Ender's Game Questions

Front 1

Why is Ender not overjoyed about his promotion to Salamander Army?

Back 1

Ender is a paragon for someone whose own worst enemy is himself. He resents the alienation he feels, however, the majority of his actions result in separation. Ender is more capable of things than his comrades, in that he is always one step ahead of the others. Whether it be to simply open his locker or analyzing the weapons he is given. This could be thought of as curiosity—something every six-year-old has, bugger or not.
When he is presented with a piece of paper that states, “Ender Wiggin, Assigned Salamander Army – Effective Immediately” (page 101), he feels that the officers are purposely trying to isolate him. With the feeling that people are acting against you, and you are acting against yourself, it’s not surprising that Ender feels alienated. Usually, a person can confide in themselves at the very least. But that’s hard to do when Ender struggles with his identity, and his companionships. In the few days he has been at Battle School, Ender has burned many bridges. He hacked into the officer’s systems to send crude messages from one of his comrade’s accounts. Although Ender thought of it as vengeance, it really just intensified the problems between the two boys. Perhaps if Ender could have resolved their issues firsthand, he could have skipped directly to the truce stage.
When this does happen, Ender gets transferred. Surely you could sense the frustration of a boy, who has just made friends, that has to leave. For Ender, he sees it as starting back at square one—a constant pecking order, fighting for a title. The Launchies, however, envy Ender during his promotion. Even though “nobody gets promoted before their eight years old” (page 102), they look up to Ender for bettering the program.
It goes to show how vastly different the mind of a six-year-old compares to that of a sixteen-year-old is. Where Ender is weak at the thought of leaving his friends for a promotion, the older boys are begging for the next level—a similar concept to today’s society. As humans, we always seem to be trying to better the best, and refusing to settle for adequacy.

Front 2

"Perhaps it’s impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be." What does this mean in relation to Ender and Valentine?

Back 2

Valentine Wiggin worries that she might be like her brother, Peter. As she becomes absorbed into Peter’s plan to become philosophical writers, her worries change, and instead fears she is becoming the person she is pretending to be. In this case, Valentine is becoming like Demosthenes, the paranoid, anti-Russian author. In reality, this would be a significant identity crisis—a major problem—but it is only a momentary worry in the novel. This in itself shows that Valentine worrying about becoming Demosthenes is not as important as worrying about Peter.
Not only to Valentine does this quote relate to, but also to her younger brother, Ender. Thrown head first into Battle School, Ender is conflicted about who he used to be, compared to what they are making him become. At the age of eight, children are just beginning to build their identity. In Ender’s case, the identity he had been building on Earth was shattered the moment he was transferred. He went from being a genius middle school student, to a sharp-minded space commander. However, it seems that when you pretend to be something you are not for a long enough timespan, you become what you pretend to be. In a sense, you absorb the fake attitude and mold it into your own. Eventually, your acts and lies will consume both you and your identity.

Front 3

What are the advantages of using a child narrator?

Back 3

I see Ender as a representation of what we failed to be as children. If I were to count how many times someone has said, "You're too young" or "You're only a child", I would be at a loss. We live our lives desperate to grow up, to a time when we can rightfully do adult things. It makes me wonder who drew the line between childhood and adulthood, and why they believed they possessed the right to do so. Now, children count the days until maturity, and adults count the days until their time runs out. Whoever they are, they did a great disservice to us.
Writing from a child’s perspective could not have been easy. Orson Scott Card done well, though, and his novel was effective and invigorating as a result. It’s strange, that more child-narrated novels are not written. After all, we were all children at one point. Most authors have not become, or ever will be, the people they base their stories around. The use of language in Ender’s Game is certainly slang-based, as would be expected from a child. Even in orbit, it seems that children lack a wide, intellectual vocabulary. For instance, when Ender first arrives at Battle School, he says, “The slang of the older boys had its own rhythm.” (79) Much like our own generation, they can be original in their use of words. As children, they are less restricted by convention and social morals.
When the reader looks at the narrative voice, theywant to know who is speaking, or more precisely, who is telling the story. In the case of Ender’s Game, the story is that of six-year-old Ender, a genius child who becomes an insuperable battle commander. The duty of fiction is to take the reader to another place, to absorb them in a make-believe world. Card did exactly that. He made Ender a character that his reader’s desired and longed to live the life of. That is what makes a novel successful; not the storyline itself, or the age the central charatcer.

Front 4

How does Ender's forced isolation challenge and reward him?

Back 4

When comparing the life of a student on Earth to that of a space student in Battle School, it seems vastly different. However, Orson Scott Card shows us that, no matter the surroundings, the lifestyle of a child goes unchanged.
Potentially, one could blame Colonel Graff for Ender’s isolation. In fact, he admitted to doing so: “I was the source of the disease. I was isolating him, and it worked.” (page 88) Similar to Ender’s initiation, the staff was testing him in an effort to see how he would react. When thinking in this manner, it’s absurd to think that Ender is being placed first for tests rather than advanced education. A child should not be purposely alienated from his friends, especially when his relationships with them could save his life. Colonel Graff is asking Ender for the ultimate price, but Ender seems to have already lost it.
Ender can be recognized as a gifted child. He is above average even amongst a school of genius’s. This alone sets him into his own category. Ender begins to resent himself for his own personality and capabilities, which in turn brings him down. Luckily, he realizes the potential that he is locking up from both himself and his comrades. In other words, after sinking into a lone hole of isolation, Ender rises and is able to put his gifts to use. Being gifted gives Ender the advantage of tactics, and outsmarting the enemy. In his alienated days, Ender would study the other armies and plot out their weak points. This become eminent when he was able to defeat an army single-handedly. Whoever said “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer” absolutely knew what they were doing.

Front 5

How will Ender be treated in Salamander Army?

Back 5

Normally, the answer to this question would be simple—less training equals less experience, which will result in Ender being frozen. However, even with only a few months of training, Ender is much farther ahead of the game. In a literal sense, the games are strategic. What gives Ender the upper hand is that he strategizes based on the opponent’s strategy. He gathers information about the team, and pieces together what they’re strategy will be in the battle room. By doing so, Ender manipulates their motives to result in his own victory.
The problem with this is jealousy. When Ender is promoted to Salamander Army, he is expected to be a six-year-old in a ten-year-old’s body. His ability to do this poses a threat to his new comrades. Similar to any classroom on Earth, the smart tend to hold a higher standard above their classmates. Ender, although not physically trained, is just as mentally capable as the next person.
The Salamander’s resentment for Ender drives him to train on his own. Their belittlement and refusal to aid Ender in the battle room sends Ender back to his Launchy friends. A selfless act, as he believes training with the Launchies would benefit both of them. Ender is not helping his own cause, though. He doesn’t realize that he is going to have to fight with his fellow Salamanders. While he should be absorbing their own tactics and strategies, Ender is forming his own. In theory, he’ll be playing his own game in the battle room.
I can’t help but wonder if this is Madrid’s intention, the commander of Salamander Army. Ender has the potential to be their secret weapon, but his age could be clouding the obvious from Madrid. I suppose this is a prime example of where, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” comes into play.

Front 6

Why, with the loss of friendship, does Ender's power grow?

Back 6

In any case of social standing, the people at the top are classified as having the most power. With the lifestyle we are used to, we relate the powerful to the wealthiest or the luckiest. Whereas, in Ender’s Game , power is created by knowledge and skill. In a school of genius children, being noticed becomes a challenge. Suddenly, your complex ways of thinking and how you apply yourself is common practice for your classmates. However, six-year-old Ender is capable of making a name for himself, but he inevitably loses what he fought to gain.
When he was still a Launchy, Ender used his technological skills to create friendships. He singled out the bully of the group, targeted him directly, and gained the groups respect as a result. Shortly after he becomes friends with the Launchies, Ender is given a promotion. I wouldn’t necessarily say Ender’s authority grew, rather his recognition for being a genius in a school of his own kind. Regardless, Ender’s relationships dissipate when he is placed in the Salamander Army for older boys—a place where nobody longs to befriend the little boy.

Front 7

Is it true that the Generals don't actually suffer personal risk? Is this idea well established in modern warfare?

Back 7

Your thoughts.

Front 8

Why are children required to fight this war?

Back 8

Your thoughts.

Front 9

What do you think "the enemy's gate is down" really means--in a less than literal sense?

Back 9

Your thoughts.

Front 10

If Ender had failed at defeating the Buggers and returned home in shame, do you think Peter would have kept his promise about killing him?

Back 10

Your thoughts.