The characters in later life - professions etc.

[Nair Snehalatha]

Incidentally, in Rub a dub.mystery.we see that Miss Pepper and Mrs Glump knew each other as small girls. It makes me wonder if the inn-- Three men in a tub.is really there still-- Rub a dub inn. It was supposed.to have been in the Glump family for more than a hundred and fifty years . The walls must have heard and seen.many secrets

[pete9012S]

I have another hope God makes me born as one of the lovely Enid Blyton characters.

Wow - that's far out man!

[Nair Snehalatha]

What.about Dummy-- in Rub a dub mystery? Wish Enid blyton had put him as a supporting character in the other two mystery stories-- Rat a tat and Ragamuffin -- the last two books after Barney finds his father and family.Dummy had known Barney's mother, and would have been a very helpful and loving family member.-- he would have seen.Roger, Diana, Snubby off and on-- to say nothing of Loony and Miranda

[Barnard]

Dummy was not a member of Roger, Diana or Barney’s families so I don’t see how he could be a ‘loving family member.’ In fact, Enid Blyton introduced hundreds of ‘supporting characters’, and they can’t all reappear in book after book.

[Nair Snehalatha]

Yes-- you are right, Barnard, -- I think my imagination is running away with me-- I want to keep track of all the supporting characters , -- but its silly to want them all to reappear in the entire series.
.

[pete9012S]

What.about Dummy--

Yes, yes, yes Barnard and Nair!
Whose heart does not long for a book filled with the thrilling adventures of Dummy.

[Lucky Star]

Brilliant Pete. I doubt it would hit the bestseller list though.

I broadly think Enid got it right with the supporting characters. Most of them are perfectly adequate and believable for the plot in which they appear but if they all reappeared in book after book then I think we would get quite bored of them. And it would be beyond Enid (or any other author) to have fully developed such an amount of characters or found things for them all to do in the books. Having Ern and Jo appear several times was good because they suited several different books but someone like Dummy could never have appeared in any other role than the one written for him in Rubadub.

[IceMaiden]

I suppose we should all just end our lives at 16 then! Anything above that must be pointless and miserable.

Actually I'll say that my life up to 16 was a lot happier than it's been since then especially these last few years, so yes I'd say there is little enjoyment in being an adult. When I was 12 I longed for a dog like George to have adventures with, long walks, bike rides. Now I've just been told that that dog I longed for so much and finally got has got crippling arthritis and dementia. That is likely how Timmy would end up if he got to grow old. Horrible. Isn't is a far nicer thought that he stays forever chasing rabbits and villains around Kirrin Island? And that the four stay carefree children running around with him? The books are escapism from real life, whenever I read them I'm transported back to much happier times knowing everything will come right in the end. If it didn't they wouldn't have the same appeal.

[Fiona1986]

Well, at 16 I was bullied at school, was in a relationship with a guy who was always high, I was self harming and generally pretty miserable. In my 30s I have a job I love, a fiancé who loves me and a child who makes getting up at 6am every day worthwhile. So clearly a happy life doesn't end at 16 for everyone!

[Nair Snehalatha]

The characters in Enid Blyton will always be happy-- and puttiing wrong things right-- on the side of truth. Fatty and the findouters will always have long bike rides, the secret.sevem.will always have their meetings in Peyer and Janets shed, The famous five.will continue to spend holidays on Kirrin.Island,.The Enchanted.wood, Moonface Saucepan.man,.the Angry pixie -- and the children-- Bessie etc will go on and on forever--

[IceMaiden]

Well, at 16 I was bullied at school, was in a relationship with a guy who was always high, I was self harming and generally pretty miserable. In my 30s I have a job I love, a fiancé who loves me and a child who makes getting up at 6am every day worthwhile. So clearly a happy life doesn't end at 16 for everyone!

There you go then, life's experiences aren't the same for everyone and they shape how you view the world. You weren't happy at 16 so have a totally different thought on it to me, in the same way I've had some awful times the past few years which have unfortunately left a rather negative impression. Not constantly I hasten to add, but there are times and moments where I just think "gosh it's horribly hard work being an adult". Surely everyone gets those days? As a child when you feel crummy you can throw a tantrum and bawl your eyes out. As an adult you can't so you forget your troubles with an Enid Blyton book.

[GloomyGraham]

I only have a clear idea about Anne, as a junior school teacher until she has children

Anne would have become a domestic science teacher of course, teaching other young girls how to be the perfect cook and house-keeper, which would be useful as none of them would likely have their own domestic servants, given the break-down of the class system.

The she would retire of course the moment she was married and live her perfect life, cleaning, cooking, baking, grocery shopping and making sure she looked wonderful when her husband returned home for a marvellous tea

It's another of Enid's characters I could see becoming a much-loved school-teacher. Elizabeth Allen!

[John Pickup]

I don't subscribe to the obsession with wondering what happens to the characters in Enid's books as they grow up. Nothing happens to them. They are immortalized in the stories and that's the only way I want to remember them.

[Boodi 2]

I tend to agree with John Pickup and have never really bothered much about how they developed in later life

[Fiona1986]

It's hardly an obsession to have an idle chat about the possibilities. If you don't enjoy that then why read the thread about it (that's aimed at multiple people, not anyone in particular).