MBTI Type: ESFJ

Helen is the warm central force of the community, an organizer of people who brings ladies together to accomplish things for the Reich. She tells Julianna that when she abdicates there, she will soon be expected to “join” various social groups in the community and participate. Helen has an objective view of appropriate morality, but is also willing to shift it to accommodate the situation. We see this most plainly in her initial horror at her husband killing their doctor, until she realizes he intended to turn over their son Thomas to the authorities. After Thomas turns himself in to the Gestapo, Helen finds it difficult to cope with his loss. She vents her feelings, somewhat dangerously, to her therapist, including her anger toward the Reich. Helen is too emotionally engaged to analyze her emotions or recognize the inherent danger in doing so (her inferior Ti blind spot). She ultimately takes the children far away from John, blaming him for what happened in a displacement of her emotional state (she and John both raised Thomas to celebrate the values of the Reich, but she won’t take responsibility for her role in that – Fe deflecting blame onto another). Helen reveals her thought process in her confession to her therapist that each day, she recites the day’s agenda and the details of everything her children need for school. She attends to the practical needs of her family, as well as the larger community, serving on various committees and heading up social groups. She is honestly insulted when Juliana implies that she does not know her husband; her own perception of John comes from her personal experiences with him as a loving, compassionate father who will do anything to protect his family; Helen is unable to see the larger picture until others lead her to it. Until her son is killed for his genetic defects, Helen never questions the Reich or its practices. Only after that does she begin to consider alternate possibilities, not only for her own life, but other people as well. She is somewhat suspicious of others and even of John at times, but rarely knows exactly what they are up to or what he has done, showing a lower Ne tendency to pick up on things, without being specific. She assumes various things, which are not the case (for example, that her sessions with her therapist are privileged and will remain a secret).

Enneagram: 2w3 so/sp

Helen is a mentor in the community, always useful, helpful, and cheerful. She takes in whomever her husband asks her to, whether it’s Joe over for dinner or to show Johanna the ropes. She tries to teach her children to be loving and selfless to each other. She ties her sense of self to how well she provides for her children and looks after her family. But under extreme situations, she abandons all morality, in favor of force, aggression, and anger – disintegrating into 8, where she behaves in an increasingly reckless manner, thus endangering herself, her children, and her husband. Her 3 wing is fashionable and adaptive, focused on appearances and ease of stepping into power.