The Heroic Journey Of Ender's Game By Joseph Campbell

The concept of the hero’s journey was developed by Joseph Campbell. The journey is made up of a series of stages the hero has to endure and complete. Ender’s Game, a science fiction novel by Scott Orson Card, is about an alien species called the buggers attacking Earth twice and almost destroying the human species. To make certain that the incident would never happen again the world government has started to breed military geniuses and train them in the arts of war. The early training takes the form of ‘games’ and a genius prodigy, Ender Wiggin wins all of the games. Ender knows that time is running out before the Third Invasion, so it comes down to the question if Ender is smart enough to save the planet and human species from extinction. Ender’s Game is a science fiction novel by Scott Orson Card and is one of the many stories that epitomize Joseph Campbell’s 17 stages of a hero’s journey. The hero is Ender’s Game must complete many stages within the journey such as the calling of adventure, a series of trials, a …show more content…
The death is usually represented by a descent in that, the hero travels to a place of death and when the hero returns, he or she is speculated to have been reborn. At the end of his time in Battle School, Ender is mentally and psychologically exhausted to the point where he refuses to carry on his education or “quest”. Instead of moving forward, he gives up and returns to Earth. There he stays for two months instead of the intended three days. He spends his days lethargic and despairing until his sister Valentine visits him. Valentine appeals to Ender, for her sake, to destroy the buggers and save mankind. Valentine’s plea urges Ender and also gives him the courage to return to space and enter Command School. This return is Ender’s rebirth where it gives him enough strength and conviction to see him through the harder trials he must face in the