Ender's Game Literary Analysis

“The most sophisticated people I know - inside they are all children. ” ― Jim Henson
On the inside or the out, children have something no one else does. It is innocence. They laugh, they play, they learn. They are ultimately children. Their innocence is what brings them ask questions and learn further. It is an entitlement that at the same time is sacred, as it is easily lost. In the novel, Ender’s Game, by “Orson Scott Card”, a young boy is thrown into battle school to eventually save the world from the “buggers”. Over time, he is manipulated countless times by many adults. He suffers, yet in victory. He never seems to be defeated in any game or test that is brought upon him. He is astonishingly talented at everything he does, and

is tortured by others because of that fact. Therefore, the two major themes that are presented in the book are the loss of innocence and friendship. They are reviewed throughout the book in many ways.
The loss of innocence is first introduced in chapter four, when Ender is shipped off to school.

However, this school is for battle. The children are taught to fight, kill, and defeat instead of having the same educational experience other kids their age have. There is nothing innocent about this. In the battle school they play games, but they’re military games. They are put up against each other, in hopes of brutally conquering one another. They are forced to make tough decisions that likely affected their mentality. Ender, as previously said, is manipulated by adults. Instead of being nurtured and guided by them, he is tricked and put through tests that are meant to break him. Yet, he doesn’t break. He proves everyone wrong and comes out on top, despite suffering great despair. The irony of his brutal success is that he did not want it in the first place. In Chapter 3, page 26, Ender says “I don’t want to go, but I will.” He is forced into a role of the hero, as he thinks it is his duty. Even though he is brilliant, Ender is still a child and should not be put under such responsibility. That is why I chose this as one of the themes, His innocence, as well as his emotion and values is pushed away by the adults surrounding

him.
The second theme I chose, was friendship. The whole book has repeating cases of antagonism. There are always people that put Ender down. Ender doesn’t start out with many friends, even at home. It seems like his one, loving relationship is with his sister, Valentine. She helps Ender with many of his struggles at home, like his torturous brother Peter. She is the one person Ender dwells on when he leaves. From the beginning Ender gets into many fights, which are not his fault. He is teased and tormented and forced to defend himself, thoroughly. When Ender gets shipped off to battle school he is purposely isolated from the other children, because of the adult’s hope that his battle strategies will excel this way. Ender is one of those kids that has trouble making friends, but that does not mean he does not need them. With all the manipulation and hardships, Ender needs companions to get through his struggles, like any other person would. Eventually, he does manage to make friends, few, but those who are true to him. Friendship is an important theme, because everyone needs friends. The philosopher Aristotle said, “In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge.” Friendship is vital in our lives and for our wellbeing. It cannot be created artificially and is something that well worth keeping.
In addition to the two themes that I picked, I painted a representation of them. My painting consists of several wilting, white daisies in one pot. White daisies symbolize innocence. As I said, the daisies are wilting, just like the children's innocence in the book. They are slowly falling because no one bothered to care for them. The fact that there is a group of them in one pot, represents all the children in the ship, as well as many others on Earth. Many of them are in the same shoes and need each other.
In conclusion, Ender Wiggin was one of many that was deprived of innocence, and at some point friendship. Both of which all children should have. That is why I picked the two themes, loss of innocence, and friendship. Yet, I learned how even a young, little boy can overcome the hardships that many would have given up on and still save the world. Even the weakest, can show how strong they are, and how with their hardship comes success.