The Simpsons – Enneagram and Encaustic

MARGE SIMPSON, NINE

Marge is a bit of a mystery. I’m not immediately sure of her Enneagram number.

She’s not ambitious. Her family, their safety and comfort, are enough for her.

She’s lovingly married to a very ineligible man. He definitely married up, and he would be the first to say so.

Her hair is big. I know that’s just an animator’s representation on the one hand, a defining characteristic that makes her easier to draw, but it’s also a comment about her personality. The creator saw Marge as bold, out-of-step, a bit of an iconoclast. Her hair is BIG.

She’s no-nonsense and brave when her chicks are in danger. Marge’s world seems pretty straight forward. Family, safety and comfort. Her wild-child son and her large-brained daughter are of equal worth to her.

She’s a Nine. Peace is everything. Conflict must be avoided. Public displays of outrageous behavior, or extraordinary achievement, or large blue hair are all the same. She really doesn’t care about seeking or avoiding attention, as long as life rides on an even keel. That’s the Nine Woman style. Accept, support, and love.

HOMER SIMPSON, TWO

Homer is not a thinking man. If we want to know his Enneagram number, I think we can safely rule out any of the Head Types.

And yet he has such a love of the carnal, as a Seven would. Food, sloth, fun. The gyroscope of the world holds no interest for him, though. Not a Seven.

Well, then, a Body Type. To take such pleasure in digestion, to the workings of the body, suggests an Eight or Nine. (Not a One. Heavens, no.) He doesn’t seem aggressive enough to be an Eight. Homer is content to ride along on the wave of comfort. Very Nine-ish. But, boy oh boy, is he no diplomat or community leader. Not very Nine-ish.

Not a Three or Four. He’s not fastidious enough for either number.

A Two? He actually has a good heart for his family. In his comic strip/animation way, he’s a loving father and husband. Twos also take pleasure in the community of eating and entertaining. It doesn’t come from lust or laziness. A party is how people relax with each other.

Also, a Two’s oldest child could very well be an Eight, as Bart is. It’s the strength/weakness move again.

There’s something strangely lovable about Homer. He accessible. A Two.

LISA SIMPSON, FIVE

I’m not sure if a recent commenter was calling me a Lisa Simpson or if they were requesting an Enneagram character sketch of her, so I’ll assume the latter and off we go.

First off, let’s be honest. I’m only a casual viewer of The Simpsons. Here’s what I remember about Lisa:

She likes rules. She plays the saxophone. Bart, and his chaotic state, annoy her. She’s smarter than her father, at least, and maybe both of her parents. She’s kind of a pain because she’s so stringent. However, her open vulnerability can be very endearing and sad. She’s an alien in her own world.

My God, I am a Lisa Simpson! Oh, dear.

Much rueful chuckling goes here.

Well, then, Lisa — a character I tend to dislike — must be a Five.

That may not be true, but I don’t want to delve further. It’s a Monday morning and I’ve only had one cup of coffee so far. Self-searching requires at least a donut or something.

BART SIMPSON, EIGHT

A prankster. A Loki. Someone who doesn’t give two figs for society’s measures of achievement and success. A rebel. A mischief-maker.

Whoa, we have so many Enneagram directions we could go here!

Not a Three. Bart’s comfort with failure, his seeking of it, cancels that option.

Not a Five. He’s too much of a rule-breaker, and shame has no effect on him.

Not a Nine. He thrives in conflict.

Not a One, not a Six. Rules again, and also justice. He doesn’t care about right and wrong.

Not a Two. Compassion is not his game.

That leaves Four, Seven, and Eight. I’ve already called Lisa Simpson a Five. That means, because family tends to line up around the Enneagram together, Bart’s more likely a Seven (Five’s weakness move) or Eight (Five’s strength move).

His monkey qualities lead toward Seven. His fearless leap at life leads toward Eight. Body or Head?

Well, that pretty much answers it. Bart is no Head Type.