Thomas Foster writes in his book, How to Read Literature like a Professor, that there are five elements to a quest: a quester, a place to go, a stated reason for the quest, challenges, and a real reason to go there, (Foster 3). Most novels don't feature a six-year old as the protagonist, and even rarer is that child saving the world. However, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is no ordinary novel, and Ender Wiggin is no ordinary protagonist. His quest takes him on a journey to learn what truly lies beneath the facade of his world, and to learn more about himself along the way. Ender's quest is initially to Battle School, but his final goal is Command School, where he will learn to lead an army against a race of invading aliens called the buggers.
…show more content…
"Salamander Army is just beginning to emerge from indecent obscurity...so of course, of course I am given such an untrained hopeless specimen such as yourself,'"(Card 110). Once Ender stands up for himself, Bonzo leaves him alone; however, he still refuses to train him. Ender watches Salamander Army's practices closely and mimics their skills, learning them himself. In addition, Ender begins a training group with other boys from their launch and teaches them everything he had learned. Upon seeing his leadership skills, the leaders at Battle School promote Ender to the commander of the brand new Dragon Army. Still, they throw more challenges at him, such as making the army fight multiple teams at once, and having battles so close together that it pushes them to exhaustion. After proving successful, Ender was taken to Command School, where he is mentored by none other than Mazer Rackham, hero of the first bugger war. Pushed harder and harder, Ender has finally met his match. When deemed ready, his old Dragon Army is sent to join him Ender trains day and night with them. He is in a trance, constantly thinking about the simulations. "And Ender was not distracted...As he drifted off to sleep each night, it was with thoughts of the simulator playing through his mind," (Card 325). Ender and his squadron leaders have almost snapped. However, after the final battle, Ender finally
"Salamander Army is just beginning to emerge from indecent obscurity...so of course, of course I am given such an untrained hopeless specimen such as yourself,'"(Card 110). Once Ender stands up for himself, Bonzo leaves him alone; however, he still refuses to train him. Ender watches Salamander Army's practices closely and mimics their skills, learning them himself. In addition, Ender begins a training group with other boys from their launch and teaches them everything he had learned. Upon seeing his leadership skills, the leaders at Battle School promote Ender to the commander of the brand new Dragon Army. Still, they throw more challenges at him, such as making the army fight multiple teams at once, and having battles so close together that it pushes them to exhaustion. After proving successful, Ender was taken to Command School, where he is mentored by none other than Mazer Rackham, hero of the first bugger war. Pushed harder and harder, Ender has finally met his match. When deemed ready, his old Dragon Army is sent to join him Ender trains day and night with them. He is in a trance, constantly thinking about the simulations. "And Ender was not distracted...As he drifted off to sleep each night, it was with thoughts of the simulator playing through his mind," (Card 325). Ender and his squadron leaders have almost snapped. However, after the final battle, Ender finally