliet's father
Characteristics:

Motivation: Consider; Oppose; Avoidance; Conscience; Logic;
Methodology: Certainty; Protection; Evaluation;
Evaluation: Ending;
Purpose: Change; Actuality;

Name: Herbert Rieper
Gender: Male
Description:

"Her husband, HERBERT, has just arrived home and is taking off his coat, looking at the mail, etc. He is nearly 60... 15 years older than Honora. The Riepers' house is clean and tidy. They are a lower-middle-class family on a modest income."
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 184)
Role: Pauline's father
Characteristics:

Motivation: Uncontrolled;
Methodology: Inaction;

Name: Hilda Hulme
Gender: Female
Description:

"HILDA HULME, elegant, 36 years old, is setting down a tray of tea on a small table."
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 186)
Role: Juliet's mother
Characteristics:

Motivation: Support; Temptation;
Methodology: Acceptance; Reevaluation;
Purpose: Inequity;

Name: Honora Rieper
Gender: Female
Description:

"HONORA RIEPER is standing at her sink bench. She is 43 years old. Dark hair, going gray. A middle-aged woman with a kind face."
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 184)
Role: Pauline's mother
Characteristics:

Motivation: Reconsider; Disbelief; Control; Hinder;
Methodology: Reaction;
Evaluation: Theory;
Purpose: Thought; Order;

Name: John a.k.a. Nicholas
Gender: Male
Description:

"Honora leads a young man - JOHN - into the dining room."
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 190)
Role: The lodger
Characteristics:

Name: Walter (Bill) Perry
Gender: Male
Description:

"He is ruggedly handsome, in his mid-40s."
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 190)
Role: Mrs. Hulme's lover
Characteristics:

AUDIENCE AND STORY DYNAMICS APPRECIATIONS:

Nature as it relates to Apparent Dilemma:

When Pauline and Juliet apply the problem-solving techniques that they've developed in their imaginary world -- violently killing their opponents -- to the real world and Pauline's mother, it results in total, devastating failure.

Essence as it relates to Positive Feel:

Rather than endure their separation and wait until Pauline's of age and can get a passport, Pauline and Juliet try to engineer ways in which they can remain together.

Tendency as it relates to Willing:

Pauline is so obsessed with Juliet, and so motivated to find a way for them to stay together, that she gives up all other interests -- including helping her father make models, going to school, having sex with boys.

Reach as it relates to Both:

Both men and women can identify with the plight of Pauline, a girl whose options have been limited by her debilitating illness and who is struggling with the confused feelings that adolescence brings, including rebelliousness toward authority and alienation from controlling parents.

Resolve as it relates to Change:

Experiencing adolescence and the possibility of other worlds shown to her by Juliet, Pauline changes from a dull, obedient daughter with straight-A grades to an imaginative person with a purpose:
PAULINE (Diary V.O.)
Anger against Mother boiled up inside me as it
is she who is one of the main obstacles in my
path. Suddenly a means of ridding myself of
this occurred to me. If she were to die...
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 208)

Approach as it relates to Be-er:

Reluctant to be in the school photo, Pauline adapts to the situation by hanging her head down rather than running away; Pauline responds to Juliet's tuberculosis by wishing illness on herself and refusing to eat; when her mother threatens to not let her see Juliet again, Pauline's initial response is to wish herself dead; she responds to threatening authority figures internally by having them killed by Diello in the 4th World of Borovnia.

Direction as it relates to Stop:

Pauline needs to stop her obsession with being with Juliet, and stop living in a fantasy world of her own creation where problems are easily resolved by violent acts.

Mental Sex as it relates to Male:

Pauline applies cause and effect reasoning to her encounter with the child psychologist, having him killed by Diello in her imaginary world; with Juliet, she's worked out the Borovnian "entire royal lineage for the last five centuries;" desperate to go overseas, Pauline takes steps to make in happen -- stealing silverware for the fare, applying for a passport, etc.; distressed over the one obstacle standing in her way, Pauline causes an effect -- her mother's death -- having carefully worked out the steps of the murder plan.

Outcome as it relates to Failure:

Despite removing "one of the main obstacles in my path," Pauline and her object of desire Juliet are separated at story's end:

A SERIES OF CARDS explains what happened subsequently:

Too young for the death penalty, they were sent to separate prisons to be "Detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure." [...] It was a condition of their release that they never meet again.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 216)

Judgment as it relates to Bad:

An adolescent rebelling against the confining nature of adult authority figures, Pauline is detained in prison for her crime. She is forever separated from her beloved Juliet, who "was released in November 1959 and immediately left New Zealand to join her mother overseas."
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 216)

Work as it relates to Decision:

The Art class teacher decides to pair up Pauline with Juliet, which begins their bonding process; getting a diary for Christmas a second time, Pauline decides on a more selfish New Year's resolution; Mrs. Hulme decides she's more interested in Bill's feelings than his wife's, leading to their affair and her divorce; Mr. Hulme decides to go to England, and place Juliet in South Africa; Mrs. Rieper decides that Juliet and Pauline should spend their last three weeks together; etc.

Limit as it relates to Optionlock:

Pauline runs out of options in her quest to stay with Juliet: she first gets depressed and tries to make herself ill; she thinks of committing suicide; she suggests going to live with the Hulme family, then with Juliet in South Africa; she and Juliet plan to be discovered in Hollywood; she finally chooses an extreme solution -- her plan to "moider Mother."

THE OBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

Throughline Synopsis:

(Maslin, p. 389)

Backstory:

"But the other reason why it was important that we tell this as a true story is that it has a kind of universal truth for anybody growing up. When you're at that age, you become very focused on things in an extreme way. And I don't think Pauline and Juliet are so very different from anybody else; I think several things went wrong in their lives -- Juliet's parents broke up, and Pauline became very alienated from her family (she was an obsessional manic-depressive character) -- and I think it was this terrible combination of things that led to this extraordinarily horrible act. But it's not something that can be precluded from anybody's experience in growing up. Adolescence is such a crazy time."
(Fran Walsh, in Scenario, p. 224)

Domain as it relates to Psychology:

Pauline's thoughts are totally focused on Juliet, with whom she shares a delusional, imaginary world; Mr. Hulme and Mrs. Rieper are worried by the idea that Pauline may have "formed a rather... unwholesome attachment to Juliet," and they and the psychologist disapprove of the dreaded "Homosexuality...;" Mrs. Hulme thinks it's normal, as she's "sure it's all perfectly innocent;" Mr. Rieper doesn't seem to understand the concept, being more worried over her disobedience; etc.

Concern as it relates to Being:

Pauline and Juliet can't imagine existing without each other, and inhabit a fantasy world where their parents don't exist; Juliet's parents continue to keep up appearances as a married couple, even though Mrs. Hulme has moved her lover, Bill, into their house; Pauline's parents want her to go on being the good schoolgirl, seemingly unaware of the effects of adolescence on her; Juliet keeps pretending everything's all right with her parents' marriage; Pauline acts as if Juliet's parents want her to live with them; etc.

Range as it relates to Thought:

Mrs. Hulme muses that Pauline and Juliet's relationship is probably harmless; the psychiatrist thinks Pauline's homosexuality may be a passing phase she'll grow out of; Pauline thinks she doesn't need school, as her writing will be her career.

Counterpoint as it relates to Knowledge:

Dr. Hulme insists that the girls' relationship is unwholesome, and keeping them apart is the solution; Mr. and Mrs. Rieper firmly believe that Pauline's fiction writing won't lead to anything, that school certificate's the only worthwhile goal.

Thematic Conflict as it relates to Thought vs. Knowledge:

The firm ideas of the academic Dr. Hulme and strict Riepers dominate the freer-thinking of Mrs. Hulme and the psychiatrist, and lead the desperate girls to wilder imaginings -- which they unfortunately act out.

Problem as it relates to Theory:

Mr. Hulme tells Mrs. Rieper his theory, based on a series of observations of his daughter with Pauline, that Pauline's turning homosexual. This conclusion, confirmed by the psychologist, makes her mother stricter in an attempt to change Pauline's behavior:
HONORA
You're not going anywhere. You're 15 years old!!
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 208)

Solution as it relates to Hunch:

Pauline's way of escaping her mother's control comes to her fully formed:
PAULINE (Diary V.O.)
Anger against Mother boiled up inside me as it
is she who is one of the main obstacles in my
path. Suddenly a means of ridding myself of
this obstacle occurred to me. If she were to die...
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 208)

But she hasn't thought this premise through to its conclusion: How would killing her mother ensure her staying together with Juliet?

Focus as it relates to Ending:

Because of its "unnatural" nature, Mr. Hulme focuses on ending the relationship between Juliet and Pauline; reacting with strictness as a method, Mrs. Rieper focuses on quashing Pauline's rebellious nature; his wife's love for him over, Mr. Hulme intends to divorce her.

Direction as it relates to Unending:

Pauline and Juliet raise money to go overseas in an attempt to remain together and fulfill their Hollywood dreams; Pauline directs Juliet in the plan to "moider Mother," who she sees as the main obstacle to their staying together; in scenes cut from the U.S. release of the film, Mrs. Hulme moves her lover Bill into the Hulme household, while keeping her failed marriage going.

Stipulation as it relates to Conceiving:

The concerned parents of Pauline and Juliet conceive the notion that the more the girls spend time together, the more "unhealthy" their relationship is becoming. Their process of arriving at this idea parallels Pauline's descent into madness. Her inventive imagination, expressed through Borovnian scenes and her diary entries, reveal how her separation of fantasy and reality gradually blurs and moves her toward murder. Initially, in the 4th World:
PAULINE (Diary V.O.)
We saw a gateway through the clouds. Everything
was full of peace and bliss.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 192)

With Juliet in hospital, Pauline writes to her in character:
PAULINE (Letter V.O.)
I have to report that the lower classes are
terrifically dull. Only yesterday I was compelled
to execute several peasants just to alleviate the
boredom...
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 194)

Hearing about the Hulmes' divorce from Mr. Hulme, Pauline imagines herself one of the family:
PAULINE (Diary V.O.)
Poor Father. Dr. Hulme was absolutely kind
and understanding... [...] One thing Deborah and
I are sticking to: through everything, we sink or
swim together.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 207)

Finally, as Pauline loses her grip on reality, she gets the idea to kill her mother:
PAULINE (Diary V.O.)
We realised why Deborah and I have such
extraordinary telepathy and why people treat us
and look at us the way they do. It is because we
are MAD. We are both stark raving MAD!
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 210)

Catalyst as it relates to Knowledge:

Juliet's knowledge that her parents will abandon her for a vacation makes her withdraw into fantasy, and share her ideas of the 4th World with Pauline; Mr. Rieper's presumption that Pauline invited John into her bed for sex causes her to rebel and make it actually happen; Pauline's revelation of what she knows about her mother's elopement widens the rift between them; Mr. Hulme's knowledge that hanky-panky's going on in the bathtub between Juliet and Pauline leads to Pauline's visit to a psychologist; Pauline and her mother's conflicting ideas about knowledge lead her to drop out of school and attend typing college; etc.

Inhibitor as it relates to Enlightenment:

Mr. Hulme knows a lesbian when he hears two frolicking in the bathtub -- he discerns the larger picture from the little clues he's observed, and suggests treatment for Pauline in order to keep her from Juliet; Juliet mistakenly intuits that her father wouldn't want to know about mother's deep therapy with Bill -- so she tries to blackmail her mother, speeding up the divorce and Juliet's being sent to South Africa.

Goal as it relates to Being:

Everyone's concerned with Pauline and Juliet's staying together in their intense relationship: Mr. Hulme wants to stop it as it's "unwholesome;" the psychologist thinks it's only a phase, albeit a homosexual one, and recommends boys as an alternative for Pauline; Mrs. Hulme is "sure it's all perfectly innocent;" the clueless Mr. Rieper worries that "they don't get enough fresh air and exercise;" Mrs. Rieper forbids Pauline from joining Juliet overseas; Pauline and Juliet will let nothing prevent them from being together, and kill Mrs. Rieper for trying.

Consequence as it relates to Doing:

As a consequence of murdering Mrs. Rieper and still failing in their goal to stay together, Pauline and Juliet were sent to do time at separate prisons, to be "Detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure."

Cost as it relates to Progress:

In her attempt to extort money from her mother, Juliet finds her parents' marriage is rapidly deteriorating; Mrs. Hulme's "deep therapy" gets her client, Bill, farther from repairing his marriage; involved in her own creative writing, the standard of Pauline's school work is slipping, and she drops out to take a job.

Dividend as it relates to The Preconscious:

From Juliet, Pauline learns to be more assertive and instinctively voice her opinions to figures of authority, especially her mother; impulsively reacting to her mother's scolding over her pajama party with the boarder, John, Pauline seeks him out and gladly loses her virginity to him.

Requirements as it relates to Conceiving:

Juliet and Pauline conceive of Hollywood as an escape from their problems, and scheme to raise the airfare; to keep her from his daughter, Dr. Hulme comes up with the idea of sending Pauline to a psychiatrist; he conceives of divorce from Mrs. Hulme, and sending Juliet away to South Africa; Pauline invents the plan to murder Mrs. Rieper as the way to keep herself and Juliet together.

Prerequisites as it relates to Learning:

Juliet discovers her mother's infidelity with Bill, and tries to extort money for travel to Hollywood with Pauline -- but learns that her father already knows of the affair.

Preconditions as it relates to The Present:

Pauline finds that as she's currently only 15 years old, she's unable to get the passport she needs to go overseas with Juliet -- she needs her mother's permission, which is denied.

Forewarnings as it relates to The Conscious:

Foreshadowing what she and Pauline have in store for Mrs. Rieper later, Juliet premeditates about a murder weapon in her garden:

LOW ANGLE... bricks, piled up beside the garage.
Juliet takes one... weighs it in her hands, then takes a smaller half-brick.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 212)

Mrs. Rieper contemplates the jewel on the ground pointed out to her by Pauline, who deliberately placed it there in preparation for the murder:

MOVE IN... to a small pink stone lying on the ground.

MOVE IN... to Honora's puzzled face.

She starts to bend down.

Juliet turns around.

Pauline reaches into the shoulder bag.

Honora's fingers reach the pink stone.

Back of Honora's head.

The brick emerges from the bag.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 215)

THE SUBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

Throughline Synopsis:

Attracted by Juliet's superiority complex, the withdrawn Pauline finds Juliet's home life and imaginative mind wonderful places to cohabit. Together they create a secret, imaginary world reserved for "heavenly creatures" such as themselves, where interfering adults are easily and violently disposed of. Pauline withdraws further from her home and school life as she bonds closer to Juliet. Split apart as a result of Dr. Hulme's suspicions of hanky-panky, the girls scheme to escape together to Hollywood. Thwarted by her mother, Pauline consummates her love for Juliet and together they kill Mrs. Rieper, but end up apart, never to meet again.

Backstory:

Though sharing debilitating childhood illnesses, Pauline and Juliet come from opposite ends of Christchurch's social spectrum. Juliet, daughter of local "royalty," is a world traveler with an academic father and liberal-minded mother, and is allowed free expression of her artistic talent. Pauline, daughter of a working-class fish-husband and a homemaker, has had no adventure and her only artistic outlet has been in helping her father with his carpentry projects.

Domain as it relates to Physics:

The relationship between the two girls, "Juliet [who] was confident and loud, and Pauline [who] was brooding and dark," is a dynamic one. The extroverted Juliet's influence on the withdrawn Pauline encourages her personality to flourish and gives her a sense of self, by introducing her to new worlds of possibility: that of Juliet's well-to-do family, and the imaginary 4th World of Borovnia where nobody else exists.

Concern as it relates to Doing:

Pauline and Juliet first come together as a couple over a shared activity -- Phys Ed class -- which neither participates in because of what they have in common, a disabling childhood illness; feeling estranged from and superior to lesser mortals who can't understand them, they create an alternative world -- defining the Borovnian royal lineage, sculpting Plasticine models, playing Mario Lanza records, frolicking in their underwear in the park, sharing long baths, writing in their diaries, etc.

Range as it relates to Enlightenment:

Through their creation and manipulation of characters in their fictional world of Borovnia, Pauline and Juliet gain an insight into creative problem-solving, having the lustful Diello remove obstacles to Charles and Deborah's will with the stroke of his sword.

Counterpoint as it relates to Wisdom:

Using the knowledge of what violent characters can achieve in their imaginary world, Juliet practices its use on the naysaying vicar:

Diello grabs a huge ax, swing it up above his head, and brings it crashing down onto...
REVEREND NORRIS'S NECK!!!
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 195)

Pauline gets the idea to apply the method to her mother, bringing a rock in a sock crashing down onto her head, after it works to get rid of her nuisance of a lover, John/Nicholas:

He reaches down... for a silver ring, set with a small pink stone. It is lying on the ground, as if dropped by somebody.

SUDDENLY!

Diello slashes the rope with his dagger. Before Nicholas can react, the portcullis crashes down on him. [...] Juliet picks up the pink stone. She holds it up and it twinkles in the sunlight.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 200)

Thematic Conflict as it relates to Enlightenment vs. Wisdom:

The insight into dealing with obstacles that Pauline and Juliet discern from their fantasy world is misguided, for they have neither the experience nor the wisdom to think through the consequences of their murder of Mrs. Rieper to its logical conclusion -- imprisonment and separation.

Problem as it relates to Theory:

Pauline and Juliet's theory that they belong together no matter what creates problems for them when their parents disapprove and separate them: Dr. Hulme is sending Juliet away, and Mrs. Rieper won't let Pauline go with her.

Solution as it relates to Hunch:

Pauline is visited by the premonition that once she kills her mother, all her problems will be over and she'll be reunited with Juliet:
PAULINE (Diary V.O.)
Suddenly a means of ridding myself of this
obstacle occurred to me. If she were to die...
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 208)

Focus as it relates to Proven:

Killing people who get in their way works well for characters in Borovnia, with no negative costs: Diello executes the vicar for Juliet, impales Nicholas with the portcullis for Pauline, and runs through Pauline's psychologist with his sword.

Direction as it relates to Unproven:

Pauline and Juliet transfer the method used to solve their imaginary problems into the real world, trying it out for the first time on Pauline's mother, with successful but disastrous results.

Stipulation as it relates to Learning:

When Pauline becomes aware of Juliet's talent and assertiveness in school, she's immediately drawn to her; the discovery that they have childhood illness in common separates them from the other students; Juliet teaches Pauline the wonders of the 4th World, a secret they share; learning of Juliet's T.B., Pauline affects a sympathetic illness; learning that Juliet's to be shipped to South Africa, Pauline tries to become part of the Hulme family.

Catalyst as it relates to Wisdom:

Juliet's mastery of the French language, and the way she lets everyone know it by one-upping the teacher, makes Pauline admire her; Juliet's understanding of what it's like to suffer a major illness, and what to say to Pauline to comfort her, brings them closer together and separates them from others:
JULIET
Cheer up! All the best people have had bad chests
and bone diseases! It's all frightfully romantic!
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 186)

Pauline's poem reveals the deeper meaning of her obsession with Juliet:
PAULINE (Poem V.O.)
Compared with these two, every man is a fool,/
The world is honoured that they should deign to rule,/
And I worship the power of these lovely two,/
With that adoring love known to so few.../'

Tis indeed a miracle, one must feel, That two such
heavenly creatures are real, [...]

Why are men such fools they will not realise,/
The wisdom that is hidden behind those strange eyes./
And these wonderful people are you and I.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 200)

Inhibitor as it relates to Thought:

Pauline's musing about John the "idiot boarder," who she considers to have fallen in love with her, makes the bedridden Juliet sullen and jealous until Pauline mends the rift:
PAULINE
No, silly. I'm just teasing. He's only a stupid boy!
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 196)

Pauline Rieper's THROUGHLINE:

Role:

Matricidal schoolgirl

Description:

"PAULINE RIEPER: 16 - dark-haired, shorter and stockier than Juliet."
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 182)

Throughline Synopsis:

Pauline feels limited -- by the social status of her peasant family, by her physical limitations, by her mother's control. In Juliet, she sees a soulmate with similar interests and attitude, and flourishes creatively. She transfers affection for her parents to Juliet's more glamorous parents, rebelling against her own. While it's Dr. Hulme who parts her from her beloved Juliet, Pauline blames her own mother for not letting her go overseas with Juliet. Feeling incomplete without Juliet as part of her life, Pauline descends into obsessive madness, recruiting Juliet into her final solution -- murdering her mother.

Backstory:

Pauline has a history of traumatic childhood illness:
PAULINE
I spent ages in hospital, too... with my leg. I had
to have all these operations. Osteomyelitus turns
your bones to chalk. It took them two years to
drain all the muck out.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 185)

Domain as it relates to Mind:

Pauline is totally obsessed with Juliet, wanting to be one with her. Her diary entries reveal her disdain of everybody else, save for the cuckolded Mr. Hulme:
PAULINE (Diary V.O.)
We have decided how sad it is for other people
that they cannot appreciate our genius... ...but we
hope the book will help them to do so a little,
though no one could fully appreciate us.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 190)

--and:
PAULINE (Poem V.O.)
[...] You cannot know nor yet try to guess,/
The sweet soothingness of their caress,/
The outstanding genius of this pair is understood by few,/
They are so rare... [...] Compared with these two, every man is a fool,/
The world is most honored that they should deign to rule,/
And I worship the power of these lovely two,/
With that adoring love known to so few...
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 199)

Concern as it relates to The Preconscious:

Pauline's unthinking responses to situations are inappropriate: Pauline reacts to Juliet's T.B. by acting ill herself; she sneaks out to have sex with John as an impulsive response to her parents' scolding; her impulse to do away with her mother creates the most trouble of all.

Range as it relates to Confidence:

Pauline is sullen, withdrawn, and friendless until she falls under the influence of Juliet's optimism -- then she looks forward to a bright future, spending the rest of her life with Juliet and expecting fame and fortune from the publication of their writings.

Counterpoint as it relates to Worry:

When Juliet comes down with T.B., Pauline makes herself sick with worry over her quarantined friend; when Dr. Hulme threatens to send Juliet away and Mrs. Rieper forbids Pauline from following her, Pauline despairs over the separation and desperately searches for a way to overcome this obstacle.

Thematic Conflict as it relates to Confidence vs. Worry:

Visited by what seems the perfect solution to her problem -- murdering her mother -- Pauline regains confidence in a future with Juliet so much that she doesn't worry about the consequences of her crime.

Problem as it relates to Theory:

Pauline's theory of how she will live her life conflicts with her parents' plans for her. Frustrated by her dull, non-motivating home and school environment, Pauline expects her creative writing to provide a real, as well as imaginary, escape:
HONORA
You're failing English... you used to be top of the class--

PAULINE
I'm doing my own writing!

Honora snatches up an exercise book from a large pile.
HONORA
These stories are not going to get you School
Certificate! You don't seriously think anyone's
going to publish them?

PAULINE
(Scornful)
What do you know? You wouldn't know the
first thing about writing. You're the most
ignorant person I've ever met!"
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 204)

Solution as it relates to Hunch:

If Pauline heeded her parents' gut feelings about the stories she and Juliet write together, she might not rely on them to provide a future:
HERBERT
This story of yours -- maybe the school
newspaper will print it when it's finished.

JULIET
Actually, Mr. Rieper... it's a novel, and we'll be
sending it to New York. That's where all the big
publishing houses are based.

HERBERT
(Laughs)
Is that a fact? You'd better put my name down
for an advance copy!

Herbert chuckles. Pauline and Juliet look at each other with knowing smiles.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 190)

Focus as it relates to Trust:

Pauline has accepted the value systems handed down by her parents, school, and the church without question, until Juliet comes along:
JULIET
Daddy says the Bible's a load of bunkum!

Pauline reacts with a degree of shock.
PAULINE
But, we're all going to Heaven!
JULIET
I'm not! I'm going to the Fourth World! It's sort
of like Heaven, only better because there aren't
any Christians.

Pauline giggles.
JULIET
It's an absolute Paradise of music, art and pure
enjoyment.

Pauline is entranced.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 188)

Pauline transfers her trust away from her family to her new friend Juliet, and assumes that their relationship will continue despite the obstacles it meets.

Direction as it relates to Test:

Pauline's flouting of authority tests her parent's patience; In Juliet's garden, Pauline tests her new friend:

Pauline's eyes are shut. She speaks with great effort.
PAULINE
(Gasping)
I think I'm dying...

JULIET
(Upset)
Don't... please! Please, don't!

Dying breath escapes from Pauline's mouth... she goes limp. Juliet shrieks!
JULIET
(Crying)
Paul!!!

Juliet collapses over Pauline's body, crying. Pauline's eyes flick open! She sniffs and pulls a face.
PAULINE
Urrrgh! You've been eating onions!
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 187)

Later, Pauline tests how much the recovering Juliet has missed her by mentioning that the boarder John is in love with her:

Pauline giggles. Juliet turns away.
JULIET
(Sullen)
Is that why you haven't replied to my last letter?

Pauline's smile disappears.
PAULINE
No, silly. I'm just teasing. He's only a stupid boy!
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 196)

Stipulation as it relates to The Conscious:

Pauline's reflections on her life, as narrated from her diary, show her failing grip on reality: in her first entry, she resolves "to be more lenient with others;" after experiencing Juliet's fantasy world, she decides:
PAULINE
(Diary V.O.)
We have an extra part of our brain which can
appreciate the Fourth World. Only about 10
people have it.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 192)

She writes to the hospitalized Juliet in the character of Charles, fantasizing that she was "compelled to execute several peasants just to alleviate the boredom...; separated from the Hulmes by her mother, Pauline considers:
PAULINE
(Diary V.O.)
The thought is too dreadful. Life would be
unbearable without Deborah... I wish I
could die.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 203)

Her next resolution is "a far more selfish one"; finally, she considers killing her mother the only way out of her situation, and while "Naturally we feel a trifle nervous, but the pleasure of anticipation is great," [...] "Peculiarly enough I have no qualms of conscience."

Unique Ability as it relates to Value:

Pauline only feels complete when she's with Juliet. She's adamant that she and Juliet as a couple, and their imaginative writing, have great value to the world, if only it knew it:
PAULINE
(Diary V.O.)
We have decided how sad it is for other people
that they cannot appreciate our genius... ...but
we hope the book will help them do so a little,
though no one could full appreciate us.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 190)

Critical Flaw as it relates to Fantasy:

Pauline's belief that she and Juliet can kill their mother and everything will work out fine, just as Diello does to her enemies in the fantasy world of Borovnia, makes her delusional enough to commit murder.

Juliet Hulme's THROUGHLINE:

Role:

Pauline's best friend

Description:

"JULIET HULME: nearly 16 - tall, blond and willowy"
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 182)

Throughline Synopsis:

Juliet's alienated from other girls by her arrogance, her physical frailty, and constantly changing schools. In Pauline, she finds someone able to appreciate the alternate world of her imagination, and who won't desert her as her parents frequently do. Raising money to escape to Hollywood with Pauline, she tries to extort money from her mother, but the result is her parents' divorce and her being packed off to South Africa -- alone. Feeling abandoned, she joins in Pauline's plan to "moider her mother."

Backstory:

Like Pauline, Juliet suffered from a traumatic childhood illness:
JULIET
I've got scars... they're on my lungs. I was in
bed for months during the war, ravaged by
respiratory illness. Mummy and Daddy sent
me to the Bahamas to recuperate.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 185)

The school headmistress introduces her:
MISS STEWART
Miss Waller... class... this is Juliet Hulme. Juliet
is joining us from St. Margaret's, and prior to
that she spent some time at Queenswood in the
Hawkes Bay.
JULIET
I am actually from England, Miss Stewart.
MISS STEWART
Of course... Juliet's father is Dr. Hulme, the
Rector of the University. Juliet's traveled all
over the world, and I'm sure she'll be very eager
to share her impressions of exotic lands with
the gels [girls] of 3A.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 183)

Domain as it relates to Universe:

Juliet is bright, confident, and attractive -- everything Pauline wants to be. She also enjoys life in a large house, has a well-to-do lifestyle and high-achieving parents -- in contrast to Pauline, whose working class parents have to take in boarders, and who she's ashamed of. Her impact on her new best friend is great -- Pauline adopts Juliet's tastes and interests, hopes to be adopted by the Hulme family, and ultimately can't bear the idea of being separated from her.

Concern as it relates to Progress:

Juliet is concerned with keeping her parents together, maintaining the family unit so she won't be abandoned again as she was as a sickly child.

Range as it relates to Security:

With Pauline, Juliet finds the sense of security that she longs for from her parents:
JULIET (V.O.)
Mummy and Daddy sent me to the Bahamas to
recuperate. I didn't see them for five years -- but
we're together now and Mummy's promised
they'll never leave me again.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 185)

They fall asleep on the bed together, take long baths together, plan a future together in Hollywood, and vow:
PAULINE
(Diary V.O.)
One thing Deborah and I are sticking to:
through everything, we sink or swim together.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 207)

Counterpoint as it relates to Threat:

Feeling threatened by her parents' plan to vacation in England and leave her behind, Juliet develops T.B. and is quarantined, left alone again "for the good of my health." Finding her mother in bed with one of her marriage counselees, Juliet threatens to expose her affair to Mr. Hulme unless paid one hundred pounds in hush money.

Thematic Conflict as it relates to Security vs. Threat:

Juliet's sense of security is threatened by her parent's leaving her for a vacation, and then by her mother's affair with Bill and her father's decision to divorce. When she transfers her affections to Pauline, her father's threat to send her to South Africa alone, and Mrs. Rieper's refusal to allow Pauline to join her, erodes her support mechanism and leads her to murder and security of the maximum kind.

Problem as it relates to Trust:

Juliet trusted her parents when they told her they'd never leave her again:
JULIET (V.O.)
Mummy and Daddy sent me to the Bahamas to
recuperate. I didn't see them for five years -- but
we're together now and Mummy's promised
they'll never leave me again.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 185)

Solution as it relates to Test:

The dependability of Juliet's parents is put to the test when they make plans to go to England and Juliet comes down with T.B. She loses trust in them when they decide to go ahead with their trip and leave her in a sanitorium:
JULIET
(Bitterly)
They sent me off to the Bahamas "for the good
of my health." They sent me to the Bay of bloody
Islands "for the good of my health.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 195)

Focus as it relates to Ending:

Juliet's worst fears -- of abandonment -- are realized when her father announces he's divorcing her mother, resigning from the university, and going back to England:
JULIET
(Vehemently)
But Daddy, you can't just leave me with Mother!

Hilda looks hurt.
HILDA
We thought it best that you accompany your father...

JULIET
(Worried)
Is Gina [Pauline] coming, too?

HENRY
(Annoyed)
Of course not.

JULIET
(Angry)
I'm not going to England without Gina!

Hilda and Henry exchange an awkward glance.
HILDA
You're not going to England, darling.

Juliet looks confused.
HENRY
I'm leaving you in South Africa with Auntie Ina.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 208)

Direction as it relates to Unending:

Juliet, upset that her plan to go to Hollywood is thwarted by Pauline's inability to get a passport, commits to maintaining the relationship with her only friend:
JULIET
(Sobbing)
Don't cry, Gina... We're not going to be separated.
They can't make us... they can't!
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 209)

Soon afterwards, Juliet attempts to continue to stay together forever with Pauline by joining in with her plan to remove the primary obstacle, Mrs. Rieper.

Stipulation as it relates to The Present:

At the moment Juliet learns her parents are considering a vacation without her, she's stunned -- and withdraws into the imaginary Fourth World; discovering her mother in bed with Bill, Juliet takes the opportunity to extort money, assuming her mother wouldn't want her father to know; Juliet justifies the murder she's in the midst of executing by referring to the present state of mind of their victim, Mrs. Rieper:
JULIET
I think she knows what's going to happen... she
doesn't appear to bear us any grudge!
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 214)

Unique Ability as it relates to Fact:

Juliet appoints herself and Pauline as superior beings by asserting that "all the best people have bad chests and bone diseases;" Juliet shakes Pauline's religious beliefs with her professor father's knowledge:
JULIET
Daddy says the Bible's a load of bunkum!

Pauline reacts with a degree of shock.
PAULINE
But we're all going to Heaven!

JULIET
I'm not! I'm going to the Fourth World! It's sort
of like Heaven, only better because there aren't
any Christians.
(Walsh & Jackson, p. 188)

Critical Flaw as it relates to Worth:

Afraid of being left alone, Juliet rates Pauline's companionship so highly that she goes along with Pauline's crazed plan to remove what she sees as the primary obstacle to their continued togetherness.

ACT PROGRESSIONS:

The Objective Throughline Act Order:

Objective Story Signpost #1 as it relates to Becoming:

Enamored with the Hulmes' lifestyle, Pauline becomes a bosom buddy of Juliet and starts to enjoy life. Juliet and Pauline transform their movie star heartthrobs into saints.

Objective Story Journey #1 from Becoming to Conceptualizing:

The girls drift away from their parents --- the rebellious Pauline becomes her own person by losing her virginity to John, while Juliet becomes bitter at being abandoned by her parents when ill; Dr. Hulme shares his ideas about their unwholesome relationship with Mrs. Rieper.

Objective Story Signpost #2 as it relates to Conceptualizing:

Dr. Hulme imagines there's more to Juliet and Pauline's hand-holding and deep soaking in the bathtub than meets his eye, and envisions a bout with the child psychologist as the answer.

Objective Story Journey #2 from Conceptualizing to Conceiving:

A concerned Mrs. Rieper sees separation as a way to shake Pauline out of her obsession with Juliet; the depressed Pauline drops out of school; Juliet tries to blackmail Mrs. Hulme and Bill for money to go overseas, but Dr. Hulme responds by announcing their divorce.