It only took me two months to get this together but I'm stoked to talk about Pacifica Elise Northwest again.
(Please note, as we're discussing the bell, I do talk about physical and emotional abuse, the former quite briefly.)
Previous posts: Entitlement and Expectations. Pacifica is fucking angry all the time.
Now. Word of God says the bell is a warning that credit cards will be cancelled and that she gets grounded and that's all nice and good. I disagree and I think a lot of us read a lot more into it, but I'm going to first address the things that don't contradict this and still have a massive impact on what the bell means outside of punishments.
This is a youtube video discussing 'Still face' and a lack of parental interaction and feedback. And let's be clear, surely Pacifica had a nanny/ child wrangler of some kind because Preston and Priscilla will not even consider dirty diapers, let alone change one. There's the family portrait in Northwest Manor Mystery that shows a pink, silly, smiling Pacifica. So she got some interaction and nurturing as a child from a member of staff who was presumably dismissed eventually.
And even as a child her parents were emotionally distant, Pacifica was a thing they owned, another mark of their affluence and position in society. A well behaved, pretty, obedient, impressive daughter.
So even if we believe there was no emotional abuse or physical abuse (I'm very iffy on physical though I know people can and will headcanon whatever resonates for them) just the fact that her parents will withdraw what little attention and affection she's getting at the first sign of her exercising autonomy, getting dirty, acting incorrectly, disobeying, that's already enough. Pacifica is incredibly isolated, she doesn't have real friends. All the people she is connected to remain connected on the condition of her good behavior or her being rich or mean enough to keep them around.
Not to mention, we know that she gets sent to her room if she disobeys, presumably for a long enough time to be a deterrent so misbehavior also results in literal isolation. Not great for any kid but particularly not one who is already under-socialized (As in, she is very much shoved into society and she's the most popular girl in Gravity Falls, but like, is she?)
So, let's say that's all it is. Her emotionally negligent and unavailable parents withdraw what little they give her. Maybe they're cold or ignore her. That's enough. That's enough to keep her on track.
But then there's the need to win, the drive, the sense that there are very real consequences to not being the best. Her parents forget to pick her up, they don't care about her competitions, only that she wins, they've built her insecurity about her looks to the point that she, at twelve, is desperate to avoid any sort of physical imperfection and prides herself on her appearance. You're telling me her mother never told her, "You look washed out when you forget blush," "Oh, Pacifica, a pimple? Disgusting." "Did you even bother to brush your hair?" "If you can't dress correctly, you'll stay home. I won't be seen at a party with you like that."
"Only a B, Pacifica? What's next, you go to public school?", "Second place is embarrassing, Pacifica, everyone at that game couldn't look at you without laughing." Yawning and interrupting her stories. Pretending they can't see her cry. Pacifica has only known the things she did wrong and the things she did 'good enough'.
I'm tentative about physical abuse and don't feel educated enough to speak on it other than to say we see minimal evidence for that. I can definitely understand where people might draw that conclusion or relate to it. I would consider perhaps physical shaming. A slap if she talks for too long, a hard grip dragging her to her room when she was reluctant. A pinch to stand up straight. I'm not sure those interact with the bell specifically but that's only my reading of it.
The bell is a warning, a reminder that they can and will remove her from a situation if she makes herself difficult or they will pull away and truly let her know she is below attention. For the Northwests the line from fine to difficult is a millimeter. Pacifica is always on edge and very alert. Looking at her family for cues, only her discovery of real connection with Mabel and Dipper start to draw her out of this obedience. She realizes she doesn't need to rely on her parents to fulfill her emotional needs and there are people out there that don't need her to be perfect to find her worthwhile. She can overcome some of her isolation by relying on people outside her cold social circle and circumstances. If her parents can't control her by denying her personhood and agency, then their power is significantly diminished.
A much shorter analysis for this one, I'll maybe make a poll for the next one, but if you have any ideas, opinions or asks send them my way :)
