Ender's Game

Ender's Game is a futuristic science fiction novel written by Orson Scott Card. It was first published in 1977 by Starscape. Winner of the Nebula and Hugo Awards, it is considered to be a paramount science fiction work.

Author Biographical Information
Orson Scott Card is the third of six children of Willard and Peggy Card. Card was born in Richland, Washington August 24, 1951, but grew up in Santa Clara, California, and also Mesa, Arizona and Orem, Utah. He is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and has even served as a missionary in Brazil. His Mormon faith is notable in Ender’s Game, as one of Ender’s parents was formerly Mormon. Card began his career first as a poet, while during his work as a theatre major, he began writing one-act and full-length plays. Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead were both awarded the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, making Card the only author (as of 2011) to win both of science fiction's top prizes in consecutive years. (Wikipedia). Interestingly, Card has also been known to use pseudonyms, much like aliases, to take credit for several of his works; mainly for marketing purposes.

Setting: Historical Information
There is no specific date mentioned in the book, but it is obvious that the time is in Earth’s future. The novel’s location first begins on Earth, in 6 year-old Ender Wiggin’s home, but the majority of the novel is based in Space at the Battle School.

Genre
I believe science fiction to be the most intriguing and enjoyable to read of literary genres. Science fiction is a branch of fiction that usually contains futuristic components, such as settings or events. Many times works of this genre are filled with symbolism, as is the case with Ender’s Game. The genre is rooted in about futuristic events that might seem extreme or impossible, in such a way that it is conceivable for the reader.

Plot Summary
Ender’s Game is a science fiction novel centered around the adolescent life of Ender Wiggin. Ender is a child genius, which is of special interest of the international military. This is the case because of the attacks on planet Earth in years past, by an alien species known as the Buggers, and the need to train young boys to someday be soldiers. However, Ender’s case deviates from most children his age, for he is a ‘Third.’ In this futuristic time, parents are only allowed to have 2 children. In spite of this, Ender has two very intelligent parents, and the military is looking for a commander to be able to control their army in case of attack. They assessed the first two children; Valentine ( his sister whom he is very close to) and Peter (whom he and Valentine both fear) and saw that they did not have all the characteristics they felt necessary for a future commander. Giving the Wiggins’ permission to have a third, Ender turned out to be a perfect mix of his siblings and is sent off at age 6 to the Battle School. There he is trained along with other young boy geniuses to become the best soldier he can be, and learns many lessons along the way. Unfortunately, not all are positive, and Ender is forever altered after his experiences here. Meanwhile, on Earth there is fear of another World War, and Valentine and Peter become involved. This psychological thriller/ science fiction novel was a great read, and I highly recommend it.

Characters
“ Valentine loves me.” “ With all her heart. Completely, unstintingly, she’s devoted to you and you adore her.”
 * Ender Wiggin - A young boy who is recruited for the international Battle School at age 6, to become a commander. We see Ender develop throughout the story, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Ender is special, a Third child, born to be the perfect mix of his older siblings, Peter and Valentine. All three of the Wiggin children have genius IQ s, however Peter is much too maniacal and manipulative, and Valentine much too empathetic. Ender struggles to retain his character and morals during his years in training, and also to find himself in the process.
 * Valentine Wiggin- Ender’s older sister, the only person in his life he really loves. She loves him back, and is a constant source of hope and motivation for Ender to persevere in the Battle School. They are separated for several years, and not even able to communicate through mail. She becomes involved in the world’s political situation with Peter, and takes on the pseudonym “Demosthenes.” A quote from the novel,
 * Peter Wiggin - A source of fear, anger, dread, and even hatred for Ender throughout the novel. Ender fears he is becoming too much like his deceitful and dark older brother during his training, and this shames and frightens him. Peter is jealous of Ender being accepted to the Battle School when he was turned down near the final stages of evaluation when he was a child. Peter thrives on being in control, and having power.


 * Colonel Graff - Personally talks to and recruits Ender for the Battle School, though it was pretty much already inevitable. Though Colonel Graff has high expectations of Ender, he always has faith in him. He knows Ender better than Ender knows himself, due to the rigorous tests implemented before acceptance for the School. He later on uses Valentine to keep Ender motivated to go on to Command School, after Ender is worried he is becoming too much like Peter.


 * Mazer Rackham - A legendary commander of the international fleet, Rackham is regarded as an esteemed hero, for saving the Earth from the aliens. Ender and other students study video from his battles many times to learn strategy and defense at the School. Mazer Rackham becomes Ender's teacher and mentor at command school, as he furthers his training.

Author's Style
Orson Scott Card had the idea for Ender’s Game and actually released it as a short story first, before it was written and published as a novel. I believe this allowed him to do a superb job in enhancing and adding on to the story. Card does a fantastic job of making the story an enjoyable read for both male and female readers, and it quickly becomes a page turner. The storyline takes you from the time Ender is 6, to past his ‘graduation’ from Battle School, after he is 16. Therefore, there are constantly new events and twists. It is interesting how Card writes the novel from a child’s perspective, but seemingly an adult one at the same time, as it is more fitting for the intense situation.

Setting
There is no specific date mentioned in the book, but it is obvious that the time is in Earth’s future. The novel’s location first begins on Earth, in 6 year-old Ender Wiggin’s home, but the majority of the novel is based in Space at the Battle School.

Themes
The major theme throughout Ender's Game is the line between good and evil. These two forces battle each other constantly throughout the book. The reasons behind the international fleet recruiting Ender can be described as good and just, but the manipulations and deceit they initiate can be looked on as evil. Ender is training to protect Earth, and fight the evil Buggers. He struggles in his maturing and adolescence to retain his indentity and morality, and to not give into the dreadful character of his memories of Peter. A minor theme is manipulation and deceit. The Battle School officials begin to 'deceive' Ender from the day he arrives at the Battle School. They treat him differently, make him an object of prey to his fellow launchies, and make him feel alone. Manipulation is the primary way teachers and officials interact with the students at the School. Throughout the book, the students take part in simulations and mock wars in zero-gravity chambers, as preparation for the real thing. Ender and a few other students they trust are instructed to play a simulation-like game at Command School, which they eventually find out was more realistic than they had initially thought.

Motifs
A motif is a recurring theme or idea in a work. A theme that is apparent in Ender's Game is the fight between good and evil. Ender represents goodness, and the struggle to not be tempted by evil, represented by Peter. Another representation of good vs. evil, is the fight of Earth against the Buggers. Ender is trying throughout the novel to prepare to fight the Buggers in order to protect his beloved Violet and home.

Symbols
Ender is representative of goodness and innocence. Peter represents deceit and evil. Valentine represents love, for she is the only human who truly loves Ender, and vise versa. She is is beacon of hope, and his motivation to keep training, because he will do anything in his power to protect his sister. Stilson is a bully in Ender's grade before he leaves for Battle School. Ender decides he has had enough of Stilson and his gang's taunts about being a 'Third', and fights back. Ender injures Stilson enough to make sure there won't be another fight, and scare the other boys. This happens throughout the novel as he makes enemies in Battle School, and on the Giant's Game he plays in his spare time. Another symbol could be the army names, such as the Dragon Army Ender later leads. This captures Ender's ruthlessness and intelligence.

Significance of the Opening/Closing Scenes
The opening scene of the novel is, we learn later, Colonel Graff discussing the matter of Ender being the only option they have left as trainee for commander, to another military official. The importance of this as the opening scene is that it introduces a key element in the book, the International Fleet authoritites controlling the kids, and shows Ender's genius early. The ending scene describes Ender and Violet traveling from world to world, after Ender has defeated the Buggers and secured Earth to humans. He possesses the cocoon of the hive-queen of the aliens, and awaits to find a world where they can thrive once more and live in piece with other beings. This is because he understands that the reason for the battles and attacks, was a misunderstanding on both sides.

Memorable Quotes
Page 1 “I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one. Or as close as we’re going to get.” “That’s what you said about the brother.” “The brother tested out impossible. For other reasons. Nothing to do with his ability.” “Same with the sister. And there are doubts about him. He’s too malleable. Too willing to submerge himself in someone else’s will.” As the opener of the novel, this quote gives you a gist of the plot. Ender is born to be a perfect mix of Peter and Valentine to serve as a commander. It also shows that both Peter and Valentine were intellectually capable of the job, but had certain personality characteristics that stopped them from being accepted. Page 10 “ I think we’re going to screw him up.” “Of course we are. Its our job. We’re the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, but we eat the little bastards alive.” This shows the nature of many of the military authority figures, and the job they are responsible doing concerning the boys. They have to mold them and force them into good and obedient soldiers. Page 15 “ He thinks I’m asleep. He’s going to kill me. Peter walked to the bed, and sure enough, he did not lift himself up to his bed. Instead he came and stood by Ender’s head. But he did not reach for a pillow to smother Ender. He did not have a weapon. He whispered, ‘Ender, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I know how it feels, I’m sorry, I’m your brother, I love you.’ A long time later, Peter’s even breathing said that he was asleep. Ender peeled the band-aid from his neck. And for the second time that day, he cried.” It is very apparent from the beginning of the book that Peter is a source of fear for Ender and Valentine. His personality is very controlling and manipulative, and Ender is constantly conflicted with how he feels about his older brother. Page 27 “With Ender, we have to strike a delicate balance. Isolate him enough that he remains creative- otherwise he’ll adopt the system here and we’ll lose him. At the same time, we need to make sure he keeps the strong ability to lead.” Ender is never directly told as he is asked to be a student at the Battle School, that they are training him to be a future commander. Their plan to train Ender isvsomewhat planned and fragile, especially with the vulnerability of his age. Page 87 “He could see Bonzo’s anger growing hot. Hot anger was bad. Ender’s anger was cold, and he could use it. Bonzo’s was hot, so it used him.” Ender has been promoted early from his ‘Launchie’ group to an army. These divisions of student fight against one another in the zero-gravity chamber to prepare for bugger wars, and train for this apart from school hours. Ender is placed in the Salamander Army, and Bonzo is its careless leader. Bonzo is easily angered, as is soon the case with Ender’s outstanding ability. Page 126 “ This was troubling. The façade of peace and cooperation had been undisturbed almost since the bugger wars began. What Peter had detected was a fundamental shift in the world order. She had a mental picture, as clear as memory, of the way the world had been before the buggers forced peace upon them.” When the buggers tried to attack Earth several decades ago, it forced the nations to somewhat unify themselves into an international force and fight against the buggers. Of course, this meant that they all had to be on agreeable terms with one another. It had been many years since any bigger attack, and the humans seemed to be getting closer to a World War, of which Peter was trying to warn Valentine.

Page 191 “You want to make me the best soldier possible. Go down and look at the standings. Look at the all-time standings. So far you’re doing an excellent job with me. Congratulations. Now when are you going to put me up against a good army?” Ender has been moved from the Salamander, and been assigned boys to lead an army of his own. As leader of the Dragon Army, his record has been undefeated, and the names of his boys are topping all of the charts. On paper, Ender is exceeding the teachers’ hopes, but internally he is continually struggling with himself, and the exhausting limits they are pushing him to. Page 202 “Ender Wiggin must believe that no matter what happens, no adult will ever, ever step in to help him in any way. He must believe, to the core of his soul, that he can only do what he and the other children work out for themselves.” Colonel Graph (Ender’s recruiter and supervisor, unseen to Ender) and General Pace are discussing the current state of Ender in the school. They are beginning to fear for his safety, as other boys are getting extremely jealous and angry about his abilities. However, they are convinced that if Ender cannot take care of himself now, there is no way he can do so in battle. Ender is forced to take on an adult role very quickly. Page 231 “Perhaps it’s impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be.” All of the children struggle with the idea of this statement. Valentine is trying to not become like her pseudonym, Demosthenes, which she uses to pretend to give opinions about the relationships between nations on the internet. Peter is trying to control his murder-like viciousness, though he is as cunning and deceptive as ever. Ender is struggling most of all, trying to strike the delicate balance between violence and compassion in his tough training environment.

Page 223 “Nobody went to Command School without three years of Pre-Command in either Tactical or Support. But then, nobody left Battle School without at least six years, and Ender only had four.” Command School is for the top students, whom the military believes have the potential to be in their defensive space army. Ender is graduating the Battle School 2 years early, and moving on to Command School to begin official training for the job of commander.

Adaptations
Card ended up writing 3 more books after Ender's Game, making the series a quartet. Theseries consists of Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind. The novel is being made into a feature-film, set to be released November 1, 2013, and directed by Gavin Hood.