Ender's Game Theme Analysis

Ender’s Game, a book about futuristic war, betrayal, compassion, and friendship. It tells the story of Ender Wiggins, a boy who is sent to an army battle camp when he is only six years old. Ender learns independence and creates friends as well as enemies as he learns to fight for the sake of humankind. Ender goes through a lot of struggles as a young boy, and in the end, learns to accept and learn from it. In the book Ender’s Game, Mr. Card uses conflict to send the message that growing up in pain can lead to a hardworking but dangerous lifestyle.
As a child, Ender is constantly bullied at school for being a “Third”, because in this futuristic world, you need special permission to have more than two kids. He quickly learns to stand up and

defend himself after getting in fights at home and in school, such as when Stilson begins to tease and attempt to fight Ender for being a Third, “As soon as they let go, Ender kicked out high and hard, catching Stilson square in the breastbone” (5). Although Ender is smaller and bullied frequently, he learns to fight and show less compassion to those who put him down. “It didn’t occur to Ender that Stilson wouldn’t take a fight like this seriously” (5). This quote shows how even as a small six year old, Ender can still make the mature decision to stand up and fight back when he is in trouble.
This theme continues throughout the book, for example when Ender is one of the newer kids at the battle camp and he gets harassed by the older kids for one, being one of the new kids, and also for being better than them at the training games; “The Third game went in total silence, Ender won it quickly and efficiently”(35).

This is yet another example of how Ender’s pain and struggles make him a smarter, harder working person. But the boys he beat only make it worse, saying “Bout time they replaced this machine. Getting to any pin brain can beat it now”(35). Ender realizes that it is much harder to gain the respect of the older boys, and tries harder to be the best he can.
Finally, at the near end of this book, the theme is reflected in the quote “I’ve lived too long with pain. I won’t know who I am without it” (226). This quote takes place after Ender finishes all the games and the war is won, after going through many struggles growing up, getting bullied, and such, Ender deserves the title of being grown up. He’s left the battle school and travels the universe with the cocoon, looking for a suitable home, but the pain still follows him around.
In conclusion, the book Ender’s Game portrays the theme that growing up in pain leads to a hard working, dangerous lifestyle through the conflict, both mental and physical Ender endures in the book. Ender spent his whole life growing up in pain, and now lives a hardworking, dedicated lifestyle in unison with his

pain.