Central Character Flashcards
Describe Lady Bird’s journey to finding what her mother calls ‘the best version’ of herself.
It is not an easy journey.
She clashes with those closest to her, hurting them in the process, and it takes her a long time to appreciate what she has.
Why was it difficult to be optimistic for Lady Bird in the early stages of the movie?
In the early stages of the film, it is difficult to be optimistic about LB’s chances of finding happiness and inner peace, but we come to see that each new experience in her young life contributes to her growth and leads to her family becoming what her mother hoped she would
What is Lady Bird like in the beginning of the movie?
She is self-absorbed and filled with resentment that she refuses to see how much her parents are doing for her. Lady Bird’s flair for the dramatic makes us less likely to empathise with her behaviour. (Like when she jumped out of the car and was then seen with a bright pink cast at as school mass, with ‘fuck you mom’ scrawled on it in black marker).
What does Lady Bird struggle with throughout the film?
She struggles with those who genuinely want the best for her
What does jenna represent in terms of Lady Bird?
Jenna represents the type of life Lady Bird believes she wants
When does Ladybird’s and Julie’s relationship seem to be damaged beyond repair?
Lady Bird lashes out at Julie when she accuses Lady Bird of being unable to do anything unless she is ‘the centre of attention’.
Angered and embarrassed by this biting comment she mocks Julie’s mom for her plastic surgery. Julie is deeply hurt, and the friendship seems damaged beyond repair.
How does Jenna contrast Julie?
Jenna’s lack of interest and snobbery are in stark contrast to Julie’s love and loyalty
What does Lady Bird accept when she becomes friends with Jenna?
That a friendship with Jenna is worth the price of independent thought and self-expression.
What does Lady Bird fall for about Kyle?
She falls for his pseudo-intellectualism and rather pathetic attempts to appear edgy and rebellious.
She believes they have a deep emotional connection which is clearly untrue
What provides hope for lady Bird in the viewers eyes?
despite her faults and failings, we can draw hope from flashes of good sense and humanity that show her to be more than she appears.
when she comforts Danny, her first boyfriend who is gay when he cries to her about coming out to his family. She offers him love and support when he needs it most.
What trait to both Marion and Lady Bird share?
They both have instinctive love and kindness. this shared trait provides a more optimistic viewpoint of Lady Bird’s personality and prospects.
How does an optimistic GVV come to be?
Lady Bird’s good sense and personal growth allow her to see that Kyle and Jenna are so shallow and self-absorbed that they are not there for her like Julie was.
What does Lady Bird’s rekindling of her relationship with Julie foreshadow?
It foreshadows the mending of her damaged relationship with her mother. This is a more complex issue and takes a little longer than her reconciliation with Julie.
How is Lady Bird’s relationship with her mother fixed?
Larry, Lady Bird’s father, is instrumental in bridging the gap between mother and daughter. He ensures that Lady Bird reads the bundle of draft farewell letters Marion had written to give to Lady Bird but had rejected them as being imperfect.
Once Lady Bird goes to New York , what does she come to accept?
Alone in New York, she comes to accept her love for her family and her home town.
It seems she finally accepts how fortunate she has been and how happy her upbringing was, even if she did not always realise it at the time.
