Archetype In Juno

The traditional idea of a patriarchal society is constantly being re-evaluated and modified to approach a world which is equal for both genders. Throughout the film Juno, directed by Jason Reitman, the lack of these traditional gender roles is evident. Though men have historically been considered as the dominant decision making individual, characters such as Paulie and Mark betray this male archetype.

Paulie Bleeker is shown to not conform to the idea of males being the dominant decision makers through his interactions with Juno. To begin, when Paulie Bleeker finds out about Juno’s pregnancy he is surprised and caught off-guard. He asks her, “What should we do?” (Juno 8:40) as he is unable to make sense of the situation and looks to Juno for

guidance. The portrayal of the reversed male stereotype display Paulie as an incapable male who looks to others for help when he is caught in a dilemma and believes that Juno’s decision will likely be the best. She follows up his question by saying that she will get an abortion, and when she asks if he is fine with that, Paulie responds, “Yeah, yeah...I guess, that, do whatever you think you should do, right?”(9:04). This interaction displays Paulie’s lack of input into the decision that Juno makes because he simply goes along with whatever she says. Male dominance is not shown in this instance because of how unsure he is and him giving Juno the freedom to do whatever she wants contradicts the idea of males being the dominant decision makers. Afterwards, it is shown that Juno decides to give the child up for adoption rather than get an abortion.Throughout this entire process, Paulie is absent and there is no mention of his concern or opinion, which displays his insignificance. As months pass by and Juno gets farther into her pregnancy, she goes to visit Paulie. While the two talk about getting their past band together, Paulie says to Juno, “We could always get back together too, if you want?”(44:49). Juno shrugs off Paulie’s idea and questions whether the two were together in the first place. He remains silent as Juno goes on to list other girls with which he can go out with. Her lack of interest in Paulie causes him to shy away from her and not be able to express his true feelings. Throughout all of their conversations, it was seen that Juno was in control as she guides the discussions and Paulie simply answers her questions. His silence and inability to argue against Juno betrays the male archetype of men being the dominant gender.

Mark’s inability to voice his concerns and wants to Vanessa portray him as a skewed depiction of the dominant decision making male archetype.

This is seen through his behaviour and actions as he is shown to almost fear Vanessa and her authority. While Mark and Juno are watching horror movies at his house, Mark quickly turns the TV off when he hears the sound of Vanessa arriving and states, “That’s Vanessa, you better go. She hates it when I sit around and watch movies and don’t ‘contribute’,” (39:14). This scene depicts Mark’s fear of Vanessa because he simply does what Vanessa wants him to do causing her dominance to overshadow his free will. Also, it seems as if Vanessa has told him before not to watch horror movies and out of his fear he quickly turns the TV off. Mark is unable to make his own independent decision and stand up to Vanessa, thus succumbing to what she wants and expects of him. In a later scene, Juno was shown visiting Mark and Vanessa’s home again to inform them of the status of the baby but only finds Mark there. When she asks if Vanessa is home Mark replies, “No, we are safe”(55:05). Indirectly, Mark portrayed Vanessa as a threat and that her absence is valued by them. Mark feels that if Vanessa is present, neither he or Juno will be able to express themselves freely and will be pressured by her. His lack of dominance is shown here because he displays Vanessa as the powerful being and when she is present he is restricted or threatened by her and is unable to make his own decisions. Lastly, when Mark confesses to Vanessa that he does not want the baby, she ridicules his boyish dream of becoming a rockstar stating that, ¨This is something that’s never gonna happen. Your shirt is stupid. Grow up! If I have to wait for you to become Kurt Cobain, then I’m never gonna be a mother”(1:00:34). Vanessa mocks Mark in front of Juno disrespecting him and not valuing his opinion. Male dominance is again not shown here because he remains quiet as she insults

him, and that his decision or choice of not wanting a baby does not matter. Vanessa directly states that it is what she wants, and Mark’s dominance in the decision was not seen at all. Through these interactions between Mark and Vanessa, it is shown that Mark is unable to have an influence on the choices made. His lack of male dominance as a decision making individual portray him as a male who contradicts this archetype.

In conclusion, the movie Juno is shown to contradict the ideology of patriarchy. It displays its male characters as individuals who lack dominance in decision making, causing them to not conform to the traditional male archetype. This is evident in individuals such as Paulie and Mark whose opinions seem unvalued throughout the movie. Overall, the shift from traditional gender roles in society has paved the way for a world where equality will exist between both the genders.