- Comparison of Paula Baniszewski in An American Crime vs. Real Life and Her Treatment of Sylvia Likens in Both Scenarios
By Lynn A. Granata
Paula was the first one to befriend Sylvia in the movie.
In the true story, Paula was initially friendly with both Sylvia and Jenny, but then turned on them quickly after she observed the two sisters eating a lot at the church luncheon. It has been written in various print that Paula later went home after the luncheon and told Gertrude they were "pigging out" which got the whole ball of wax rolling toward the abuse, mutilation, and death of Sylvia.
Paula was Sylvia's best friend in the movie, they often went places together and confided in one another about their "girl talk" secrets concerning boys and Paula's illegitimate pregnancy by Bradley, the older married man who later dumped her because of his wife returning home from a belonged trip.
In reality there is no mention of who Paula's boyfriend is nor is his name ever disclosed.
On film, Paula pleads with Bradley to stay, inviting him to become physically assaultive to her. Then Sylvia overhears the commotion and tries to help her friend, then hollers "she's pregnant" out loud. Bradley then backs away and leaves. Paula pushes Sylvia and firmly scolds her, saying that she will pay for that. Paula then sprints off home to her mother. She tells her mother that Sylvia told everybody she's a slut. That wasn't true Sylvia never told everybody Paula was a slut, only that she is pregnant and only between her, Paula, and Bradley.
In real life, Paula didn't actually become Sylvia's best friend and never went places together just the two of them. Paula starting beating Sylvia after her mother did. When Paula started seeing the regular beatings by Gertrude with belts and paddles, then Paula would strike out with her fists plus also other little implements she could find. She would pick up a cup and throw it at Sylvia, then she broke her wrist and had to wear a cast. She beat Sylvia with the cast and made her lip and face bleed. Paula was the one who instigated a rumor around the neighborhood telling Gertie and her friends that Sylvia called her mother a bad name.
In An American Crime, Paula and momma only give Sylvia the silent treatment. Then after church, Paula slaps Sylvia across the face, no blood or bruises, Sylvia doesn't fight back.
The most gruesome abuse is indeed dished out by Paula in reality, she was the one who kicked Sylvia and never forgave her for whatever it was that she was truly aggrieved by. She gave Sylvia baths in scalding hot water, she tied her up to a bed and didn't allow Sylvia to use the bathroom. Sylvia wet the bed and she would get another scalding bath.
Thank God that in the movie they by passed all of that horrible abuse. Movies can't show you the utter cruelty that a sadistic human being such as Paula was committing. Nobody would want to look at it and the movie would drop out as a box office failure, making no money.
Finally Paula in An American Crime witnesses her mother doing most of the abuse and then becomes sympathetic towards Sylvia. But her mother disagrees saying Sylvia must learn her lesson not to make up lies about people particularly her daughter.
The dream sequence shows Paula helping Sylvia up out of the basement trying to help her escape from her concrete jail.
In reality, Paula catches Sylvia trying to escape because Sylvia overheard that they were planning on dumping her in the woods. Paula grabs Sylvia by the hair and forcibly throws her back down into the basement.
