Category: Ender’s Game

The purpose of Ender’s Game is to inspire the reader to be more compassionate. Throughout the book, there are many instances where Ender had to have compassion. He had to be able to know the motives of the enemy while also being able to inspire loyalty within others around him. Without compassion he wouldn’t be as good of a leader or be able to understand the situation at hand.

The part in the book where the author’s purpose was mostly represented was when Ender went to the new planet only to discover a new obstacle. The buggers had made a replica of the mind game that he had to go through back in his school. He realized they already knew he would defeat them. Ender ends up finding a queen of the buggers and comes to realize they didn’t really wanna fight the people and he feels bad for them.

The author assumes that with compassion that makes a person more able to be successful in battle. The author validates this assumption by applying compassion to the main character’s life within the plot of the book. He shows that without compassion the main character would be just like every other soldier and wouldn’t have been able to be as good of a leader or understand the enemy as well.

The part of the book that is most relevant to what we do is having to work together but also be able to overcome personal differences. The main character is constantly singled out by those around him for being different and for being better. He has to do what’s necessary to protect himself from the people around him that try to attack him out of anger while also being able to stay grounded enough to remain a good leader and soldier.

The author’s conclusion is to show the reader that you need compassion in your life. Without it, you won’t be able to understand your struggles and be able to overcome them by using their underlying causes against them. You also wouldn’t be able to represent leadership skills needed in life. As a leader you need compassion to be able to help those around you with their problems while also helping them to build themselves into stronger people.

With respect to the author’s conclusion, I agree that compassion is important in and out of battle. I agree that you need compassion to be able to overcome the enemy, while also feeling the pain of those around you. Being able to inspire them to push on by showing them there’s hope and that working together can accomplish the task at hand.

A dystopia is an imagined world or society in which people live wretched, dehumanized or fearful lives often filled with great suffering or injustice. Ender’s game and Gattaca are both set in dystopian realities based on events which occurred during the time they were created. Both texts are based around the lives of people who live in great suffering or injustice simply due to the fact that the society around them has evolved in such a way.

Gattaca is a film by Andrew Niccol which revolves around a future in which genetic modification has become incredibly prevalent. On the surface, Gattaca is shown to be utopian. Through science, their society has the capability to rid the world of disease and illness. Life for the genetically superior appears to be almost perfect. However, at its core, Gattaca presents a deeply dystopian society. One dystopian element is the subjugation of the ‘invalids’, such as Vincent, trapped in a society that believes that ‘no one exceeds his potential”. The society portrayed in Gattaca is by no means perfect as both valids and invalids are led to believe that there is no point attempting to excel beyond the restrictions of one’s genetic code.

During the time that Gattaca was made, the human genome project was underway. The Human Genome Project was an international scientific research project with the goal of mapping all the genes of the human genome. One significant use for this is the commercial use of genomics which means to map and edit genes. This brings us to Gattaca which has a multimillion dollar industry to edit the genes of babies before they are born. As we have seen, this resulted in a myriad of problems for those who choose not to undergo such treatments. It wasn’t vincents choice to be born as an invalid but due to his genetic defects, he was not able to follow his dreams.

Ender’s game by Orson Scott card is another prolific novel set in a dystopian future. There are actually three “ dystopian elements” in this novel: first, the domestic “dystopia” in which family size is limited, social pressure is applied to “Thirds”, family members are alienated from each other, and young, gifted children are fitted with electronic “readers” that evaluate their potential for the second “dystopia: the quasi-military world of Ender’s Battle School, where totalitarian adults try to forge good soldiers and leaders through a series of mock battles, a world itself flawed because human elements such as fear, desire for power, etc. are given no value. The final ‘dystopia” is the world-wide, human fear of the Buggers, a culture ostensibly at war with human existence, causing the entire globe to live in distrust and apprehension. Card is using his fictive futuristic dystopia to do two things: to strip bear the current global fears of modern culture, and to propose that the solution to our dystopia lies in Ender’s perspective at the novel’s end, viewing aliens not as enemy combatants but as societies with an advanced sensibility and communication skills.

Orson Scott Card wrote Ender’s Game in 1985, which is near the end of the Cold War in 1991. Card was born in 1951, only four years after the beginning of the cold war. This means that Card was raised in not only the fear of the cold war but also lived in an age where an emphasis was always put upon scientific accomplishments. It is easy to see this reflected in his fiction. ender’s Game takes place in Earth’s future, one in which all countries are cooperating together to save the planet from alien invasion. Nevertheless, the novel does suggest that the international conflicts of the twentieth century will not be forgotten, as an American hegemony will be pitted against a Second Warsaw Pact, led by the Russians. In this world, Russia rules Eurasia from the Netherlands to Pakistan. Peter believes that Russia is preparing for a ‘fundamental shift in world order.’ Once the bugger wars are over, the North American alliances will dissolve, and Russia will take over. This conflict may have seemed inevitable in the early and mid-1980s, when the novel was written.

In ‘Ender’s Game’ by Orson Scott Card, we are introduced to a six-year-old genius, Ender Wiggin. For years, Ender has been forced to train at a battle school in space to become the destined savior of the galaxy. However, after going through the torturing years there, he’s come to realize that he has been tricked into becoming his brother; a killer. Training to become a commander and to soon save the world is riddled with mind-destroying manipulation. As the book continues, Ender learns that he can’t trust the battle school adults to worry about his mental and physical health, and that they will never treat him like the child he technically is.

His first realization is shown on page 32; “Another blow… Where was Graff? Then it became clear. Graff has deliberately caused it. It was worse than the abuse in the shows. When the sergeant picked on you, the others liked you better. But when the officer prefers you, the others hate you” (Card). Ender knew soon after that Colonel Graff wanted him to get beat up; he caused the other boy to be angry at Ender on purpose. Another example of this is stated on pages 245 and 246; “Graff reached out and touched his hand across the aisle. Ender stiffened in surprise… for a moment Ender was struck with the startling thought that perhaps Graff felt some affection for him. But no, it was just another calculated gesture” (Card). This quote is taken from the near end of the novel, which shows that throughout his experience at the school he’s trained himself to not believe any tender emotions from the surrounding adults are true.

When Ender has unintentionally destroyed the buggers, Colonel Graff states, “It had to be a trick or you couldn’t have done it… We had to have a commander with so much empathy that he would think like the buggers, understand them and anticipate them. So much compassion… But somebody with that much compassion could never be the killer we needed. Could never go into battle willing to win at all costs. If you knew, you couldn’t do it” (Card 298). Ender was manipulated into killing billions without having a single clue he was doing so. This causes Ender to be corrupted with heaps of guilt and shame through the rest of the novel.

Ender’s empathy for other beings was increasingly shown throughout the story. After each of his fatal retaliations on others, he felt more and more guilty, consequently destroying his mind. When Ender has destroyed all remaining buggers, he’s swarmed with guilt, not realizing he had just wiped a species entirely. Card writes, “I didn’t want to kill them all. I didn’t want to kill anybody! I’m not a killer! You didn’t want me, you bastards, you wanted Peter, but you made me do it, you tricked me into it” (298). Now, at the end of his journey, Ender is left feeling incredible wickedness. The guilt must be unfathomable; If Ender felt as terrible as described when he hurt Stilson, it’s hard to imagine how disgustingly awful he felt when he found out he had destroyed billions. Card states, “All his crimes weighed heavy on him, the deaths of Stilson and Bonzo no heavier and no lighter than the rest” at the end of the novel (309). Even though the two deaths mentioned were near the beginning of the book, they’ve still kept heavy weight on Ender all throughout his journey. He describes them as crimes; offenses that someone should be punished for because they’re pure evil. Even though there’s millions telling him what he did was right, even though his most trusted family member is urging him to believe his actions were for the better, he still can’t bring himself to accept their viewpoint. It doesn’t matter what Ender is told and who’s telling him, he can never be okay with what he’s done, even if it wasn’t intentional.

‘Ender’s Game’ brings you into a world of a battle school dedicated to training children to defeat galactic aliens almost completely against their will. It introduces Ender Wiggin, a boy who is to become the sacred commander who puts an end to their world’s war, not by choice. He’s taunted by the adults around him; they rid him of his emotions and torment him with inevitable fights that result in Ender killing someone. Going through the several years necessary of battle school and later being taken to command school requires nothing more than being harshly manipulated by your mentors.

In the work of Sigmund Freud, the pioneer of psychoanalysis, he determined that there are three parts of the human mind, the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. The Id is the most basic primal instincts, the Ego is the grip on reality, and the Superego is the obligation to society. The Ego is often seen as a balance between the two. This theory has had a major impact on the world of psychology and beyond. In the novel ‘Ender’s Game’ by Orson Scott Card, there are many things that are symbolic of the Id, the Ego, and the Superego, particularly between the characters Ender, Peter, and Valentine.

In the beginning of the book, Ender gets his monitor taken off, which eventually culminates into Ender beating up Stilson. When he gets home, he is attacked by Peter. Valentine later intervenes. This event is symbolism of Freud’s psychoanalysis theory. In this case, Peter represents the Id, as he is instigating his basic instinct by attacking Ender. Valentine represents the Superego, the mind of authority, trying to protect Ender. And Ender is the Ego, the balance between the two, as even though he beat up Stilson, he does not want to fight Peter. The symbolism is best described by the following quote: “‘I do mean it’, Peter said. ‘Whatever you think, I mean it. They only authorized you because I was so promising. But I didn’t pan out. You did better. They think you’re better. But I don’t want a better little brother, Ender. I don’t want a Third’. ‘I’ll tell’, Valentine said from the doorway” (Card 12). Peter is establishing his dominance by threatening to kill Ender, which parallels the id characteristic. This causes Valentine to begin to tell their parents, which also fall in line with the Superego characteristic, the one to submit to authority. And the person who sits between the two is Ender, who is more or less a catalyst for Peter and Valentine’s Id and Superego personalities, respectively. There is additional evidence and symbolism in the following quote: “‘Afraid of him. Well, Peter isn’t all bad, you know. He was the best we’d seen in a long time. We asked your parents to choose a daughter next-they would have anyway-hoping that Valentine would be Peter, but milder. She was too mild. And so we requisitioned you’. ‘To be half Peter and half Valentine’” (Card 24). This is a conversation between Colonel Graff and Ender about joining Battle School. Graff explains the process of getting a child with the perfect personality. He mentions Valentine being too mild, which again is compliant with the Superego personality, but the most important evidence is the fact that Ender was planned to have a personality that would meet halfway between Peter and Valentine. This is symbolic of Ender being a balance between the Id and the Superego. Ender does accept the invitation into Battle School, which is when things start to change.

When Ender enters Battle School, he is immediately isolated from his fellow peers; a social outcast. As he is no longer the subject of contention between Peter and Valentine, he has to defend himself from the hostile classmate Bernard. While he eventually makes a few friends, he is still somewhat alone here. He is, however, a genius tactician at the Battle School sport. He spends a lot of time playing a game where he embarks on an adventure through various lands, with creatures trying to kill him. Ender finds ways to kill said creatures. The Battle School is turning him into the Id personality. While there was always evidence of inner turmoil within Ender from the beginning when he beat up Stilson, it is most apparent here. It comes to a boiling point when he kills a snake in the game and looks at himself in the mirror. The situation is elaborated by the following quote: “He stepped on the head of the snake and crushed it under his foot. It writhed and twisted under him, and in response he twisted and ground it deeper into the stone floor. Finally it was still. Ender picked it up and shook it, until it unwove itself and the pattern in the rug was gone. Then, still dragging the snake behind him, he began to look for a way out. Instead, he found a mirror. And in the mirror he saw a face that he easily recognized. It was Peter, with blood dripping down his chin and a snake’s tail protruding from a corner of his mouth” (Card 117). This computer game, which seems to tap into Ender’s past, showed him that he was no different than Peter. He was getting the instinct to kill, a primal instinct which matches the id personality. The Battle School is certainly changing Ender. They’re changing him into the way they want him to be. They are doing it on purpose, as they see that he is the only one to remove the bugger threat. Even though Ender is changing in Battle School, change is also happening back in the Wiggin household.

Valentine and Peter have grown up since Ender last saw them, and their personalities have grown as well. Peter does very well in school, even though he still holds the mindset of a psychopath. He is definitely more controlled than he was. He and Valentine have a discussion about his ambition to rule the world. They talk about how there will be a war with the Russians. He is concerned about it, but only because his ambitions would be compromised if the war happens. He hasn’t entirely let go of his Id personality, as there is an event mentioned where Peter pins down a squirrel and skins it alive. His primal instincts are still there. Peter is just more reserved about it. Valentine seems to have warmed up to Peter ever since Ender left, as she is willing to help him unite the political community. She herself is starting to show balance between instinct and reason, an ego personality. This phenomenon can be explained by the following: “She couldn’t think of anything so terrible that she didn’t believe Peter might do it. She also knew, though, that Peter was not insane, not in the sense that he wasn’t in control of himself. He was in better control of himself than anyone she knew. Except maybe herself” (Card 125). Valentine is certainly aware that Peter can control his actions to a degree, even if his actions aren’t always ideal. She is starting to see Peter for what he really is, something that their parents cannot see. Her personality is becoming more like the Ego personality, while she still cares for Ender, she is also willing to help Peter. This is expressed even further in the book when Ender briefly returns to Earth, and meets up with Valentine again for the first time in years. Ender needs the motivation to move on to Command School, which Valentine is ordered to give. They can both tell that each other has changed. This is best described by the following quote: “‘Two faces of the same coin. And I am the metal in between’. Even as she said it, she wondered if it was true. She had shared so much with Peter these last few years that even when she thought she despised him, she understood him. While Ender had only been a memory till now” (Card 236). Valentine herself is comparing the three of them to a coin, where Ender and Peter are polar opposites and she is the balance between them. Though she also questions this, as perhaps Ender and Peter are not all that different, and they have definitely changed over the course of four years.

In conclusion, the parallels between three major characters of ‘Ender’s Game’ and Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis is evident. The book excellently demonstrates not only how these personalities coexist, but also how the personalities can change. A major ethical question within the book is whether or not what the IF is doing to Ender is morally just. Battle School changed Ender’s personality from Ego to Id quite a bit, but maybe it wouldn’t have changed so much if the IF didn’t interfere with Ender’s communication between his peers. Perhaps the IF only added to the fire, and the inner turmoil within Ender existed since the day he beat up Stilson. Ego is a balance between id and superego, after all. Maybe Battle School just tipped the balance a little bit one way. One thing is for sure, however. It’s that the IF did it for the sake of humanity, they needed Ender’s instincts to get rid of the bugger fleet. All so that they and he could save who they love.

Works Cited

1. Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game. Tom Doherty Associates Book, 1991.

In Orson Scott Card’s эEnder’s Gameэ, Peter is a character who makes great efforts to destroy Ender and rule the world but later shows love and care for his siblings. This shows that Peter is a loving brother rather than the dangerous psychopath he is believed to be. Towards the beginning of the book, Peter portrays that his intentions are to ultimately hurt or destroy anything and shows this by skinning a squirrel while it is still alive. However, later displays himself to be a very kind and caring person as he begins to show his love for Ender.

“It’s what I’m most afraid of. That I really am a monster. I don’t want to be a killer but I just can’t help it” (132). In this passage, Peter explains that he is not intentionally trying to be a cruel and dangerous person, he just feels that he does not have control over his actions. This communicates that Peter is not a psychopath as he apologizes to his siblings and wishes that he could change.

Peter’s desire to acquire an endless amount of power and take over the world was evident earlier in the novel. However, he showed guilt towards his actions after beating Ender. “Ender, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I know how it feels, I’m sorry, I’m your brother, I love you” (76). Peter apologized to Ender while he thought he was asleep showing remorse and love for his brother early in the book; when his actions still portrayed that he is a dangerous psychopath. “But I didn’t hate you. I loved you both, I just had to be – had to have control, do you understand that?”(108). In these lines, Peter is speaking to Val about how his desire to take over the world got in the way of his relationship with his siblings.

Although he is shown to be a monster at the beginning of the novel, Peter ’s character has significantly changed into an affectionate and caring person. “If you believe that… I want to save mankind from self destruction” (167). Peter continues to display his humanity and care towards society as in this passage, he mentions that his intentions are to save mankind. “They did not wait so eagerly for each new transmission from the ansible; the names that were famous on Earth meant little to them now. The only name they knew was that of Peter Wiggin, the Hegemon of Earth; the only news that came was news of peace, of prosperity, of great ships leaving the littoral of Earth’s solar system, passing the comet shield and filling up the bugger worlds” (360). This talks about how Peter was well recognized as a peaceful and kind leader even without his presence which portrays how much impact he made to the world by changing it from a war zone (with the buggers invading several times), to a peaceful environment.

Therefore, Peter is a brilliant strategist and a loving brother. Even a character so cruel can become a kind and loving person as demonstrated by Peter.