Character Realization Task

My character overview will be based on Paulina and how I perceive her character to be. In the
beginning, we see a very strong and defensive character where she does actions that upset Gerardo,
which is quite unusual for a female based on this period. We can see a brief element of feminism in the
play where in the beginning when the husband is complaining about the car Paulina says "His wife.
Always got to be the wife who has to fix everything. You were supposed to fix the spare." In this line
alone you can see that Paulina identifies herself as the more dominant figure in the household with her
harsh tone of speaking. This is shown again where in an argument Paulina says " You told the president
you accepted didn't you? Before you asked me." She is a very controlling person as she wishes to know
anything the husband has done. Personally, I see Paulina as a woman that refuses to be iron-handed by
any person as she can express herself as the higher figure in the room. In the scene where Paulina has a
gun pointed to Roberto's head and her husband begs her to rethink the situation she exclaims" You be
reasonable. They never did anything to you." Paulina is the power of the household as she can easily
manipulate her husband into agreeing with her in the most serious scenarios. Even Though Paulina
seems to be an imperious person some key lines show the weaker side of her. At the beginning of the
play while speaking about her husband's job situation she says"Vulnerable, yes it could leave you
vulnerable. Stripped. You'd have to take care of me all over again. The lines show the emotional side of
Paulina as it implies that she might have had a painful past which has caused her to be emotional. The
scene is building on Paulina's back story as it seems that a past event has caused her to remodel her
personality. The scene exploits the emotional side of Paulina to tell the audience that she has developed
an intense character since she has gone through a painful past and wishes to not witness it again. The
way she talks to strangers seems to mirror her personality. When she has a gun pointed to Doctor
Mirndas head she says " But I am chatting away when I am supposed to make breakfast, aren't I, a nice
breakfast? Now you like - let's see ham sandwiches wasn't it?" She uses a substantial amount of sarcasm
as she implies that she is not doing what a normal housewife would by abiding their husbands. You can
see signs of mental illness as you read her lines and see the shifts in emotions. The use of sarcasm
implies a sense of brokenness as sarcasm is used to cope with bitterness by expressing it more
humorously. In conclusion, based on Act one the audience can say that Paulina is a very stern person as
she shows very small signs of weakness while talking. When speaking with other characters she uses
sarcasm as a way to express her dominant side and show the other character who is more powerful. She
does not care to be judged by anyone as Gerardo says "You're sick!" to Paulina she shows no signs of
pain as she does not react. Finally, it is clear that she has a very defensive behaviour, where she is
extremely curious and wishes to know what the other character has been doing.

Costume Design
The way I envisioned Paulina is a content housewife working in the house and spending her time
drinking tea and relaxing. I thought that the setting would be incredibly sunny and warm, that's why the
costume I chose was very light and breezy. The fact that the play is based in Chile and it was mentioned
that their house was close to the west coast part of the country, summer seemed to be the most
realistic weather for the play.
Starting off I decided that a band would be an appropriate choice as a costume for Paulina. The band
contains a variety of symbols in Chilean culture and could easily be used in the 1970's. I felt that this
would be a good look as the band helps create the image of a housewife who is organized and clean.
The headband would also be a good way to indicate the weather because headbands are used to
prevent sweating, which means that the season is most likely summer. I also would say that the band
was a way to make sure people saw her face and feel sympathy for her. In the book, it was mentioned
that she was blindfolded and could not see during her captivity and a headband could be a sign that she
will never be blinded again.

For earrings, I decided to choose these silver 1970's Chilean earrings as an appropriate part of the
costume for Paulina. The earrings could be a way to express her husband's wealth as it is made out of
precious metals and seem very luxurious. The earrings contain patterns used in Hispanic cultures to
indicate that she is a very culturally sensitive person as she expresses her hate of politics. Finally, I
decided that the silver earring would be a good way to describe her personality. It is clear in the play
that Paulina has had a very difficult past and I imagined that she tries to forget it by using silver earrings
which is a symbol for luck and happiness.
I chose this dress as it seems to be casual wear for a housewife with its colourful and vibrant design. I
felt that its colouring would be a good match with the earings and its asymmetrical designs would match
the headband I mentioned earlier. The dress was designed in the early 1970's and has been used until
our modern day. The asymmetrical designs on the dress in my mind represented how Paulina has not
been able to fit into society after the incident just as the shapes cannot be seen the same. Finally, the
colour blue is used to symbolize her confidence and strong personality she has developed after the
event she witnessed.

The bracelet was made in Peru in the 1960's so it could be a realistic jewellery Paulina had in the play.
The bracelet would be again a representation for her husband's wealth and would be a fitting accessory
for the character. There is no symbolization for this part of the costume. I thought it would have been a
good match with the earrings and dress as they all have very vibrant colours and are shiny.
The simple black shoes is a design that has been around for decades which has led me to use it in my
costume design. It is simple and would be an appropriate shoe to wear for a housewife during the 70s
and helps bring the costume together. The black colour helps to describe Paulina's personality where
the black represents strength, rebellion, aggression and power which are all key parts to her character.
Black also means death which was intended on Doctor Miranda at the end of act one. The shoe indicates
summer wear to indicate the weather of the time as summer in many cultures means freedom which
Paulina is very thankful for after her captivity. Finally the shoe is used to show Paulina try to fit into
society as this show is a very standard and popular show of the period.