Character Relationship Map: The Group

Characters

• Lakey (played by Candice Bergen) — protagonist

  Wealthy, beautiful, and initially regarded as the group's leader. Leaves for Europe but returns during the 1939 war, revealing she is a lesbian with a female companion. Attends Kay's funeral in 1940.

• Dottie (played by Joan Hackett) — supporting

  Endures an unhappy affair with a cold, sarcastic painter. Eventually abandons her flamboyant Greenwich Village lifestyle to marry a dull Arizona businessman.

• Priss (played by Elizabeth Hartman) — supporting

  Marries an overbearing and controlling doctor. Endures two miscarriages before finally giving birth to a son.

• Kay (played by Joanna Pettet) — supporting

  Described as Lakey's pet, less sophisticated and wealthy than the others. Marries an abusive, cheating playwright. Dies in a tragedy in 1940.

• Pokey (played by Mary-Robin Redd) — supporting

  Struggles with parenting duties, specifically managing two sets of twins.

• Polly (played by Shirley Knight) — supporting

  Initially involved in an affair with a married man, but eventually finds genuine happiness with a kind doctor.

• Libby (played by Jessica Walter) — supporting

  Characterized as catty and ambitious. Achieves success in the literary world despite lacking depth.

• Helena (played by Kathleen Widdoes) — supporting

  Travels extensively around the world but remains unable to find personal happiness at home.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Lakey → Helena (Social Friend) — They are connected by the group's long-standing friendship.

  Helena belongs to the eight devoted women friends whose lives diverge after their university years.

• Lakey → Libby (Social Friend) — Their relationship is grounded in shared membership of the group.

  Libby is identified as one of the eight women friends, with Lakey initially regarded as the group's leader.

• Lakey → Pokey (Social Friend) — They remain connected through the group formed at university.

  Pokey is one of the eight devoted women friends whose adult lives unfold separately after university.

• Lakey → Kay (Social Close Friend) — Kay has an especially close and dependent connection to Lakey.

  Kay is described as Lakey's pet and as a member of the same devoted group of eight women friends.

• Lakey → Polly (Social Friend) — Their bond is part of the group's enduring friendship network.

  Polly is one of the eight devoted women friends who separate after their university years and reunite through later events.

• Lakey → Priss (Social Friend) — They share membership in the central female friendship group.

  Priss is identified as one of the eight devoted women friends whose lives diverge after university, while Lakey is the group's recognized leader.

• Lakey → Dottie (Social Friend) — Lakey and Dottie belong to the same lifelong circle of friends.

  The plot describes Lakey and Dottie as two members of the eight devoted women friends who remain connected after university.

Story Analysis

Eight university friends follow divergent adult paths before war, revelation, and Kay's death bring them together for a final reunion.

Plot Progression

1. The University Circle — Eight devoted women become friends at a prestigious Eastern university. Their shared identity is established before they leave to pursue separate adult lives.
2. Separate Adult Struggles — The women experience difficult marriages, unhappy affairs, demanding family responsibilities, travel, and professional ambition. Their adult choices reveal sharply different forms of dissatisfaction a...
3. Different Paths Forward — Priss eventually has a son, Dottie changes her lifestyle, Libby succeeds in literature, and Polly moves from an affair toward genuine happiness. The friends' lives continue to diverge.
4. Lakey Comes Home — War breaks out in Europe in 1939, and Lakey returns home with a female companion. The group realizes that their former leader is lesbian.
5. The Last Gathering — Kay dies in a tragedy in 1940. Lakey reunites with the surviving women at Kay's funeral, bringing the group together for one final time.