Novels that have a great coming to age message and theme are always enjoyable reads and both Ender Games and Siddhartha display this theme. Ender Games, a science fiction novel that is authored by Orson Scott Card, is about a young boy named Andrew “Ender” Wiggin. Andrew Wiggin is chosen to lead the human race in a war against alien “buggers”, but it means leaving his family and training in outer space. During Andrew’s time in space, he faces many obstacles which forces him to grow up faster than normal people his age. Siddhartha, a fictional novel that is authored by Hermann Hesse, is about a boy named Siddhartha. This novel goes through Siddhartha’s life and it shows how he went from living a holy lifestyle to one full of sin and lust. After …show more content…
Andrew Wiggin is a very complex character because he is a young boy that faces many difficult situations. At a young age, Andrew is taken from his parent’s home and shipped off to Battle School to prepare for the war against the“buggers”. Andrew is forced into isolation due to the malicious tactics used by the school’s administration. Throughout the duration of this novel, Ender is bullied by multiple characters, such as his brother, Bonzo, and Stilson. He fears his dangerous older brother and he also fears that he will become him, and this creates an internal conflict. The text states, “He kept remembering how it felt to kill the snake, grinding it in, the way he tore the ear off that boy, the way he destroyed Stilson, the way he broke Bernard’s arm. And then to stand up, holding the corpse of his enemy, and find Peter’s face looking out at him from the mirror. This game knows too much about me. This game tells filthy lies. I am not Peter. I don’t have murder in my heart.” This quote conveys how afraid Ender is of becoming his older brother and the internal conflict that he faces. Ender also had to deal with the school’s administration rigging and changing certain rules to challenge him and sometimes they even tormented him. Even though Ender has had to endure these hardships, he is still responsible for saving humanity. These hardships shows how much of a complex character Ender …show more content…
For example, Andrew and Siddhartha are both young when they leave the comfort of their parent’s homes, but they left under different circumstances. When Siddhartha approaches his father with the topic of leaving he states, “With your permission, my father. I came to tell you that it is my longing to leave your house tomorrow and go to the ascetics. My desire is to become a Samana. May my father not oppose this.” Siddhartha’s father did oppose of him leaving but he changed his mind. With Ender, while being convinced to leave by Colonel Graff, he states, “[Fighting] is what I was born for, isn’t it? If I don’t go, why am I alive? I don’t want to go but I will.” These quotes shows that Andrew is convinced to leave his parent’s home to attend Battle School, in space, so that he could fight in a war but Siddhartha leaves to join the Samanas on his own. Another example of their similarities is that they both of these characters face their own hardship which makes their characters complex and these hardships complicates their lives, but the severity of their hardships differ. Although Andrew and Siddhartha are very similar, they do differ quite a bit. In Ender Games, when provoked, Ender became violent and killed two people, unknowingly. Siddhartha was not a violent character, unlike Ender but he was religious, also unlike Ender. These two protagonists share
The Enders Game written by Orson Scott Card provides understanding of the characters and their relationships with others through indirect characterization and diction. Orson Scott Card uses literacy devices and specific word choice to let the reader draw conclusions about the characters and the relationships between Peter and Ender, the symbolism of the bugger mask/bugger-astronaut game, and the foreshadowing of Peter and Valentines death. The author reveals the relationship between Peter and Ender through Peter’s perception of Ender and the astronaut-bugger game. “Ender did not see Peter as […]
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...
In Orson Scott Cards Ender’s game, the main character Ender does not have a normal childhood compared to other children. He is destined for a hard life ahead of him from the moment he was born. Through Ender and the characters around him Card draws us a picture about the world around us. One’s past does not shape their future or the kind of person they will be. A different choice can be made at any time.
Two people could be living two very different lifestyles, yet they could be very similar in the way they act and react in the same situation. Charlotte from “The Metaphor” by Budge Wilson and the Mother character from “Borders” by Thomas King live very different lives but the way they deal with the problems they are faced with is very similar. Both protagonists have to deal with trying to be forced to be something they are not by society and their families, but Charlotte from “The Metaphor” has been challenged by her strenuous home, she must face her organized mother and orderly home; the Mother from “Borders” must stand up for what she believes in and fight for what she wants.
After years of being monitored by government officials, Ender Wiggins, the main character of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, finds himself completely alone. The loneliness set's in as he finds himself in a new school, away from the watchful eyes of the government and bared to the world. He is a Third. This feeling of being a third makes Ender feel even more isolated, "It was not his fault he was a Third. It was the government's idea, they were the ones who authorized it - how else could a Third like Ender have got into school?" (Card 5). There was no one there to keep the bullies away now. Although he never really liked the monitor, he now found himself alone and missing the advent ages of having it on and knowing that someone, somewhere was always with him and watching him. At battle school, Ender knows that he will be isolated from the other students. Colonel Graff tells the other students of Ender and how superior his talents and intelligence is compared to the rest of the group. The other students don't like Ender and don't trust him. Throughout battle school, Ender is kept from his family and isolated from other children.
Both take on the features of the other, whether it be intelligence or violence, and both show qualities of heroism. Ender and Peter are both able to help the world, but the ways that they do it create different characters between two people who are similar. Famous author Brodi Ashton was quoted writing, “Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” Ender and Peter are both be brilliantly smart, but the actions they took with that power defined who they truly
Sometimes fear can come from lies. Lies about what is happening or going to happen. Lies can make you believe something that is not true, and that can be scary. When we first meet Ender Wiggin, he is only six years old. He is being monitored for a special program that trains children for the eventual war against the buggers, an alien race that almost wiped out the humans. He soon gets his monitor taken out which means he should be washed out, or didn’t pass through the program. The nurse that is helping take out the monitor tells Ender that is won’t hurt a bit. Ender knows she is lying. “…he could count on that statement as an accurate representation of the...
In the novel Siddhartha, Herman Hesse used other characters to let Siddhartha grow both intellectually and spiritually. During the course of his journey, Siddhartha encountered many people and experienced different ways of living and thinking about life. Each person taught him something about himself and the world around him.
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
Siddhartha, written by Herman Hesse, is a novel about a man's progression towards his goal to center his life with a combination of peace and balance. Many of the displayed philosophies can be applied to today's world. Through my reading, I noticed many similarities between my life and Siddhartha's. First, Siddhartha felt a need for independence, that to truly be happy with his success, he must attain his achievements in his own way, and not others. Even though, he feels he must acquire this by himself, he tries to be as removed from his human side as possible. Only later does he learn that individuality and freedom from necessity must be united to procure his objectives and free him from his imperfections. Second, Siddhartha discovers that things and riches do not bring happiness. They are only temporary. No matter the extent of wealth a person has this never satisfies the insatiable need for possessions. Lastly, Siddhartha found that balance is the key to peace and happiness. Although a simplistic teaching, it is very complex to learn and apply. In my life, I can relate to his path and lessons, because I feel the same struggles and battles with attaining serenity.
In the novel Ender’s Game and the movie The Matrix, the society that they are living in have their entire lives revolved around technology to a point where it has become uncontrollable and has more negative impacts than positive ones. Both protagonists, Ender and Neo, are in a society where technology is drowning them. Respectable programmer and hacker in the year 2171, Neo, is faced with the task to challenge the AI (artificial intelligence) technology who is holding his society’s feeling in their captivity. The further Neo tries to fight, the more flaws he finds about technology. From being a tech-savvy person himself, he is supposedly “the one” to free his society from the dangers and captivity of technology. As for Ender, he too relies extensively on technology to a certain degree where he is unable to recognize the difference between what is reality and what is a game. While trying to grasp the concepts of what harm technology really has on their society, it has also affected their social _______.
Ender’s Game: Valentine’s Character Development. Compassionate, empathetic, and witty. It was obvious from the moment Valentine Wiggin first appeared in Ender’s Game that she possessed these traits. These three traits, as well as her ability to be protective, are showcased very early on in the story. By the end of the book, Valentine has become a powerful, mature, and fearless young woman.
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, follows a young man through his path of enlightenment Siddhartha is born and raised in India by family of the Brahmins class He has a best friend named Govinda, who loves him very much, just like everyone else does Siddhartha is considered to be the golden child of his community He is the best at everything that he does and everyone wants to befriend him His father makes sure to protect Siddhartha from all the wrong things in the world He doesn 't get to see the real world and all of the bad things it has, only the goods He believes he isn’t learning anything from this and can not grow Through this story we follow Siddhartha in finding himself through Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Path
One key component that is produced through Ender’s struggles at his young age is self-reliance. Ender is born unto a family where he is seen as an outcast; he’s a “third.” In a world where population control is major concern, a third-born child is looked upon in disgust. He is isolated even before he is brought into the world. John Kessel reveals his insights into Card’s interpretation of Ender’s exploitation when he says,” Orson Scott Card presents a harrowing tale of abuse. Ender’s parents and older brother (. . .) either ignore the abuse of Ender or participate in it” (Kessel 1). No one contributes more to this abuse than his older brother, Peter. Along with his birth, jealousy and hatred are especially common towards Ender. This disapproving outlook is particularly apparent from Peter. Peter let’s Ender know hi...
The book starts off with Ender getting his monitor off. A monitor is something that they but on the back of these peoples necks to see if they are a good candidate to be a general to fight the buggers. The buggers are aliens. Well, since he is not monitored anymore people who have always wanted to fight him can now fight them. He ends up winning all of the fights and he goes home. As it turns out taking off his monitor was a test to see how he would handle people that fight him.