Last week I explained why I think Evan Hansen from the musical Dear Evan Hansen is an Enneagram type 4. Now I’m going to take a look at the Enneagram types of the rest of the Dear Evan Hansen characters. This time I will also take the movie version into account because it expands on some of the characters in a way that provides more insights into their personalities.
Enneagram and Dear Evan Hansen Characters I’m Pretty Sure Of
Heidi Hansen, Type 2
Heidi is Evan’s mom, and she is a helper. We quickly find out that she is a nurse’s aid, and we can assume she puts in a lot of hours. She is immediately concerned by the fact that Evan didn’t order dinner while she was at work. She encourages Evan to write the “Dear Evan Hansen” letters assigned by his therapist. Heidi also offers multiple suggestions to Evan about how he might connect with other kids at school. In the stage version of the show, she also begins the first song, “Anybody Have a Map.” In the song, she acknowledges that she is struggling to help Evan and isn’t sure how to reach him. One of the unfortunate side effects of Heidi’s attempts to help Evan is that he perceives her helping as trying to fix him.
Another indication we get that Heidi is a type 2 is her difficulty in accepting help from others. We know that it is going to be difficult for her to pay for Evan to go to college because she finds a bunch of essay contests for him to enter to try to get scholarships. When the Murphy’s offer to help Evan pay for college with the money they set aside for Connor, she refuses. She tells them (and Evan) that she has to set the example that you can’t expect help from other people.
Alana Beck, Type 3
Alana is one of Evan’s classmates, and she definitely embodies the traits of an Enneagram type 3. Her character is introduced by telling Evan that she spent her summer doing 3 internships and 90 hours of community service. If that isn’t an achiever, I don’t know what is! Alana is also ready to jump right in with The Connor Project and start getting things done. We see plenty of her energy and drive to be successful in the stage version. However, in the movie version we find out even more about her motivation to achieve.
Enneagram Type 3s don’t just rack up achievements for the sake of it. They are driven by a need to feel valued. Type 3s believe their worth is tied to their accomplishments, and Alana shares her motivation clearly in “The Anonymous Ones.”
Spot the girl who stays in motion
She spins so fast so she won’t fall
She’s built a wall with her achievements
To keep out the question
“Without it, is she worth anything at all?”
So nobody can know
Just what the cracks might show
How deep and dark they go
Alana is driven to achieve as a way to hide from her emotions AND to hide her emotions from others.
Larry Murphy (Mora), Type 1
Most of what we know of Larry Murphy to gain insight into his personality is from the song “To Break in a Glove.” The emphasis of the song is that there’s a right and wrong way to do things. This black-and-white view of right and wrong indicates to me that Larry is an Enneagram type 1.
Cause there’s a right way in everything you do
. . .
Even when everyone around you thinks you’re crazy
Even when everyone around you lets things go
. . .
Or you’re just trying to do what’s best
For a kid who’s lost control
You do the hard thing
‘Cause that’s the right thing
We also know from other dialog in the show that Larry tended to be very critical of Connor. He was also critical of the way Cynthia attempted to handle Connor. This attitude is also characteristic of an Enneagram type 1.
Cynthia Murphy, Type 7
Enneagram Type 7s are known to regularly try new things and look for new experiences. We see this behavior in Cynthia Murphy through her own words and the reactions of others. In the song “Anybody Have a Map,” Cynthia says
It’s a puzzle, it’s a mazeI tried to steer through it a million waysBut each day’s another wrong turn
That’s kind of what she does. She gets into different things. For awhile it was pilates, then it was “The Secret,” then Buddhism. Now it’s free-range omnivorest, grass-fed, whatever
Enneagram and Dear Evan Hansen Characters I’m Not as Sure Of
Zoe Murphy, Type 9
The main reason I think Zoe is probably a Type 9 is that she seems to want the world around her to be more peaceful. She grew up with a trouble brother, and he required a lot of his parents’ attention. It makes sense that Zoe has a strong desire to simplify Connor’s troubles (“he was a bad person”), and keep upsetting things at bay. When Connor’s “suicide note” gets posted online, and Zoe answers a rude phone call, she wants to brush it aside as nothing instead of tell her mom and dad what the caller said.
In the song “Only Us,” Zoe exhibits characteristics of a Type 9 who wants to deny what has happened.
And what came before won’t count anymore or matter?
Can we try that?
What if it’s you
And what if it’s me
And what if that’s all that we need it to be
And the rest of the world falls away?
Connor Murphy, Type 8
Determining Connor’s Enneagram type is tricky because so much of what we know about him was formed in Evan’s head. Based on that and my previous post, it would be easy to say I think Connor is a Type 4. However, during the parts of the show with the real Connor, I think maybe he is a Type 8. We very clearly see him intimidating the other kids at school. He is also quite confrontational with his parents. We catch a glimpse of what could be a bit of growth toward Type 2 when he takes a moment to be kind to Evan. Connor even offers to sign Evan’s cast so it will “look like we both have friends.” Very unhealthy 8s also tend to be antisocial and can struggle with addiction. Therefore, I think we can guess that perhaps this type describes Connor.
Jared Kleinman (Kalwani), Type ?
I’m going to be honest here. I have absolutely no idea what type Jared might be! With the other characters, I can at least come up with a rationalization for what is behind their behavior. In Jared’s case, though, I can’t seem to find a reason he does what he does. He is resistant to being considered Evan’s friend, but he still agrees to help write the fake emails. In the movie, he agrees to take on a significant role in The Connor Project even though he knows the whole thing is made up. Jared also jumps in during “Sincerely Me” and seems frustrated by being left out. I just can’t pin down what it is that I think motivates him.
