The Three Most Influential People in Ender’s Life In the award-winning novel Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card there are many characters that influence Ender throughout his travels. Ender is influenced in one way or another by just about every person he comes into contact with. Most of these influences, however, are very subtle and do not make a direct or dramatic change in his life. There are three main people that Ender spends a lot of time with that influence him the most. The first character that influenced Ender was Peter, his older brother. All throughout their early childhoods, Peter would force Ender into playing cruel games similar to “cops and robbers” or “Cowboys and Indians,” but this was Buggers and humans. Ender was always the …show more content…
As a direct result of these rough games and threats, Ender developed a ruthless, battle- minded. He displayed this trait at the fight after school with Stilson while he was still on Earth and the fight in the locker room with Bonzo at the battle school. Both of which ended in the death of Ender’s overconfident opponents. In his own defense Ender said, “Knocking [Stilson] down only won the first fight. I wanted to win all the next ones, too. So they’d leave me alone.” Secondly Colonel Graff also had a great influence on Ender. Upon entering the battle school, Colonel Graff pointed Ender out as a “star student” among all the others. This got them aggravated and made it extremely hard for Ender to make and keep friends. This was all part of the Colonels plan to isolate Ender from the other boys in order to open up his creativity and brilliance. Ender was first just a part of the team under the suppressing leadership of Bonzo. Ender was not allowed to shoot anyone and just floated around aimlessly. Until, that is, he was finally traded and was able to actually fight in the battles and prove his worth. He was soon promoted to toon leadership and quickly after that became the youngest team …show more content…
He was Ender’s private teacher once he got to the I.F. Academy. He told Ender that he was the enemy and never to trust him. Ender never knew when Mazar was going to turn on him or help him, and this taught Ender to never trust anyone completely, because of this he became more self-reliant and it kept him on his toes. Mazar also taught Ender all of his knowledge on his defeat of the buggers in the second invasion. Ender studied classified information and played the simulation game with his crew, who, as it turned out, were all his good friends from battle school. Then all of a sudden it switched to actual battles with the buggers with real lives at stake, but Ender was never told. Then finally, through Mazar’s wonderful teachings, Ender reached the final battle with the Buggers. Ender and his fleet were outnumbered 10,000 to one. Ender thought it was incredibly unfair and thought that Mazar had programmed the simulation. Also, with people in uniforms watching on, Ender felt uneasy. Finally he decided that he didn’t care what happened and it didn’t matter, so he decided to fly in to the home planet and use the largest and most powerful weapon. Ender blew up the planet and all of the surrounding ships. At this point everyone in the room began cheering and Ender finally realized that these “simulations” were actual battles in the final invasion of the Bugger home world. Ender learned from Mazar to do his best under
From the beginning of the book Ender was labelled a third by the elders he looked up to, he lived and grew up to prove to the elders that being a third does not mean anything and that everyone is the same. This goes along with adults and children, they are the same. Ender also proves this theory wrong by the way he acts. He is a very intelligent boy for the age of six and becomes even more intelligent when he is sent to battle school. He shows the battle toon leaders that although he is younger he can think and do the same as they can. Ender eventually becomes a battle toon leader at a very young age and once again proves that children have the ability to make good decisions without any adult’s help, by succeeding in all of the battles he fights. “Seven battles since your first battle, Ender”, said Graff. Ender did not reply. “And you’ve won seven battles, once a day.” (Card-228). Ender is a very dependent person and throughout the whole book he did not need much help from any adults. By the end of the book Ender proved that children can make fully intelligent decisions by themselves, without the help from adults, before they become adults
After Ender’s important battle, they tell him that all of it was real and that he had actually defeated the buggers. Ender thinks to himself, “Real. Not a game. Ender’s mind was too tired to cope with it all. They weren’t just points of light in the air, they were real ships that he had fought with and real ships he had destroyed. And a real world that he had blasted into oblivion. He walked through the crowd, dodging their congratulations, ignoring their hands, their words, their rejoicing” (Card 297). When Ender realizes that they have been lying to him and using him as a weapon, he becomes angry. Ender yells at Graff and Mazer, “‘ I didn’t want to kill them all. I didn’t want to kill anybody! I’m not a killer! You didn’t want me, you bastards, you wanted Peter, but you made me do it, you tricked me into it!’” (Card 297). If Ender would have known that he would have killed people and creatures, he would not have gone to battle school in the first place. Death is very hard on Ender and he does not know how he can live with such a burden. Ender’s change in character is due to him being a victim of
Sopheya Tarbell Nov. 9, 2017 Per. 4 Ender's Game Ender and Peter, although they are brothers, are they the same? Does Ender thinks he’s like him? Since before and after Ender left for battle school, we got to see what Ender and his siblings were like.
Before he became a commander, or before graduating battle school he begins to use his intelligence. This means that Ender had began to use his brain much more to help other students with their problems. Ender was able to understand more quickly than other boys. He graduates earlier then the Further on from the beginning, Ender than meets Bonzo his new leader in chapter 12. As a soldier, he follows his rules, and regulations.
In the book Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, it starts with ender in school and being made fun of. After he beats up a bully, he goes home to deal with his brother Peter who also bullies him because Ender is a better specimen than Peter was. But what no one expected was that a representative from the military came to invite Ender to Battle School up in space. Ender accepted and went to live up in Battle School for years to come. At first, Ender was hated for being such a talented student at the age of six but was soon respected after he was able to beat all the other armies with just a bunch of little kids. Ender became the best soldier at Battle School and was moved up to Command School where he would learn to command
Ender is six when he is taken to the battle school, and once he get there he is contently in simulation battle in the battle room or play games on his desk when he in the barrack. This is like in Carr’s essay where you are on the internet contently skimming article. He is competing in Battle with his team in the battle room at any time of day or night, and on his own desk computer playing a game when he is not fighting battle. . Ender is contently monitored without his knowledge in whatever he does. Ender is contently isolated from making friends with other children at the battle school. Every time he get close to someone on the army he commanded, Ender is transferred to another army where he know nobody. We he start try to make friends he is move again and again. This is done so he will concentrate all his energy on how to get better in each battle simulation that is develop by Colonel Graff and Mazer Reakham for Ender to compete in without Ender knowledge. As the battle get more and more difficult, like when Ender squid has to go up against two squids at the same time, but Ender always fines a way to win by figuring out the pattern in the Battles and using them to his advantage over his opponent. This isolation from
Young kids can be easily affected by their surroundings. They learn from the roles of their teachers and their fellow students and peers. This is clearly demonstrated in Ender’s Game, a science fiction novel written by Orson Scott Card. It shows how Ender Wiggin, a very young boy, is put into a position of leadership and what he learns through this experience, Through a computer game, Ender learns that he is a very clever killer. Through his experience as commander, Ender learns that being strict will help him be a better leader and win games. Finally, his experience with Shen and Bernard teaches Ender that having humor will easily allow him to make friends. Overall, Ender’s experience in Battle School teaches him many things about
The commander did this on purpose because he wanted to see how Ender handled the situation. The commanders are constantly manipulating the recruits while they are in battle school because they are testing how all of the children react to adversity. Everytime Ender was faced with a challenge he excelled. He embodies the idea of perfection. Since ender was the perfect recruit most of the other kids despised him because they were jealous.
Ender has been through many ups and downs and in this story; Ender descends into darkness mostly figuratively. For example, when Ender defeated the Formics without even knowing, he had a meltdown. “Ender grabbed Mazer’s uniform and hung onto it, pulling him down so they were face to face. ‘I didn’t want to kill them all. I didn’t want to kill anybody! I’m not a killer! You didn’t want me, you bastards, you wanted Peter, but you made me do it, you tricked me into it!’ He was crying. He was out of control” (298). This exemplifies how much this situation had constrained Ender, making it the hardest and most downfall moment of his life. In the quote it also mentioned Peter, the person he despises the most. Ender does not like the fact that the I.F.
“I have heard of him… as our only hope of victory in the upcoming invasion” (201) Colonel Graff knows that Ender is the only hope to survive the Bugger invasion, and so did all the other officers. Graff made it his main priority to mold and shape Ender into becoming the leader they need. Throughout the book, ender had many
Ender and the Launchies ride a rocket ship to space. Colonel Graff manipulates the kids to think they are dumb and Ender is the smartest. Colonel Graff says,’’But we chose the best of the best, and that’s the only kind you’re going to meet now’’ ( 34)... And when I tell you Ender Wiggin is the best in this launch, take the hint, my little dorklings’’ (34). Colonel Graff is using manipulation to not make the kids talk to Ender or make him feel too comfortable or he might not do his best in
Most people in the story were jealous of Ender at some point because of his skills or ranking within the battle school. People are kept from their full potential when they conform to worldly ideals and views. Luckily Ender did not fall into that category. The ambition to conform begins at a young age, and can grow if not kept under control.
Ender Wiggin was a timid boy who wanted to have his brother and parents to love him. Prior to joining the Battle School, Ender did not have the belligerence that he would soon possess. He did not want to be like Peter, so
Ender’s brother and sister had a very big influence on Ender, if it weren’t for them being so smart the International Fleet wouldn’t have authorized Ender’s birth and if it weren’t for Peter he wouldn’t have known how to cry silently and Valentine helped him cope with Peter while also teaching him how to love and helping him when he visits Earth right before going to Command School.
The society surrounding Ender was hostile and volatile. This is shown in the very beginning of the book when Ender is playing with