When I read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, I noticed a some complex ideas and themes in the book.
One of these complex ideas is isolation. In the book, Ender is often isolated from most people. In the text, it says "He [Ender] recognized they were isolating them again..." He knows that the teachers isolate him, but that leads to more questions, like "Why are they isolating me?" Isolation in the book often forces Ender to think about who his "real" friends are. The fact that he is isolated means he has contact with few people- but since is isolation is controlled, he wonders if the people he does know are really his friends or not. In the text, it says "But Ender wasn't sure Dink was his friend anymore". Since the issue of "real" friends is caused by Ender's isolation, it kind of loops around infinitely.
Another complex idea is bullying. In the story, Ender is confronted by bullies multiple times, but it is more layered than that. He knows that the teachers will not help him confront the bullies, so he faces this issue: Should he try to beat them once, and hope they don't come back, or defeat them, permanently? In the text, Ender says "Knocking him down won the first fight. I wanted to win all the next ones, too. So they'd leave me alone". He doesn't want to continue attacking people, but he realizes it's the only way to keep himself safe.
One final complex thing is morality. Ender is forced into being cold-hearted and what others around him consider a "killer", which is not what he wanted to be like. When it comes down to destroying another alien race at war with the Humans, Ender doesn't want to, because he couldn't bear the weight of genocide on his shoulders. The question Ender is really thinking, in a deeper meaning, is "Is killing a race because they've killed humans moral?" Because Ender thinks that there isn't, he essentially asks "Is there another way?" He eventually is tricked into killing all but one queen of the race, but he finds a way to escape the genocide linked with the murder of the species by bringing the queen to another planet to start their race over for them. In the text, it says "And always Ender carried with him a dry white cocoon, looking for the world where the hive-queen could awaken and thrive in peace".
In Ender's Game, the complex ideas of morality, bullying, and isolation are very present and form challenges that help make Ender's Game a complex book. It is also a book that many people can relate to- issues like bullying are common in many places. Issues like the ones mentioned make the reader think about how Ender reacts to them, and that could lead to the reader thinking about how they would react to a similar situation.
Is there any connection among these three issues? Do they cause or effect each other in any way? How are they possibly linked?
ReplyDeleteHow do you feel about the fact they the teachers and most people isolate ender? and what do you think about the fact that he has to be violent in order for himself to be safe, because everyone is always saying how you in the real world, you are never supposed to fight back. The conclusion is very strong though, how you summed it all up and were starting to make a connection to all three. Also what I like is how you did go deep into each paragraph with details from the story, but you should work on expanding more on your own thoughts.
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