Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card reveals the best example of the theme: an unbroken bond of love brings the strength and reason to succeed. There are many places which this theme could be related in the book, but the most relevant quote from the beginning of the book is when Alai shows his affection for Ender by saying the word, “Salaam”, which means peace. Ender has been assigned to his first army, Salamander Army, and Alai realized that he is his best friend, but is going to be gone for a while. “Alai nodded soberly. “Always my friend, always the best of my friends,” he said. Then he grinned. “Go slice up the buggers” (69). This quote explains that Ender has been allocated to the Salamander Army, but Ender doesn’t want to leave his friends …show more content…
from his launch group, particularly Alai. But Alai cheered him up by making fun of the Salamanders.
Ender hugs Alai as if he was Valentine. Ender said he just wants to learn what it feels like to have a friend. Alai urges Ender to go by encouraging him that he is the best in his launch group and that he should kill some buggers. At the end, Alai kisses Ender saying “Salaam” (peace). Ender thinks the word and the kiss were forbidden, which we can infer that Ender will never forget this moment. The quote relates to the theme by showing that Ender wants to just be friends with Alai and everyone in his group. When Ender hugs Alai as if he was Valentine, it shows that Ender and Alai are known to become best friends and have a love that can’t be broken. As Alai said that Ender was the best of his group and after Alai told him to fight some buggers, it motivated Ender to succeed and move on in his training with Salamander Army. Also, the memory of Alai kissing and saying, “Salaam” will stay with Ender’s memory just like Ender’s memory of his family and Valentine stayed with him …show more content…
too. Almost to the very ending of the book, Ender is faced with a conflict of not going to Command School because he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, anymore.
Ender is also faced with another conflict of not going to Command School to be trained as the commander leading the Third Invasion, and will probably have no home to return to at all because no one is able to save the Earth. Ender is humanity’s last chance to save Earth from the buggers. Ender returns to Earth after he graduated from Battle School and moved up to Command School. On Earth, Ender meets his sister he still loves, Valentine, at a private lake, and they chat about what is going on. Later on, they start to discuss about Ender going back to Command School, but Ender shows that he doesn’t want to return to space; he has hurt too many people. Finally, Valentine urges Ender that he has to go to space to fight the buggers by telling him who will take Ender’s spot as commander; Ender gives no answer. Before they go, Valentine shows how much she loves him, “I love you, Ender. More than ever. No matter what you decided” (242). Ender also thinks about the beauty of the Earth, he says that Earth is not a globe thousands of miles across; it is a forest with a shining lake, and goes into detail about the beauty of life on Earth. He begins to think about Valentine, a sister who protected him from hurt and terror, and someone who Ender would fight the buggers for; she is the one thing that matters to Ender. This quote summarizes
that Valentine is trying to persuade Ender to go save humankind, but more importantly, Valentine shows how much she loves him, no matter what he will do. This quote connects to the theme by showing that even though it has been a long time, since Valentine and Ender were together, they still kept their memories of one another, and they are still just as loving as they used to be. It also tells that they love each other very dearly and don’t want anything to happen to them. This quote also shows that Ender didn’t need to be persuaded to go to Eros, he already knew what he was fighting for; Ender was fighting for his friends, his family, Valentine, Peter; because he hoped he will love him back, Earth itself, and the species of humanity. The whole reason he was brought home, was for him to recognize that it is his home, so Ender can love Earth and to remind himself that Earth is worth saving for. We live in a world where we all thrive for success, but where do we get the ability to break through impossible tasks; places where we want to break down. We don’t get it from intelligence, or power, or strength; nothing of that. We get it from love; it is not to show affection to someone. It is to show affection to everything; use that affection to make memory of what we desire most, and use it to achieve your destiny. That is true love. To relate it to Ender’s Game, Ender used love to remember what he was fighting for, to show that he must go on. For me, I can relate this theme to my destiny; I love Earth and I want to protect it. I believe we are destroying our home, and I want to share my love for the planet so everyone can realize why we have to save our planet. All of you reading this analysis, please take the time to relate the theme, an unbroken bond of love brings the strength and reason to succeed, to your lives. Thank you, Works Cited Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. New York: Starscape, 2002. Print.
Before Ender got picked to fight the buggers he was just a normal boy he went to school like every other kid, one day he got put in a test and if he passed he would go to battle school in space, Ender eventually passed the test and he had a military personnel come to his door and tell his parents that he passed the test and is going to battle school.
Alexander the Great […] Peter only to detect anger or boredom, the dangerous moods that almost always led to pain. ”(Card) From the passage I can come to the conclusion that Ender has good perception on other people’s behavior and that he feels negatively about Peter. "Let him be the astronaut for once"(Card) Ender always plays the bugger, the weak underdog whilst
When Ender leaves to Battle School, not only does he face other “Peters” but he experiences fatigue and loneliness from the severe program he is going through. Valentine will begrudgingly be used to motivate Ender in continuing in the program. Ender has improved at Battle School within a year- the youngest toon leader yet and was highest in the ranks. Everyone respected him as a teacher- not as a friend. This made Ender feel utterly depressed. Nobody saw him as a young child- just a respectable commander and that surely made him agitated. Graff and the other adults began to worry about Ender’s health. So, they called in reinforcements and had Valentine write a letter, “She’d written before, and they didn’t let any of those letters through. Those might have been real, but this was asked for, this was part of their manipulation” (Card-107). The IF uses the person Ender as ever truly cared for, Valentine, to motivate him and give him some kind of shrivel of hope to persevere through the program. They believed that Ender would do anything for his sister Valentine because of his unconditional love for his sibling. Even though this manipulation strategy was transparent and quite frustrating for Ender, he was determined not to play by the adults’ rules and he continued to be the best soldier yet. Later, when Ender was promoted to Commander, he stayed on Earth for two months- never wanting to go to space. Valentine is brought to meet him and convince him to go to Eros,” She walked back up the hill, savagely angry at them for making her come to Ender like this. For she had, after all, done just what they wanted. She had talked Ender into going back into his training, and he wouldn’t soon forgive her for that” (Card-170). Valentine knew the consequences of manipulating her brother- that Ender would think
Ender is selected to go to Battle School in space because of the actions he has displayed against a bully after a device known as a monitor, which allows the leaders of the I.F. to watch and hear everything Ender perceives. Although Ender’s conception was predetermined (in this time period, families are only allowed to have two children unless stated by the government which is why Ender is often called a “Third”), he had to display the correct characteristics to be selected. Ender’s siblings, Peter and Valentine also wore the monitor, but neither wore it as long nor was selected because Peter was too cruel and Valentine was too mild. Once Ender arrives, he makes a couple new friends from the other selected children, including a boy named Alai. When Ender is alone, he plays a mind game and progresses farther than anyone has before so out of the blue, Ender becomes promoted to a group called Salamander Army, where he befriends the only girl, Petra Arkanian, at Battle School. As Ender continues to display his brilliance, he is continuously being promot...
They wanted Ender to see that it was a game because this would insure that the humans would be victorious over the buggers. Because of this, Ender has suffered a great ordeal of losses in everything such as life, love, family, and friendship. At this point of my explanation, we can clearly see that Ender does suffice enough to be a Christ Figure because he began his journey with a full heart and now he is ending his journey with nothing left but a new world to live in with Valentine, while trying to find a safe place for the Queen Bugger to live. This is his last and most important mission of all. It looks like as if Ender is beginning a whole new journey. Truth be told, Ender is done, but he has that final step to go before he can call out to home and finally live the rest of days free of
Leading up to that he faces enemies and obstacles in the form of bigger kids and the games that he wins thoroughly, to the point where he cannot be beat. He always is one set ahead of whatever is thrown at him. Until Ender finds the Bugger Queen pupa.” Reached into the cavity and took out the cocoon.” (Card 321) Here in this scene Ender is going against what we have come to see as part of who he is. He has the intent to allow the Buggers to rebuild and try to live along side of humans. Normally he destroys something so thoroughly that it can never hurt him or the people he is fighting for again. This is perhaps one of the very best examples of the theme that one’s past does not define them or their
Bernard makes life even more miserable and lonely for Ender as he doesn't like him and builds a gang of other kids to help torture, insult, and abuse Ender. This gang torments Ender to the point were he feels backed into a corner and has no choice but to fight his way out. With this new found power, Ender gains a friend in Shen. His loneliness seems to subside for a short time as he makes a small group of friends. The adults see how he has gained followers and decide to move him to the Salamander Army in hopes that re-isolation would ignite that same spark in him. Once again, loneliness finds Ender. Because of his superior power and intelligence, he continually finds himself isolated and alone. Colonel Graff states that "Isolation is the optimum environment for creativity" (Card 149).
Throughout the novel, Peter has symbolized evil and manipulation. Valentine on the other hand stood for love and happiness, hope, future, and everything good. Taking this into account, this quote is obviously trying to highlight something much more, beyond the novel; it’s trying to illustrate the universal struggle between good and bad. Peter Wiggin has been harassing Ender his entire life, on both an emotional and physical caliber. It’s no doubt he’s become one of the more influential aspects of Ender’s life. But it’s Valentine who is always there to save him, and
In the beginning of the book, Ender is ashamed when his decisions harm others. After receiving ‘special treatment’ on his way to Battle School, Ender is being harassed
He uses a combination of Peter’s ruthlessness with Valentine’s compassion. “In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves” (Card 238). Ender reveals this to Valentine because it is the main reason why he despises himself. Ender first uses his method against Stilson after getting his chip removed. He realizes that with the way Stilson is, the only way to stop him is to cause enough pain to deter retaliation. Learning from his enemies does not only occur on Earth. While being rejected in Salamander Army, Ender studies the good and bad techniques in the battle room. Given that, Ender ultimately beats Bonso once he is in command of his own army. He continues to do this with every person and battle he comes into contact with, making him the best commander at
After much internal debate Ender decides to go to battle school and leave home. He knows he won’t see his family until he is at least 12 but most likely he will have to wait until he is 16. When Ender is inside the ship on the way to battle school, the adults start their manipulation game. Graff calls out Ender as the only one who will save mankind, making the other kids hate Ender and become envious. Ender already lost the chance at having a normal childhood when he was born a third, but he was also considered to be the chosen one to save mankind from the very beginning. The manipulation of Ender is shown through the book and the children at the school either take part in his abuse or ignore the adults who cause it. Through this abusive training tactic Ender becomes the skilled fighter and leader the government wants. Ender gets moved through the program fast. He gets to the command school at age 9, a school no one can go to until they are sixteen. The adults tell him he will be doing simulations to practice the attacks on the buggers, but after the last simulation he finds out he killed the entire bugger species. The novel shows Ender to be morally innocent throughout his story, but he takes on the guilt of xenocide of the buggers. He is shocked at what he did, even when he didn’t know what he’s doing. Ender loses his innocence at this moment. He knew he was being manipulated by the adults throughout his career at the battle schools, but he had no idea he was being manipulated into exterminating a whole race. When he realizes what he did he goes into another depression slump and does not come out of his room for days. He doesn’t understand why he was manipulated into what he
...is enemy, he became the most ruthless and yet most compassionate commander the world has ever seen in all the wars the human race has withstood. Above all, however, isolation is the tool that made all the attributes transparent and viable to Ender and to the I.F. Beyond the war, Ender became more than just a tool to be used; he became a savior. A savior of not only one, but two different races bent on destroying each other. Ender became the very definition of Hope.
In the story “Ender's Game” many interesting actions and events happen. From wars to death, to games, that are not games anymore. This story is about a young boy that lives in a world that is constantly under attack from extraterrestrials called the Buggers. In the beginning, Ender is just a young boy constantly controlled and watched by the government (The IF). In the middle, he is taken to battle school and there the people realize that he is the best person for the job and will lead the human race to victory over the Buggers. Lastly, the IF puts Ender and his group together to beat the buggers in a final war. The book “Ender’s Game” written by Orson Scott Card is a fun and exciting science fiction book that leaves the reader at the edge of its seat. The symbolism and hidden messages in the book make the reader connect to the story. The title, the characters, and the setting all have something more to bring to the table and change
Information from this site will be beneficial when explaining the reference of love as a way to combat evil. This theme is quite strong throughout the series.
Pure Love in Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood Margaret Atwood, through a series of different situations, depicts the lives of typical people facing various obstacles in her short story “Happy Endings”. Despite their individual differences, the stories of each of the characters ultimately end in the same way. In her writing she clearly makes a point of commenting on how everybody dies in the same manner, regardless of their life experiences. Behind the obvious meaning of these seemingly pointless stories lies a deeper and more profound meaning. Love plays a central role in each story, and thus it seems that love is the ultimate goal in life.