Orson Scott Cards Enders Game Essays -- Enders Game Essays

In Orson Scott Card's novel Ender's Game, the reader is taken into a fascinating futuristic world in which the human race is in danger. Having twice survived alien attack, the human race, fearing a more powerful invasion, develop a program to breed and train a warrior who will lead them to a final victory. The young boy chosen to do just that is six year old Andrew Wiggin also known as Ender. According to the government, Ender exhibits the traits needed to assure victory. At six years old he enters battle school and begins preparation for the bugger war. While in battle school Ender excels in simulation games of battles and is quickly promoted to higher levels in his training. However, being the best of the best at this school doesn't make it easy on Ender. He has to learn to overcome his fears and realize that the world depends on him to save the human race from extinction. Orson Scott Card takes the reader into a future where a young child, property of the government, endures a lon ely, isolated existence as he plays endless hours of games designed to prove his ability to lead and win. Throughout the novel, the theme of courage and betrayal are eminent in Ender's life. These two themes combined make Ender the independent, courageous and distrusting person he becomes, until he finds a purpose in life. Courage was constantly shown through the character of Ender Wiggin. Since the time he left his family, Ender demonstrated a great amount of courage in dealing with the fact that he was away from his parents and sister Valentine. At only six years old, Ender Wiggin was taken from his family to battle school in an attempt to train him to destroy the buggers. Thousands of miles away from home, Ender had to build up courage and demon... ...tastrophe. "Ender carried with him a dry white cocoon, looking for the world where the hive-queen could awaken and thrive in peace" (324). Orson Scott Card takes the reader through an intriguing journey of betrayal and courage. Through Ender Wiggin we are able to capture the different emotions and problems that lead a society to destruction. The character of Ender portrays the destruction of an individual when a person's life lacks love and nurture. Despite the fact that Ender Wiggin possessed an immense amount of courage and that he became a hero when he saved the human species from an alien invasion, his life was unhappy and incomplete until he found a purpose in his life. That purpose was to hold and protect the future of the alien species in his hands. Works Cited Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 1977. Print.