MBTI Type: ESFJ

Rose thinks in terms of appropriateness and group dynamics, always trying to foster a sense of unity between her family members, and get them to behave well to each other. She ties to negotiate between her husband and his two sons, championing their rights and asserting herself with confidence, even though Troy tends to bully and dominate everyone. When she learns about his affair, she asserts her feelings in the moment, needing no time to process them, telling him her disappointment in his betrayal and drawing a line between what she will and will not tolerate. She chastises him later after she learns he has cheated his brain-damaged brother out of his pension, seeing that as an immoral action. Her inferior Ti never analyzes her situation, nor chooses to leave an abusive marriage, since she sees herself as the glue that is holding a damaged family together. She is practical and efficient, a loving wife and mother, who over time has become used to her husband’s behaviors. She also has a much more grounded sense of truth than he has; whenever he spins one of his boastful yarns, she tells him “That’s not what happened, and you know it,” followed by what he actually said. Though amused by his stories, Rose also is baffled by his tendency to tell them over and over and “change it every time.” She is more in tune with the outside world, aware of how things have changed from when they were young, and able to point out concrete evidence (such as “we had to wait for Jackie Robinson” to break the color barrier).

Enneagram: 1w2 so/sp

Principled, straightforward, and hard-working, Rose also has a strong sense of moral right and wrong. She corrects her children easily (“Don’t give me no back talk, now, do what I tell you”) and expects them to behave themselves. She objects to her husband’s immoral decisions and tells him as much, but she still chooses to raise his child born of adultery because “you are right about her, she’s innocent in all this.” She treats her like one of her own, and becomes her “mama.” She asks her husband and son to build a fence, so she can “keep them inside it,” showing her fear of them walking away from her, and her need to have something to control in her life. Her 2 wing is helpful, useful, and takes care of others easily.