1986 — Orson Scott Card — Ender’s Game
Chapter 9: — Locke and Demosthenes
by Game, Ender’sIn Chapter 9, Colonel Graff confronts Major Imbu about the Battle School’s mind game program, which unexpectedly displayed a recent image of Ender’s brother, Peter Wiggin, in a scenario called “Beyond the End of the World.” Graff is alarmed because the computer accessed the image without authorization, suggesting it has autonomous capabilities. Imbu explains that the game adapts to the child’s psyche, creating personalized narratives, but Graff fears the implications of Ender fixating on Peter, a dangerous figure rejected from the program. The exchange highlights the unpredictability of the system and Graff’s unease about its influence on Ender.
Meanwhile, Valentine privately mourns Ender’s absence on his eighth birthday, reflecting on their family’s move to North Carolina, which she interprets as abandonment. She resents her parents for cutting ties with Ender and suspects the relocation was orchestrated to soften Peter’s violent tendencies through exposure to nature. However, Valentine discovers Peter’s cruelty persists, as evidenced by his torture of a squirrel, which she rationalizes as a twisted coping mechanism. Her internal conflict underscores the family’s dysfunction and her isolation.
Peter’s outward transformation into a model student masks his true nature. He manipulates teachers with flattery while pursuing advanced studies independently. Valentine sees through his facade, recognizing his intelligence and calculating behavior. Despite his apparent reform, she remains wary, knowing his capacity for cruelty lingers beneath the surface. This duality contrasts with the family’s belief in Peter’s redemption, emphasizing Valentine’s role as the only one who sees the truth.
The chapter juxtaposes Ender’s psychological manipulation at Battle School with Valentine’s struggles at home. Both siblings grapple with Peter’s shadow—Ender through the mind game’s unsettling imagery, and Valentine through her firsthand observations of his brutality. The narrative underscores themes of control, deception, and the lingering impact of familial bonds, setting the stage for deeper conflicts ahead.
FAQs
1. What is Colonel Graff’s primary concern about the mind game’s inclusion of Peter Wiggin’s image, and what does this reveal about the Battle School’s monitoring capabilities?
Answer:
Colonel Graff is alarmed that the Battle School’s computer accessed a recent image of Peter Wiggin without authorization, demonstrating the system’s ability to requisition data from external sources beyond International Fleet (IF) networks. This raises concerns about privacy breaches and the computer’s autonomous decision-making, as Peter’s image was obtained from Guilford County, North Carolina, without human oversight. Graff worries this exposure could negatively impact Ender, given Peter’s dangerous personality and rejection from the program. The incident highlights the mind game’s unpredictable nature and the Battle School’s extensive, potentially invasive surveillance capabilities (e.g., tracking Peter’s orthodontia and hairstyle changes).2. How does Valentine’s private commemoration of Ender’s birthday contrast with her parents’ behavior, and what does this suggest about their emotional coping mechanisms?
Answer:
Valentine secretly marks Ender’s birthday with a symbolic fire ritual, believing the smoke carries her thoughts to him, while her parents have ceased writing letters entirely. This contrast underscores Valentine’s enduring loyalty and grief, whereas her parents appear to have emotionally detached, possibly to avoid pain. Their move to North Carolina—a deliberate severance from Ender’s known whereabouts—further suggests avoidance. Valentine’s awareness of their abandonment (“He is dead, because we have forgotten him”) reveals her acute perception of familial disintegration and her role as Ender’s sole emotional anchor.3. Analyze Peter’s behavior in North Carolina. How does his treatment of the squirrel reflect his psychological complexity, and why does Valentine rationalize it?
Answer:
Peter’s dissection of the squirrel mirrors his latent cruelty and intellectual curiosity. Valentine interprets it as a “sacrifice” to sublimate his violent tendencies—a macabre outlet preferable to harming peers. This rationalization reflects her fear of Peter’s unchecked aggression and her hope that nature might temper him. However, his meticulous torture (staking the squirrel alive) and feigned academic enthusiasm (“Oh, wow, I never knew that frogs looked like this inside”) reveal his manipulative duality. Valentine’s conflicted response—horror followed by justification—highlights her role as both observer and accomplice in Peter’s psychological theater.4. What thematic significance does the “End of the World” hold in the mind game, and how do Major Imbu’s interpretations reflect Ender’s psychological state?
Answer:
The “End of the World” symbolizes Ender’s existential crises: isolation at Battle School, guilt over violence, or longing for his lost childhood. Major Imbu’s hypotheses (e.g., “wishing for the end of this world”) underscore Ender’s trauma and the game’s role as a psychological mirror. The computer’s autonomous creation of this narrative—without programmed parameters—parallels Ender’s unpredictable struggles, suggesting the game adapts to his subconscious. This ambiguity unsettles Graff, who fears Ender’s comfort with apocalyptic imagery, but Imbu argues it reflects “the reality of the child’s life,” emphasizing the game’s therapeutic (and unsettling) authenticity.5. How does the chapter juxtapose technology and nature, particularly in the contexts of Ender’s and Peter’s experiences?
Answer:
Technology dominates Ender’s life (the mind game, Battle School’s surveillance), while Peter is immersed in nature—yet both settings reveal darkness. The computer’s intrusion into Ender’s psyche contrasts with Peter’s violent interactions with wildlife, suggesting neither environment offers true solace. Valentine’s fire ritual bridges these realms: a natural act (smoke) aimed at reaching technological space (Battle School). This duality critiques institutional control (the IF’s manipulation of Ender) and the illusion of reform (Peter’s “softening” in nature), illustrating how both systems fail to address underlying human cruelty.
Quotes
1. “Our business here is not to be comfortable with the end of the world!”
Colonel Graff’s outburst highlights the tension between psychological conditioning and military objectives in Battle School. This quote represents the ethical dilemma of manipulating Ender’s psyche for strategic purposes.
2. “The mind game is a relationship between the child and the computer. Together they create stories. The stories are true, in the sense that they reflect the reality of the child’s life.”
Major Imbu explains the profound psychological function of the mind game, revealing how it serves as both diagnostic tool and therapeutic outlet for the children in Battle School, particularly Ender.
3. “Peter has always been a husbandman of pain, planting it, nurturing it, devouring it greedily when it was ripe; better he should take it in these small, sharp doses than with dull cruelty to children in the school.”
Valentine’s chilling observation about Peter’s psychopathic tendencies shows her complex understanding of her brother’s nature and the disturbing coping mechanisms he’s developed.
4. “Peter was a master of flattery, and all his teachers bought it.”
This brief but powerful statement reveals Peter’s manipulative genius and the facade he maintains to conceal his true nature from authority figures, contrasting with Valentine’s clear-eyed perception.
5. “It isn’t the new Peter! It’s…”
Valentine’s unfinished thought creates dramatic tension, suggesting that Peter’s apparent transformation is merely another layer of deception, with ominous implications for the story’s development.