Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls

Neely's Self-Destructive Journey to Capture the American Dream

Oct 17, 2008 Jennifer M. Willhite

Neely is consumed with the illusion of power, wealth and influence. She is willing to ride the high all the way to her own destruction.

Neely does not come from a wealthy family, but she surrounds herself with those who do. When the she is first introduced to the audience, she is a fairly innocent and headstrong young woman. She has her dreams and knows where she wants to be in the future.

Although her sweet and unassuming nature is genuine in the beginning, once she immerses himself in the New York lifestyle, her demeanor changes. Surrounded by big business, money, power and sex, she witnesses a world unlike anything she has ever known.

Her superficial nature is established immediately. She blatantly states that she would like to find a man with money to whom she could be married. She considers such a plan a type of insurance. If Neely can find the man and marry him, then she will never want for anything material. But her dream is somewhat naive.

A Star is Born

Once Neely establishes herself as a star, she becomes callous. Manipulative and vindictive behaviors dominate the way that Neely climbs the social ladder. She is known for her tantrums, anger and long "vacations" from reality when she isolates herself in her room.

When she reaches the point where she cannot function without her "fix," she neglects her responsibilities and her own well-being. Neely no longer cares about the dreams and plans she had spend so much time meticulously planning.

The escape is all that matters. When the realization sets in that her career and life are in jeaopardy, she is unable to do anything to help herself. The addiction has taken control.

Downward Spiral

Neely soon finds herself in various bad situations as a direct result of her self-destructive behaviors. She faces numerous obstacles which include failed marriages, institutionalization, failed friendships and losing custody of her children. She pushes herself to the brink trying to maintain some resemblance of control.

When Neely reaches her plateau of fame, she falls from the edge. But she picks herself up and begins the long ascent again. She burns bridges with family members and steps on those nearby who merely get in her way.

She commits murder of the spirit by distancing herself from her immediate family and those who love and care about her unconditionally. She wounds and dumps various friends along her journey. When they no longer have anything that she could potentially use, they are cast aside.

Abandoning her children is a murder of her maternal instincts. To Neely, severing ties with her children doesn't seem to be such a big deal. Though, unlike what occurred with her other relationships, Neely does show a small sense of remorse over her children. But she makes no effort to rectify the situation.

Neely the Shell

In the end, vanity, material possessions, influence, and power are the only things which mean anything at all to Neely. Her addiction to the "dolls" and alcohol help to hush the pain that she feels and take the place of the relationships that she has forfeited. Her humanity is dead and resurrection is not a viable option. Her beautiful "doll" friends keep her from drowning in the emotions and realization of what her life has become.

Susann, Jacqueline. Valley of the Dolls. New York: Grove Press, 1966.

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Valley of the Dolls Cover