OZ COMPANIONS, NULL

Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion aren’t really individuals with Enneagram numbers, they’re archetypes. Head Type, respectively, Heart, and Body.

If I were trying to describe the general idea of the personality Enneagram to children, what better reference to use than the Oz books?

Scarecrow is torn apart by the flying monkeys. His body is destroyed. A Head Type will value reason and ideas over physical capability. He’s not heartless — he loves Dorothy — but the heart for a Head Type is more a biological part rather than an emotional center.

TIn Man is strong and probably the best fighter (until Lion finds his peace), yet he hardly credits it. Emotion, love, feelings are what matters most to a Heart Type. When he can’t feel, because his heart is missing, he is incomplete and in turmoil.

Cowardly Lion is hyper-emotional. Fear drives him. He’s unbelievably strong, yet feelings keep him from remembering that. It’s only when no other companion has the capability — in the book Lion must jump them across a ravine, iirc — that he taps into his power. A Body Type is disoriented if they can’t (or don’t) use their physicality.

Each one believes he can’t do the one thing he’s good at.

The joke is that Scarecrow, who says he’s brainless, is actually smart. Tin Man is emotional and Lion is physical, despite their objections. It’s not as clear in the movie as it is in the book, but each does something that refutes their claim to failure. And the Wizard, knowing that each possesses his desired trait already, gives them some bogus gift that acts as a placebo.

It’s a good little lesson about having faith and trust in yourself.

DOROTHY GALE, THREE

I’m thinking specifically of the Judy Garland version. In the books Dorothy is too young for me to discern an Enneagram number for her. Judy was also technically a child, but I think she’s old enough for us to make some decisions about her.

My own book opened with a storytelling Enneagram breakdown of The Wizard of Oz. I remember being particularly struck by Toto’s trespassing as an action that started everything. And Toto, the dog, is going to do whatever Dorothy, the master, allows. Why would Dorothy allow Toto to go into Miss Gulch’s flowers?

Not a rule follower. Not particularly impressed with authority. Or, simply careless. Distracted.

Which means Dorothy is not a Six. Not a One.

Even though Oz is an unknown place, Dorothy confronts it bravely and immediately opens herself to the kind people who live there. Not a Five.

Possibly a Seven. Possibly an Eight. Heart Type possible.

When told to retrieve the Witch’s broom, she sets off. Not a Nine. (Professor Marvel is the Nine!)

A lot of choices left. Is there something from the movie that can pinpoint Dorothy’s number? When Dorothy is denied entrance to see the Wizard, she cries. An Eight would’ve confronted the door; a Seven would’ve devised a way around. So, Heart Type.

Let’s go back to the beginning. Toto. When Miss Gulch demands restitution for Toto’s trespassing, Dorothy takes no blame. Instead, she cries, “You wicked old witch!”

Ah. Three. Beloved by everybody, able to solve problems and save the day, refuses to admit when they’re wrong.

T2’S JOHN CONNOR, SIX

A child, even a teenaged one, can be difficult to pinpoint on the Enneagram scale, partly because they are physically undeveloped. What does this character tell us?

He’s a rebel. He doesn’t function well in foster care.

Regardless of that, he cares deeply about people in his life, including the foster parents. He wants no harm to come to them.

He wants no harm to come to anyone. He stops the Terminator from killing random strangers. John’s ethic of life is very strong, even though he can’t fully explain why.

He rescues his mom, even though logic says this is a dangerous choice.

This deeply ingrained sense of right and wrong, and the determination to follow it no matter what, says Six. If you think of John Connor, leader of humanity’s survival, in the future, Six-ness suits him. The level of belief, conviction, and authority a Six carries are what people will need when life hangs by a thread.

Also, the Six paranoia is probably what will lead him to keep dogs as cyborg sniffers.

T2’S SARAH CONNOR, FIVE

She’s the same number as she was in the first Terminator, but Sarah Connor now exhibits different traits of the Enneagram Five.

The workout. You might think she’s a Body Type because of her exercise regimen in the psych hospital, but she’s not. Fives appreciate the order and control of a physical program. Dance, martial arts, cross country running — these are all activities a Five loves without ever necessarily excelling at them. Sarah has that same physical dedication. It keeps her sane. But she’s not a great athlete.

The lack of sentimentality. Her beloved son rescues her and she’s angry. He can’t put himself in danger, not even for her. He thinks she’s hugging him but she’s only checking his body for wounds. Fives are in a constant battle of hating public displays of affection while wanting to connect and be close with others. It comes off as coldness and austerity.

Her ruthlessness. In order for a Five to be as badass as Sarah Connor parts of her personality must shut down. Fives can slide to Eight in strength, but they can’t live in the superhero realm comfortably the way a true Eight could. Sarah almost kills Miles Dyson because she’s closed off feelings that would’ve crushed her Mother of the Future Hero plan. She can be vulnerable or she can be iron; she just can’t be both simultaneously.

T1’S SARAH CONNOR, FIVE

Five Women are physically average in every way. Medium height, medium weight, medium pretty. With nothing to distinguish them they fade into the background.

For Sarah Connor, that’s the point.

You make Sarah an Enneagram Five because you want the audience and the characters to see no reason this person should be targeted for termination. It’s brilliant. Why her?

A Five is also someone who would believe a wildly improbable tale. A cyborg from the future? Pff. Because of their observational skills, Fives would put the clues together and accept the preposterous, and even change their life to suit the new reality.

In real life Five Women are often the teachers and church volunteers and PTA mothers. They quietly run society. When Sarah accepts the mantle of Mother of the Future Hero, she’s only fulfilling this Five-ish role.

KATNISS EVERDEEN, EIGHT

The entire world pisses her off. Katniss Everdeen is an Enneagram Eight.

She has no patience for her mother’s weakness. She has no patience for the rules of the Hunger Games. She has no patience for Peeta, at least in the beginning. She’s going to win and she’s not always going to be likable along the way. Abrasive is kinda an Eight wheelhouse.

However, with Rue, or her sister? All the tenderness comes out. Eights rarely dip into their softer side, but when they do they are the most caring of any number. Katniss weaving the flowers in Rue’s hair is a powerful moment for the character and the plot because Eights don’t do vulnerability very often.

Don’t forget, also, her archery. Only a Body Type would be that proficient at a physical skill.

Eight Women are one step away from punching someone at any minute. Mostly, they don’t. Unleash an Eight into a dystopian hellscape and you have a very satisfying heroine.