Ender's Game

Card’s writing style often reads like mythology, recounting Ender’s adventures as though he belongs in a legend. The novel’s third person omniscient point of view emphasizes this technique, giving readers enough insight to understand Ender and enough distance to recount events matter-of-factly. Occasionally, however, the narration will slip into first person when Ender expresses a particular thought, though Card doesn’t denote the switch with italics or quotations. This style is most noticeable after dramatic events, such as Ender accidentally breaking Bernard’s arm in the launch shuttle: “He hadn’t meant it to be so public, but the boy was feeling exactly the pain Ender had meant for him to feel. Null gravity had betrayed him, that was all. I am Peter. I’m just like him. And Ender hated himself” (24). The passage begins with Ender’s emotional response, and then the narration transforms into Ender’s first-person reflection when comparing himself to Peter. After two short sentences in first person, the narration rapidly changes back to third person with the simple, matter-of-fact conclusion that Ender hates himself. Audiences may read the “and” at the beginning of the final sentence as “therefore,” or “ergo,” similar to old fairy tales when understatedly expressing a great change: For example, the king issued a decree, and so food was plentiful throughout the kingdom. Card’s subtle craft gives audiences the impression that Ender’s story is one of human legend.

While one level of storytelling embraces mythic writing styles, another disenchants Ender from his youthful idealism. The narrative introduces Ender’s innocence in two examples: First, he has a preconceived idea—absorbed from media portrayals of military dynamics—about how Graff will treat him. Instead, Graff pits the group against him, not by disparaging him but by praising him: “Graff had deliberately caused it. It was worse than the abuse in the shows. When the sergeant picked on you, the others liked you better. But when the officer prefers you, the others hate you” (24). Ender expects his superior officers, not his new classmates, to hate him. The second example of Ender’s innocence appears in his amusement toward gravity’s new rules. Card juxtaposes Ender’s unmet expectations of Graff with his ability to adapt quickly to gravity orientation, which suggests Ender will acclimate to this new situation. Graff effectively isolates Ender on all fronts, proving the adults won’t do him any favors and ensuring the others resent his prestige. This scene only begins Graff’s master plan to establish an environment that will both disillusion Ender’s innocence and invoke his creative genius.

The dialogue among Battle School students reveals much about the school’s culture. Since Ender operates independently from the others—resulting from both his intellectual prominence and his isolation—readers rely on other characters to understand this environment. For example, Ender’s launch’s leader introduces himself with both humor and authority: “Instead just tell someone that your mom is Dap, and they’ll call me. […] If you have a problem, come talk to me. Remember, I’m the only person here who’s paid to be nice to you. But not too nice. Give me any lip and I’ll break your face. OK?” (30). Other Battle School characters are not nearly as friendly as Dap, but his introduction confirms that even the kindest people here have their hard edges. Dap’s concern for the launch’s wellbeing is genuine, but he still incorporates a playful, lightly mocking tone when he insists they refer to him as “mom.” Dap understands that little boys calling him “mom” would invite the older students’ mockery, but he also knows the older boys will mock them one way or another. Of course, Graff doesn’t keep Ender in the launch group long enough to feel comfortable or protected, throwing him deep into Battle School rivalries earlier than the rest.

On one level, Ender recognizes that the Giant’s Drink is only a game, but he eventually comes to understand that no part of his training is “just” a game. The game becomes too real when he crosses moral boundaries to defeat the Giant, using grotesque imagery—cottage cheese—to describe tearing apart his eye. However, like all other “games” Ender plays, he can’t move on until the challenge is overcome, though he hates what his actions reflect about him.