Juno Analysis
Concerning the screenplay, the beginning of the end is marked by Juno, panting, and entering a drug store called “Dancing Elk Drug” after she had just completed an animated walking sequence. The beginning of the film was a flashback to an intimate scene with a boy, and then a flash forward to present times, wherein a dog named Banana was barking as Juno stared a discarded living room set. The end of the beginning occurs on page two. The beginning of the end occurs after Mark and Vanessa have had a fight concerning the impending adopting of Juno’s child. Juno, emotional about the fight and perhaps her own choices about being in Vanessa’s home with her husband, leaves frantically and contemplates life in her van in a parking lot. The specific event that marks the beginning of the end occurs when, despite the obvious divorce Vanessa and Mark are about to go through and the fact that Juno knows Mark does not want to be a father, Juno leaves Vanessa a note that we eventually learn says, “Vanessa, I’m in if you are.” We take this to mean Juno is still willing to go forth with adoption proceedings and sees Vanessa as the best choice as a parent for her baby. She has not changed her mind, and this is the beginning of the end, which takes place on page 88.
The protagonist of the screenplay is Juno. Her goal in the beginning of the script is varied. At first we think it is to lose her virginity to a boy she has a crush on. Then we believe it is to find out if she is pregnant or not. Ultimately, her goal in the beginning of the script, however, is to procure a hasty abortion, as she finds out she is indeed pregnant. A few obstacles stand in her way. She is limited to which clinic she can go to based on her age; she does not want her father and step-mother to know about her pregnancy and one clinic requires her to bring a note because she is not a legal adult. Moreover, she needs a ride to the clinic because after the procedure it is recommended that she not drive afterward. She gets her friend, Leah, to drive her. These are all, of course, external obstacles. Finally there are internal obstacles. Upon arriving at the clinic a classmate of Juno’s accosts her in the clinic with a sign, protesting abortions with a slogan that all babies would like to be born. She implores that Juno’s baby probably already has a heartbeat and fingernails, to which Juno brushes off, casually surprised that the baby already has fingernails. However, once in the clinic, she finds herself almost driven mad by the sound of the other women biting and scratching at their own fingernails as she thinks about getting an abortion. She is then forced to leave and make other arrangements for her future. Immediately she meets her friend Leah and together they devise a new plan. As the script progresses, Juno decides the only plausible plan is to give the baby up for adoption. Leah suggests they look in a local advertisement paper called The Penny Saver, which often has couples who are looking for children to adopt. With the help of her friend and parents, she finds Mark and Vanessa. Momentarily her goal appears to be dating Mark, but eventually returns to giving the baby to Vanessa, and strengthening her bond with Bleeker.
Juno is emotionally repressed for much of the movie and does everything she can to protect herself from the momentously emotional turmoil she is about to experience. While she is intellectually mature beyond her young years, she does not appear emotionally mature enough to handle what she is going through. She does, however, grow as her pregnancy goes on, showing she is an intellectually and emotionally comprehensive human. The actions and dialogues show this in various ways. We see this on page 19 in an interaction with Su-Chin. Su-Chin tells Juno her baby probably has a beating hear, can feel pain, and has fingernails. Juno replies with, “Really? Fingernails?” considers it only for a moment, and then walks into the abortion clinic anyway, determined to do what she is about to do. This shows she is guarding herself completely from the gravity of what Su-Chin said, though it catches up with her moments later. Further along in the screenplay, she shows romantic interest in Mark, a married man who is likely twice her age. While she showed obvious romantic interest in Bleeker, this quickly fades as she tries to separate herself from her pregnancy. We see her growing more attached to Mark on page 48, and Mark more attached to her as the two seem excited at the prospect of an afternoon alone together while Vanessa works late. This is typical behavior for a teenager of Juno’s age, but strange for somebody as old as Mark. That Juno is as intellectual as she is and does not dismiss as advances immediately for what they are tells us she is being emotionally destructive, and likely seeking Mark because she knows she cannot have him, but does not want to be alone. Perhaps she does not want to be entirely separate from her pregnancy, but fears being close to Vanessa because she understands she will not be a mother and this will be too painful. We get this sense in this one interaction between Mark and Juno. Finally, on page 89, Juno comes full circle emotionally and intellectually, as she still goes forth with the adoption, giving her baby only to Vanessa, showing she is well-rounded and knows what is best for herself and her child. She has understood what Mark has been doing the whole time, and when she learns he is planning to leave Vanessa in hopes of being with Juno, she is disgusted. Rather than be with him and act her age, she demands he stay with Vanessa to give her baby a complete home. When Mark refuses, Juno still leaves a note for Vanessa, stating she is up for the adopting if Vanessa is, because she knows it is what is right. This action and communication shows she knows she will be connected to the baby in some way no matter what and she is also coming to terms with the difficult emotions she is being forced to process, however slowly.
Supporting characters are used in various ways to help us better understand the main characters. For example, though she never makes an appearance on screen and is only mentioned once, Juno speaks of her mother’s abandonment stinging more than the cacti she sends every year on Valentine’s Day. Being abandoned by the primary female role model in her life must create some complex emotions for Juno as she, a woman herself, is about to give up her child. While she is doing so for good reasons, she is still forced to reconcile with uncomfortable feelings that explain her actions and lack of visible emotion. Leah, vapid and shallow as she is, also explains Juno as a person. Leah at her core is a good person who is willing to help Juno no matter what. For example, when Juno needs help hauling an entire living room set onto Bleeker’s front lawn, or needs a ride to the clinic, Leah is there for her. She also is there for Juno she Juno tells her father and stepmother about her pregnancy. While Leah is Juno’s opposite in almost every way, she is a good person, and it is clear that despite how opposite they are, Juno has surrounded herself with good people, which explains her good nature. Juno’s father also explains Juno as a person. His advice, specifically stern and firm, but loving guidance he gives her after being told she is pregnant shows her he is displeased with her, but that she still has a home with him. She never feels abandoned by her father, which allows her to always feel accepted and loved in some way.
