I've been looking for the answer on the internet, but I couldn't find an answer. When Ender first becomes commander of the Dragon Army, how old is he?
(If this is IN the book and I just forgot about it....ignore me!) When reading the books, especially Ender's Shadow, I found myself picturing a teenage boy because of the characters' (or at least some of the characters') intelligence. This led me to wonder---what age are they exactly? It would be amazing to picture, say, an 8-year-old boy commanding the way Ender did.
Also, here's a question that has probably been asked often: What, do you imagine, does Ender look like? One of the things I noticed about many of the books in the Ender series is that there is not much description of characters' physical appearances (beyond the general "fat," "skinny," "tall," "short," etc). (I actually really like it that way because it leaves more room for the imagination and puts the focus on the plot and the personalities in the story). But one must wonder--how did everyone else see Ender?
Edit:
Here's another question for you~
How did the way you "see" Ender (and not just physically) change from your reading of Ender's Game to Ender's Shadow? In one book we looked into his mind; in the other we saw him through Bean's eyes--I'm curious to know what others thought.
[ December 29, 2005, 03:37 PM: Message edited by: ket ]
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
I believe Ender is 8 by the time he commands, but it's been a while, I admit, since I read it last.
Ender looks like Jake Lloyd. Big head, blonde, big blue eyes.
Posted by Catseye1979 (Member # 5560) on :
I belive the Book said he was about 9 and a half when he started commanding Dragon army and as far as how he looks, his father is Polish and his his mother is from Utah which was settled mostly by people from New England, England, and Northwestern Europe and still largly reflects that today.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
I like the illustrations in First Meetings. Have you read it?
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
According to their timelines, Ender was 9 and a half when he took over Dragon.
Posted by cheiros do ender (Member # 8849) on :
quote:I actually really like it that way because it leaves more room for the imagination and puts the focus on the plot and the personalities in the story
I totally agree, which is why I'm never going to see The Da Vinci Code movie. Enders Game the movie is a different (at least altered) story than the books it's based on, so I can't miss that. I'll still be diappointed though, I think, to see that it doesn't live up to my imagination, which I'm sure it won't.
Personally, I imagine Ender as dark haired, thin and medium height. No doubt in my mind these kids (and the adults) at battle school would have very white skin, except Ender goes somewhere for a while (won't say any more for those who havn't read it.)
Posted by Hank (Member # 8916) on :
I pictured him with dark hair too. And for some reason I always saw Petra as blonde. It was only after I read the book that I thought, hmm...northern European (Armenia) probably more likely to be brunette. It's funny what goes on in your head. But I agree I like being able to picture them for myself.
Posted by Alcalientre (Member # 8964) on :
quote: No doubt in my mind these kids (and the adults) at battle school would have very white skin
The adults, yes, as the IF is funded and run mainly be the Americans, but their is a lot of cultural diversity among the kids. The IF picked the best and the brightest to bring to battle school, not only caucasians. If you've red the Shadow series there are lots of examples of non-white battle school grads.
Posted by Eva Scrye (Member # 8960) on :
True, and wasn't one of the Trimvirate named Chamrajnagar from India? Can't remember which position he held, though. Polemarch?
Posted by CRash (Member # 7754) on :
Yes, Polemarch.
As for the Wiggin kids, I've always seen them as Caucasian, with hair different shades of brunette--Valentine a light, mousey brown; Peter dark, almost black, and Ender somewhere in the middle.
Of course, when I first read the books, I went through a phase when I envisioned Valentine with golden-blond hair and Petra with dark red...my views of the characters sort of change as I get older...
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
Northern European IS more likely to be blond than other ethnicities ... but Armenia is in the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia, which is in Asia, not Europe, and adjacent to the southeastern extreme of Europe at that. Sorry ... geographical OCD manifesting itself here ...
I can't imagine why anyone would care what color hair these characters have, though. I know I'm strange this way, but I can rarely tell you what hair color most of my friends have, and when I choose a word to describe it, people often look at me oddly as if I'm clearly blind. I don't care about hair color when I'm writing the story, and won't care much when the movie is being cast.
Race/ethnicity matter, but for cultural reasons, not for appearance. And I wish they DIDN'T matter, because it limits the pool from which we can draw in casting each part. Race-neutral casting is what I'd much prefer ...
Posted by Eva Scrye (Member # 8960) on :
Ender's always simply been a conscious entity to me, I'd say. I rarely bothered to imagine him with any particular features.
But... maybe that's because I always pictured him as *me*, in some weird way. Don't we all project our own image and mentality onto the character we are most attached to?
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
quote:Originally posted by T_Smith: Ender looks like Jake Lloyd. Big head, blonde, big blue eyes.
No way! Ender totally looks like Haley Joel Osment in my dre-, err, yeah.
HJO r00ls!
-Bok
Posted by Earendil18 (Member # 3180) on :
In case you didn't notice he kinda grew up. Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
Yeah ... all we need to use Osment or Lloyd in EG is a Wayback Machine ...
Posted by ket (Member # 8975) on :
Or maybe Xtreme digital editing. Like Hobbit-Ender.
I have to wonder how they're going to find a good actor who is small enough to play Bean. Good luck!
Anyway, I digress. I actually agree with those either say they didn't picture anyone or don't care. I just imagine some sort of conceptual kid (or a teenage boy if I forget) without any particular hair color or features. This led me to be curious about the images in other people's heads, but I can't say I'm surprised. I guess it makes sense that you would think of the actor that was (onceuponatime) semi-cast as him.
I actually have another question which is more interesting than my last one, so I'll edit my post.
How did the way you see Ender--and not just in a physical sense--differ from your reading of Ender's Game to Ender's Shadow?
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
Oh, uh, right... HJO for adult-Ender in Speaker for the Dead. It's a natural fit: first he sees dead people, then he speaks for them!
-Bok
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
This is why I want it animated but noooooo, people think there's more emotion in live action pfft.
Posted by ket (Member # 8975) on :
Well, I think there is. You can show more subtle expressions on a live face than on a cartoon because the nature of animation is exaggerated.
Uh, but that's beside the point. >.>
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
"No way! Ender totally looks like Haley Joel Osment in my dre-, err, yeah."
Pssh, and Graff looks like Will Smith.
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
Nuh Uh, Anderson is Will Smith, cross-dressing.
Graff is totally the guy who plays Willow in, um, Willow.
-Bok
Posted by Earendil18 (Member # 3180) on :
Warwick Davis?
I smite you. Posted by Zenox (Member # 8987) on :
For me, Ender probably looks 2 years older than he is in the story, and is basically nondescript wth brown hair. For some reason, I know Peter has blond hair, but I alwas think of him with brown hair.
Posted by ket (Member # 8975) on :
Maybe I ought to just post my answer. XD
In Ender's Game, I saw Ender as a young and very small boy who was often towered-over. He seemed very thoughtful and mature, but innocent.
However, in Ender's Shadow, I imagined him as older, somehow. In my mind, he stood straighter, looked on people with a more commanding eye. Since I couldn't look into his head or see him at some of his more vulnerable moments, he seemed untouchable and more aloof. It wasn't till the last section that ... wait, I don't know what counts as a spoiler, so I guess I'll stop there.
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
"Graff is totally the guy who plays Willow in, um, Willow."
Dude, thats a baby girl.
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
No, the baby girl was named Elora Danan in the movie Willow. Willow played by Warwick Davis. Elora was played by a baby girl. Actually, two of them...but that's another thread...
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
I saw that movie on TV last year. My mom made me watch it. I didn't mind so much. But it wasn't originally how I'd intended to spend my afternoon.
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
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