Who's your favorite character in the entire series and why? Give an example of your favorite scene.
Mine is Peter.
He changes in a realistic way. I especially love the way he acts in book 2 of the shadow series (can't remember name offhand) where he "mans up" and quietly takes responsibility for everything he's done by walking into the compound with Bean to face Achilles. I thought that was a beautiful scene, which demonstrated his maturity and greatness.
There is a real wonder to this character. It might be because Peter is not flawed by nurture - his parents are actually fantastic people. Rather, his nature is flawed. By nature, he is a dominating, manipulative and ruthless man.
But by nurture, as well as by his own free willed choices, he becomes, not just a good, but a great man.
And I love how we see both - both the nurturing of his parents, and his own free willed decisions, leading him to becoming so beautiful in personality.
I think there is a lot of truth in this. That it's not so much an "evil" personality that determine the outcome. But it's a combination. Of the environment, the genes, as well as the free willed choices that make a man what he becomes.
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
Olhado. The best part of the Speaker arc is when Olhado talks about his wife and kids. By a mile.
Posted by adenam (Member # 11902) on :
Petra!
Smart strong girl who is nice!!!
When she first helps Ender learn how to shoot.
Posted by Fremen (Member # 11984) on :
Bean because of his constant struggles with humanity which in a way reflect some of the innermost thoughts of all people.
Plus, he's mad smart.
(w00t first post)
Posted by Tara (Member # 10030) on :
Bean as well. He's always been the most real character for me.
Posted by DDDaysh (Member # 9499) on :
From the Shadow series, mine is Petra. She's just so... real feeling. Actually, Nikolai is probably my REAL favorite, but we don't really know enough about him.
From the Speaker series my favorite is Elenora.
Posted by lynda (Member # 11730) on :
Wang-Mu for seeing and opportunity,and not letting fear get in the way of a great adventure.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Olhado. There's not really a close second, but I think Neo-Peter is a distant second.
I like EG Bean, but loathe Shadow Bean.
Posted by tickletik (Member # 11982) on :
@TomDavidson
Hey, I love Shadow Bean!
The part where he cries and hugs both Anton and Petra when they corner him and make him admit that he has tremendous love in his heart. That was a classic "big guy" moment.
I find it very amusing that he can't stand Peter. He never gives him a break, because Peter is so full of it, and he can see right through him. Poor Peter.
Posted by umberhulk (Member # 11788) on :
I'll tell you when I read them all.
Posted by lynda (Member # 11730) on :
How did i forget Jane! I would love to have her as my best friend. (I even named my GPS Jane)
I like Shadow Bean better than EG Bean too.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Me, the reader!
Ha!
I'm torn between Olhado and Quim. I guess what I like in each one is that they've found what they're looking for in life and live exactly as they think is best. It really resonates with me as true peace. I'll pick Quim and I'll pretend it's because his position in the stories was more dramatic (not more influential, I recognize) but really it's because everyone else picked Olhado.
Hobbes Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Han Fei-Tzu. He's like a too perfect father, but you only get such a father by losing your mother, I think.
Posted by Traceria (Member # 11820) on :
Such a tough question, so I'm going to go with the character I would be most likely to quote, Val.
quote:My needs are simple and few, thought Valentine. Food. Clothing. A comfortable place to sleep. And no idiots.
I think I like EG Bean better because it was more 'fun' wondering what the kid was thinking as opposed to getting his every thought. That's just me, though.
Posted by Achilles (Member # 7741) on :
I like Ender and Valentine. Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
I don't particularily have a favorite character, I know I have a character I utterly HATE and thats Novihina but "favorite"? I care about Ender, but doesnt mean I like him more then say Bean, I also like Bean, but favorite? I think this is an interesting point about Card's writing that I can to somewhat respect, or be interested in any or all of his characters but none really stand out to me.
If forced to choose ild push you off a cliff, but if no cliffs availiable I'ld put it as Graff, Cortana Er I mean Jane, Peter, Ender.
Posted by Xann. (Member # 11482) on :
Fly Molo, how can a person with that nickname not be awesome? Hot Soup is a close second...
For other than name reasons I like Human, He was just a cool little guy.
Posted by Traceria (Member # 11820) on :
Along that line, Dink Meeker is a pretty awesome name, too. I appreciate his lip.
Posted by Oshki (Member # 11986) on :
I give a vote for bean. But all the characters came to life from OSC. To do that he must have recognised the "a priori" sense that gives birth to common sense as well as conscience. In the case of Bean, not being nurtured resulted in a disconnect. Through experience he grew to have one. Peter though had no such excuse. Achilles was simply a psyhopath.
Posted by dictatorlv44 (Member # 11845) on :
quote:Originally posted by tickletik: Who's your favorite character in the entire series and why? Give an example of your favorite scene.
Mine is Peter.
He changes in a realistic way. I especially love the way he acts in book 2 of the shadow series (can't remember name offhand) where he "mans up" and quietly takes responsibility for everything he's done by walking into the compound with Bean to face Achilles. I thought that was a beautiful scene, which demonstrated his maturity and greatness.
There is a real wonder to this character. It might be because Peter is not flawed by nurture - his parents are actually fantastic people. Rather, his nature is flawed. By nature, he is a dominating, manipulative and ruthless man.
But by nurture, as well as by his own free willed choices, he becomes, not just a good, but a great man.
And I love how we see both - both the nurturing of his parents, and his own free willed decisions, leading him to becoming so beautiful in personality.
I think there is a lot of truth in this. That it's not so much an "evil" personality that determine the outcome. But it's a combination. Of the environment, the genes, as well as the free willed choices that make a man what he becomes.
I agree with you here in that Peter does change in a realistic way, and he is by far my favorite character because he's far more complex than any other character, but I disagree that Peter was bad by nature.
At the end of Ender's Game, you hear Peter explain himself, that he was jealous that Ender loved Valentine so much, and just from the fact that Peter was such a bully, you can see that all his actions were out of jealousy towards Ender and Valentine. Also, a feeling of not being good enough, as he was the first born, but he was rejected from Battle school because he was too aggressive or violent. This made him insecure, and always guess himself. The fact that they deemed him violent made him violent.
Posted by Clumpy (Member # 8122) on :
Planter. Planter by a mile.
Posted by I Am The War Chief (Member # 9266) on :
Good call on Planter! But how can you forget Graff?! I loved to hate that guy lol (edit) Noticed someone above has actually posted Graff as one of their choices but my choice still stands!
Posted by Clem (Member # 11704) on :
I'd go with Peter or Bean - probably Peter. He's more of an ethically complex character - and I guess that this makes him more human, in my eyes. Or that I relate more to him, I don't know.
Anyway, the thing I like the most about him is his struggle to channel his overwhelming thirst for power into something that will end up being *good* for mankind. Instead of fighting it pointlessly (and thus, of risking to follow Alai's example and to become a slave to that thirst) or to indulge it (like Achilles), he tries to shape it into something that goes beyond his own benefit. And god, does he succeeds - Peace on Earth... now THAT's something to brag about. He ends up becoming a good person and winning the fight against his darker side the way Ender wins against his enemies: not by loathing it, but by embracing it, by loving it. The only difference is that he doesn't kill it. But he changes it deeply over the course of time - and change is some kind of death, right ?
Now, for a specific scene... The one that comes to mind is the question that Peter asks at the end of Shadow Puppets: "Am I the only one here who sees something of himself in the man who's lying in thix box ?". In order not to risk spoiling anybody (although there's little risk), I'll restrain fom any further comment on that passage - but since most of you read it already, I think you'll see what I'm referring too.
Posted by Brayden (Member # 11996) on :
I like Suri! Not sure why. I just like him. All the other's are cool too, but I loathe Nova... She makes me mad.
Posted by EndertheJedi (Member # 7889) on :
it is really hard to chose a favorite character. I agree with all the reasons stated for peter,but I think a lot can be said for Beans ethical complexity being just a bout up their. I want to say that my favorite is either Nicholai or Dink. one of my favorite scenes is when Nicholai told Graff that him and bean were brothers, and that was what graff had called him in to tell him. the other scene that rivals for my favorite is the scene when Dink and the rest of rat army are talking about the exigencies and logistics of their plan to celebrate Christmas and Dink and Zeck's argument .very very moving scene.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
I like Achilles, maybe its the fact that I relate so strongly to him due to the fact that I was born with a club foot. Your world gets a lil differant when your physically inferior from birth.
Posted by dictatorlv44 (Member # 11845) on :
My favorite character in the Ender books in Peter, the old and new one. They show Ender's perspective of him, a cruel, heartless, killer, and Peter's own view of himself, unsure, and just wanting some love.
In the Shadow series, I love Bean because as he says in either Ender's Shadow or Shadow of the Giant, he was the only one of Ender's jeesh that didn't wish he was Ender.
Posted by umberhulk (Member # 11788) on :
quote:Originally posted by dictatorlv44:
quote:Originally posted by tickletik: Who's your favorite character in the entire series and why? Give an example of your favorite scene.
Mine is Peter.
He changes in a realistic way. I especially love the way he acts in book 2 of the shadow series (can't remember name offhand) where he "mans up" and quietly takes responsibility for everything he's done by walking into the compound with Bean to face Achilles. I thought that was a beautiful scene, which demonstrated his maturity and greatness.
There is a real wonder to this character. It might be because Peter is not flawed by nurture - his parents are actually fantastic people. Rather, his nature is flawed. By nature, he is a dominating, manipulative and ruthless man.
But by nurture, as well as by his own free willed choices, he becomes, not just a good, but a great man.
And I love how we see both - both the nurturing of his parents, and his own free willed decisions, leading him to becoming so beautiful in personality.
I think there is a lot of truth in this. That it's not so much an "evil" personality that determine the outcome. But it's a combination. Of the environment, the genes, as well as the free willed choices that make a man what he becomes.
I agree with you here in that Peter does change in a realistic way, and he is by far my favorite character because he's far more complex than any other character, but I disagree that Peter was bad by nature.
At the end of Ender's Game, you hear Peter explain himself, that he was jealous that Ender loved Valentine so much, and just from the fact that Peter was such a bully, you can see that all his actions were out of jealousy towards Ender and Valentine. Also, a feeling of not being good enough, as he was the first born, but he was rejected from Battle school because he was too aggressive or violent. This made him insecure, and always guess himself. The fact that they deemed him violent made him violent.
I agree. Peter >> Elemak
Posted by va_treehugger (Member # 12028) on :
I like Bean. You are introduced to him in Ender's Game. Before I read the Shadow series, I thought, "What more can Card tell us about Bean? What was I thinking? You re-meet him as a little waif and learn about his childhood. He is hard to like at first, (for a long time actually) and then he begins to soften and you begin to let him in. As the series progresses, he softens more, and grows up (both physically and mentally). He actually becomes very mature and develops adult love and emotions at a young age. I like Bean.
Posted by Grinwell (Member # 12030) on :
Ender and Bean of course, but Hyrum Graff and Mazer Rackham are fascinating and favorite characters. Within the IF, they are uniquely situated to see the Big Picture. Not only do they save Earth in the short term, but work diligently to save the human race in the long term. Few truly understand what they have accomplished and what they have sacrificed. They are excellent commanders because they also have compassion. They are not perfect people, but they are true heroes.
"Mazer in Prison" and the scene at the end of Ender in Exile where elderly Graff reads Valentine's letter alone with his tea kettle are very moving.
Posted by va_treehugger (Member # 12028) on :
OMG, as I read the books and re-meet the characters, they each could easily have their own spin off series, like Bean. Sister Carlotta, Graff, Rackam, Ender's Jeesh... Their descriptions are all rich
Posted by CreoleBeanFan (Member # 11671) on :
quote:Originally posted by umberhulk: I agree. Peter >> Elemak
Agreed. I'm not familiar with the Book of Mormon, so I don't know if the Elemak in the Earthborn series is an accurate representation of the Elemak in the BOM, but a person who repeatedly makes the same mistakes and never grows at all just seems unrealistic to me.
Posted by CreoleBeanFan (Member # 11671) on :
One of my favorites is Bean. Even when I initially read Enders game in the early 90's, I loved Bean as a character. I enjoy the character of Peter as well, and I like the fact that OSC took the Shadow series to show Peter as a real person, and not the childhood demon of Enders nightmares.
Lately Miro has become one of my favorites. I just finished listening to Speaker/Xenocide/Children ... definitely Miro!
I haven't listened to the Shadow series for a while, but I'm going to start on that this week. But you know something? Petra always really got on my nerves, for some reason. And Novinha a bit, too. I find it just a little unreasonable that she didn't seem to change much in her 30 years of marriage to Ender.
Posted by paigereader (Member # 2274) on :
I have to say my favorite character is Olhado. He's the voice of sanity in that whole crazy family.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Human.
Posted by ...Arson (Member # 12052) on :
Ender, but I feel silly picking the obvious choice so I'll pick Valentine instead. I related alot to Valentine throughout the books.
Posted by FoolishTook (Member # 5358) on :
Ender.
I'm completely okay with picking the obvious choice. Posted by HeatherD (Member # 12058) on :
Lol, I think most people were trying not to pick the obvious one... Until the end here there are only two mentions of Ender! Ender is my favorite because his grasp of human character is so incredible Posted by HeatherD (Member # 12058) on :
quote:Originally posted by tickletik: It might be because Peter is not flawed by nurture
Are you kidding?? I think the Wiggins meant well, but it became apparent in the Shadow books how the family's web of secrecy was incredibly damaging to the unit as a whole. How was it good for the Wiggins to withold their knowledge of the identities of Locke and Demosthenes and cultivate their children's disdain so that they could manipulate them?? Once they started down that road, they couldn't get out of it until Peter finally admitted that he was Locke.
Anyway, sorry, I do agree with you that Peter turned out well I especially enjoyed when Peter came back as Ender (or vice versa) in Xenocide and CotM, that was particularly interesting.
[ May 09, 2009, 09:01 PM: Message edited by: HeatherD ]
Posted by Lourinha (Member # 12079) on :
Dumper and Carn Carby
i love the exchange of emails in shadow of the giant
Posted by ToraMay (Member # 12080) on :
I adore Bean... The way he relates to others in all the books about him by far make him my favorite.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
quote:The way he relates to others
Does he relate to anyone besides Petra, Niko, and Suryawong?
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Scott: I think he related on a very specific level with Sister Carlotta. Also we've yet to have an opportunity to see him with his children (beyond basic infancy that is), that could be very interesting.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
Yeah-- you're right. I forgot about Sister Carlotta.
Posted by Rainfox (Member # 12081) on :
Tough choice...
It's been quite a while since I read Ender's Series, I've just recently re-read Ender's Shadow and am in the middle of a second helping of Shadow Puppets. I did, however just read Ender in Exile. Though none of the new characters were close to my list of favorites.
I'd say I'm partial to Bean, Ender and Graff.
Posted by kmpatenaude (Member # 12093) on :
Bean. Without a doubt. His character has changed my life, and I don't even feel silly for saying that, because it is completely true. He opens his mind and trusts his instincts. Bean truly knows himself. He's always 2 steps ahead. I really feel that we are ALL smarter then we let ourselves be. We are so caught up with LIFE(struggles for supremacy, prejudices, wasteful relationships and diversions), that we don't stop long enough to think about what's really going on. Most people can't even shut their spewing mouths long enough to learn something.
Bean never wanted to be the master. He knew that he would never be Peter or Ender. At first this was because he cared only about survival, and then because he knew that he was going to die young. We all die eventually. We don't know when, and neither did he really, but he still chose to make the absolute most of the time that he had. It seems like he saw life as a series of choices. You observe, analyze, decide, and act.
I started actually thinking about every little thing I do and say, and realized that I was absentmindedly drudging through my days. I changed all of this at once. It was like I had been sleeping this whole time, and suddenly I woke up. I changed careers, my marriage improved, my quality of life improved, and life is just easy and happy now. All just from reading the Ender/Shadow series. I think there are important things we can learn from ALL of the characters and situations. (But on a lighter note, I named my GPS Jane)
Posted by Hugin (Member # 12099) on :
My favorite is, by far, Valentine, mainly because I like foils who are foils by choice and who manage to do great things independently of their main characters. I also like her sharp wit and insightfulness and the fact that she is such a constant in the universe. Really, even after she and Jakt marry, Ender can rely on her.
But as far as choosing obscure characters as favorites because it shows off your knowledge of the stories (and I'm in no way defaming the practice: the orphan Cartwright is my favorite character in the Sherlock Holmes stories), I have to say that I like Ivan...actually, for much the same reasons that I like Valentine...I really should broaden my horizons.
Posted by ToraMay (Member # 12080) on :
quote:Originally posted by Scott R:
quote:The way he relates to others
Does he relate to anyone besides Petra, Niko, and Suryawong?
Actually yes he did, and more than just Sister Carlotta... Bean related to the members of his jeesh and the men in his army. There was a general whom he was close to in Shadow of the Hegemon, only I have forgotton his name momentarily.
Posted by Brayden (Member # 11996) on :
I like Peter because he exceeds all expectations. He was denied entrance to Battle School because he wasn't lovable enough to be a leader, yet in the end, HE unites humanity, and is forced to stay Hegemon even though he didn't want it because he was loved for his skills in leadership. It's truly amazing how he took the worthless title of Hegemon and turned it into THE leader of Earth, and possibly all of Humanity.
Posted by swanvideos (Member # 12091) on :
Olhado. I want his eyepiece. I think.
Posted by oscfan (Member # 12170) on :
This is one of the most popular choices, but definitely Peter. His nastiness is actually kind of funny sometimes and it's true that he was misunderstood a lot during his childhood.
quote:Originally posted by dictatorlv44: [QUOTE]
At the end of Ender's Game, you hear Peter explain himself, that he was jealous that Ender loved Valentine so much, and just from the fact that Peter was such a bully, you can see that all his actions were out of jealousy towards Ender and Valentine. Also, a feeling of not being good enough, as he was the first born, but he was rejected from Battle school because he was too aggressive or violent. This made him insecure, and always guess himself. The fact that they deemed him violent made him violent.
Amen to that.
On a side note, I also thought Dink was awesome, especially in Shadow of the Giant, and I can relate to Olhado cuz I'm a middle child. For some reason I DON'T like Valentine because I don't think she's as nice as everybody says, except in Ender's Game.
Posted by Pluta Demoske (Member # 12174) on :
Bean, Ender, and Peter, in that order.
Posted by louismagoo (Member # 12175) on :
My favorite characters are John Paul and Teresa Wiggin. They are the most believable and "normal" major characters, always taking a back seat, never pushing any grand agenda (cough, Graff, cough), always promoting the decency of their children. They are brilliant and altruistic in understandable ways that give their characters more depth.
Side note: Least favorite character: Virlomi. Playing at being a goddess and embracing a culture primarily to prey on others doesn't pan well with me.
Posted by oscfan (Member # 12170) on :
quote:Originally posted by louismagoo: Side note: Least favorite character: Virlomi. Playing at being a goddess and embracing a culture primarily to prey on others doesn't pan well with me.
at least she got what she deserved when peter rejected her lol
Posted by T:man (Member # 11614) on :
Bean, Val, Rooter.
In that order.
Posted by Flaming Toad on a Stick (Member # 9302) on :
Huh. I like Virlomi.
My favorites are Olhado and Qing-jao.
Posted by JWAAL (Member # 12182) on :
Peter is my favorite. I love the complexity. Some characters are good and some characters are bad. Peter is neither and both.
I just read one of his short stories today. I think it was called A Thousand Deaths. While there isn't room for much character development, the character who suffers these deaths I romanticized. He stood up to tyranny in a way only possible through science fiction.
For those interested the story is in "Maps in a Mirror"
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