Character Nines – Page 5 – Enneagram and Encaustic

INDIANA JONES, NINE

Indy is Harrison Ford and he is Indy. I cannot know Ford’s Enneagram number, but I will guess he shares a close connection with his character’s.

Indy is physical. Swinging on ropes, wielding the bull whip, running pell mell — he is a true action hero.

He’s also smart. Clues, puzzles, deciphering, are all part of his job. He’s a professor for a reason.

Feelings, although present, don’t drive him. I think we can safely say that Indy’s no Heart Type.

I want to say “Nine,” but is that true? He’s not meticulous enough to be a One and he’s not impulsive enough to be an Eight. He rolls in the moment without hesitation, but it doesn’t have that gut-punch command an Eight shows. He’s competent and confident. Very Nine-ish.

The brain stuff can also be Nine-based, if it’s secondary to the physical. Is he a Head Type?

He’s too brazen to be a Five or Six. Seven? No, because he takes no joy in the outlandish gymnastics, mental and physical, he performs. It’s business, not pleasure. Sometimes his outlook toward his vocation is quite grim.

Like most adventure characters, Indy is a Nine. Easy to love, comfortable to watch, and a bit cookie cutter in his personality.

HARRY POTTER, NINE

It quickly becomes clear when studying character Enneagrams that a disproportionate number of protagonists, especially male ones, are Nines. It starts to get a little tedious, actually, to always say, “Oh, look, a Nine again.”

Harry’s a Nine.

Man Nines come in two shapes: extremely heroic, muscular, tall, athletic (you can see why writers would favor a Nine protagonist); and lean, medium-height, and quite prone to wear a beard.

Yeah, that seems strangely specific, but it is a consistent observation.

Harry is the latter. (Minus the beard, of course. If he were to ever be portrayed as a man, the characterization wouldn’t be quite accurate if they left off the beard.)

His ability as a Seeker suggests Body Type. His diplomatic friendship with everyone except his most hated enemies is Nine-ish. His passive nature through his younger years at the Dursleys is classic Nine-avoidance of conflict. And his heroism — he doesn’t particularly agonize or fret, he just steps up — have that placid Nine confidence.

Nines are very likable, which makes them so suitable as a main character. They can veer off into boring, though, so keep a tight leash on your writing. Don’t get them started on an anecdote; they’ll talk forever.

PAUL ATREIDES, NINE

Frank Herbert’s Dune is getting chatter because a new film will be released at the end of the year. People have strong feelings and the latest version looks to be . . . not as we expected.

I wrote in my book an Enneagram storytelling review of David Lynch’s version. His Dune is a weird movie with some gaping holes in its structure, but it’s also endearing for being so very, very strange.

So, what Enneagram personality number is Paul Atreides/Muad’Dib?

I haven’t read the book in decades and I won’t read it now. Let’s assume that Kyle MacLachlan’s Paul is definitive for understanding his Enneagram, okay?

The trickiest part about guessing a character’s Enneagram number is that some human, who has an Enneagram number of his own, portrays him. Which traits are Paul’s and which are Kyle’s?

Physicality will be the greatest stumbling block in deciphering numbers. Casting directors may not find a body that matches what the character’s Enneagram build should be. Also, via movie magic, what do we actually know about the actor? Tall in real life, or short? Are they swole/lean for the specifics of the part? For instance, what does someone like Christian Bale, pumped for Batman and starved for The Machinist, actually look like when he’s comfortably himself?

The minute I focus in, though, I can make some decisions.

Paul is a Nine. He kind of has to be, yes? He’s physical. He can hold his own throughout his military training. He rides the worm competently, which may be part of his destiny but it’s also a physical manifestation.

He’s a diplomat, as the best Nines are. He balances the royal side of being Atreides with the Fremen sympathies. Again, the story suggests that Paul excels at these things because he’s a messiah, but these are comfort zone traits for a Nine. He ends up marrying for political reasons, which is one of those Nine moves that feels coldly calculated to Heart Type people.

He also, when the story reaches fruition, brings the righteous fire. Most Nines aren’t put in life or death situations where they must rouse themselves to this trait, but it lurks in all of them. The sleeper must awaken, baby. MacLachlan communicates all of these Nine qualities, so that’s good. His own personal Enneagram number is a mystery to me, which speaks well for his acting. I would guess, though, that he’s not a Nine himself. The physicality isn’t there, at least in this role. The new film has cast Timothee Chalamet as Paul. He doesn’t look physical enough, either, to be a Nine in real life.

But Paul is a Nine. Seems like trouble is a-brewing for this interpretation of Herbert’s classic.

WONDER WOMAN, NINE

She’s literally an Amazon warrior. Tall, athletic, even goddess-like — Diana Prince is the archetypal Enneagram Nine.

Nines are, for the most part, placid. They prefer peace. The latest Wonder Woman is portrayed exactly like this. She enjoys her physical abilities, her companionship on the island, her family. An invasion turns all that into righteous fuel, and after that she will not be stopped.

She’s a superhero, so her powers are credited to her half-god genetics. This, though, is all just Nine Skills. Blocking bullets with reflexes? Nine. Twirling and sliding through the battlefield? Nine. Indomitable physical will? Nine. The story just pushes normal Nine-ness to a supernatural degree.

Her calm temperament and her effortless abilities make Wonder Woman a beloved DC character. A real life Woman Nine won’t hit all these storybook marks, but she will be an average version of the WW traits. A figurative Amazon warrior.