John Paul Wiggin
Encyclopedia
John Paul Wiggin is a fictional character
from Orson Scott Card
's Ender's game series. He appeared in the original novel Ender's Game
, and in several of its sequels: Shadow of the Hegemon
, Shadow Puppets
, and Ender in Exile. John Paul is a central character in two of the prequel
short stories: "The Polish Boy" and "Teacher's Pest".
John Paul is named after "St. John Paul II
, the great Polish Pope". He is the father of the series's central character Ender Wiggin
, as well as of Ender's two older siblings Peter
and Valentine
. All three children are shown to have inherited the intelligence of John Paul and his wife Theresa
, though there are hints throughout the Shadow series that they may have also been genetically enhanced.
John Paul was the seventh child born to a family of nine in Poland
, which at the time, during the Formic Wars, was against the Hegemony's overpopulation control laws. This caused his family to be labeled non-compliants, because they had more than the maximum of two children. However, they felt that staying true to their Catholic faith, which stated that each child sent to them was a gift from God, was more important than listening to any government. In spite of this noncompliance, he was tested and considered for Battle School.
After being tested, he was introduced to then-Captain Hyrum Graff as a leading candidate for the role which Ender would later play, but his personality was judged too set in anti-authority patterns. He arranged a deal through which his family would be moved to America and given exemption from the population laws in exchange for a modicum of guaranteed service, which both he and Graff knew he had no intention of fulfilling. His purpose was to get his family out of its repressive circumstances; Graff's purpose was to allow him to have a child in America who could be more carefully monitored and introduced to Battle School without John Paul's prejudices, as told in the short story "The Polish Boy
".
John Paul came to the United States and lived there as a student, separating from his family. He changed his last name to "Wiggin" and his academic background states that he graduated with valedictorian honors. In his classes, he meets Theresa Brown, a teacher. He successfully courts her and they later marry.
It is implied that the Wiggin children acquired their aptitude for understanding human nature from John Paul in Graff's original assessment of his capabilities, while their logistical brilliance likely came from Theresa Wiggin, whose father was a renowned military genius, as told in "Teacher's Pest
".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
's Ender's game series. He appeared in the original novel Ender's Game
Ender's Game
Ender's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional...
, and in several of its sequels: Shadow of the Hegemon
Shadow of the Hegemon
Shadow of the Hegemon is the second novel in the Ender's Shadow series by Orson Scott Card. It is also the sixth novel in the Ender's Game series. It is told mostly from the point of view of Bean, a largely peripheral character in the original novel Ender's Game...
, Shadow Puppets
Shadow Puppets
Shadow Puppets , by Orson Scott Card is the sequel to Shadow of the Hegemon and the third book in the Ender's Shadow series . It was originally to be called Shadow of Death.-Plot summary:...
, and Ender in Exile. John Paul is a central character in two of the prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
short stories: "The Polish Boy" and "Teacher's Pest".
John Paul is named after "St. John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, the great Polish Pope". He is the father of the series's central character Ender Wiggin
Ender Wiggin
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is a fictional character from Orson Scott Card's science fiction story Ender's Game and its sequels , as well as in the first part of the spin-off series, Ender's Shadow...
, as well as of Ender's two older siblings Peter
Peter Wiggin
Peter Wiggin is a fictional character in the science fiction novel Ender's Game and its sequels, written by Orson Scott Card. He has appeared in the novels Ender's Game, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind and in an upcoming short story to...
and Valentine
Valentine Wiggin
Valentine Wiggin is a fictional character in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series of novels. She is the older sister of Ender Wiggin.-Biography:...
. All three children are shown to have inherited the intelligence of John Paul and his wife Theresa
Theresa Wiggin
Theresa Wiggin is a fictional character from the Ender's Game series of novels by Orson Scott Card.She is the mother of Peter, Valentine and Ender Wiggin, and the wife of John Paul Wiggin....
, though there are hints throughout the Shadow series that they may have also been genetically enhanced.
John Paul was the seventh child born to a family of nine in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, which at the time, during the Formic Wars, was against the Hegemony's overpopulation control laws. This caused his family to be labeled non-compliants, because they had more than the maximum of two children. However, they felt that staying true to their Catholic faith, which stated that each child sent to them was a gift from God, was more important than listening to any government. In spite of this noncompliance, he was tested and considered for Battle School.
After being tested, he was introduced to then-Captain Hyrum Graff as a leading candidate for the role which Ender would later play, but his personality was judged too set in anti-authority patterns. He arranged a deal through which his family would be moved to America and given exemption from the population laws in exchange for a modicum of guaranteed service, which both he and Graff knew he had no intention of fulfilling. His purpose was to get his family out of its repressive circumstances; Graff's purpose was to allow him to have a child in America who could be more carefully monitored and introduced to Battle School without John Paul's prejudices, as told in the short story "The Polish Boy
The Polish Boy (short story)
"The Polish Boy" is a story by Orson Scott Card set in his Ender's Game universe. It tells the story of how John Paul Wieczorek as a small child gets tested by the International Fleet and convinces them to get his family out of Poland...
".
John Paul came to the United States and lived there as a student, separating from his family. He changed his last name to "Wiggin" and his academic background states that he graduated with valedictorian honors. In his classes, he meets Theresa Brown, a teacher. He successfully courts her and they later marry.
It is implied that the Wiggin children acquired their aptitude for understanding human nature from John Paul in Graff's original assessment of his capabilities, while their logistical brilliance likely came from Theresa Wiggin, whose father was a renowned military genius, as told in "Teacher's Pest
Teacher's Pest (short story)
"Teacher’s Pest" is a story by Orson Scott Card set in his Ender's Game universe. It tells the story of how John Paul Wiggin meets and falls in love with his future wife...
".