Norma Jean Moffitt

Character Analysis

Girl, Interrupted

Norma Jean Moffit married Leroy when she got pregnant at 18. We aren't told whether she had any plans for college or a career beyond working at a local drugstore, but at an early age, she was funneled into the conventional life of a housewife and, for a short time, mother. With Leroy back home and underfoot, and with her mother snooping around all the time and chewing her out when she catches her smoking, she comes to realize that she feels more like a teenager than an adult, and she can't stand it:

She won't leave me alone—you won't leave me alone. . . . I feel eighteen again. I can't face that all over again (7.29).

Leroy "has the feeling that they are waking up out of a dream together" (1.9), and it does seem as if they have been sleepwalking through their marriage since the death of their baby, Randy, in their first year together. Now that the alarm goes off in their marriage, though, Norma Jean is the only one who really seems to be waking up, while Leroy just keeps hitting the snooze button. It's like she's been a Sleeping Beauty for 16 years and now that she's finally wide awake, she's determined to make up for lost time…but unlike Sleeping Beauty, she's ready to face the world without her Prince. You go, girl.

Gonna Fly Now

Norma Jean's transformation begins with her body. She became interested in bodybuilding when she saw Leroy using weights for his physical therapy. She reminds him of Wonder Woman, a TV show based on the comic-strip character, that was popular in the 1970s, when the story is set. Although it's not mentioned in the story, another 1970s pop culture figure seems relevant, Rocky Balboa in Rocky. The movie's theme song—"Gonna Fly Now (Theme from "Rocky")"—seems like the perfect soundtrack to images of Norma Jean flexing her muscles, strengthening her pectoral muscles, preparing to fly:

Trying hard now
It's so hard now
Trying hard now

Getting strong now
Won't be long now
Getting strong now

Gonna fly now
Flying high now
Gonna fly, fly, fly...

Next, she begins strengthening her mind:

She has graduated from her six-week body-building course and now she is taking an adult-education course in composition at Paducah Community College (5.1).

In addition, her interest in cooking dishes with an exotic twist—"tacos, lasagna, Bombay chicken" (5.9)—reflect her curiosity about and interest in exploring the wider world beyond her little town in good old Western Kentucky.

Stuck in the Middle with You

There isn't really a hero or villain in this marriage, just two decent people who don't really fit together anymore—and we don't know that they ever did. Had Norma Jean not become pregnant, would the teenage relationship have lasted and led to marriage? Had Leroy not had his accident, would the two of them have been able to keep sleepwalking through their marriage? We guess we'll never know…

What we do know is that with Leroy home, he seems to be a constant source of pain to Norma Jean—the pain of her past humiliations and failures, the pain of her present frustration and disappointment, and the pain of a future that holds no promise. Whereas Leroy numbs himself to his pain through drugs and alcohol, Norma Jean distances herself from her pain by continuing to get stronger, both mentally and physically. As she moves farther and farther away from her husband, it seems inevitable that she will ultimately choose to leave him. Don't worry Norma Jean, we've got your back.