What was the "moral" of the book "Ender's Game"?

Question

I read this and -- WOW! -- wish I'd found it years earlier. What a great book! I'm getting some different ideas about what the "moral" of the book might be, but want to get some other opinions. Thanks!!!!

Answer 1

Yes, one of Orson Scott Card's master pieces.

mmmmhhh, moral. I read the book years ago...

Card repeatedly shows Ender as an innocent killer. I guess you could say one of the themes in the book is how violence changes a person (Ender breaks down at the end of the novel). The moral could be read as violence is not the answer, but only if you take the other books into consideration as well.

Another possible moral: friends can help you through some of the toughest situations. I remember Bean and Petra and the rest of Ender's Jeesh helping him through some of the toughest possible situations.

Here's a good quote from the main man himself:

There's always moral instruction whether the writer inserts it deliberately or not. The least effective moral instruction in fiction is that which is consciously inserted. Partly because it won't reflect the storyteller's true beliefs, it will only reflect what he BELIEVES he believes, or what he thinks he should believe or what he's been persuaded of.

But when you write without deliberately expressing moral teachings, the morals that show up are the ones you actually live by. The beliefs that you don't even think to question, that you don't even notice-- those will show up. And that tells much more truth about what you believe than your deliberate moral machinations.

--Orson Scott Card

Answer 2

You could really see a lot of morals in the book.

One that I found striking is how much children are forced to grow up quickly in our soceity. Ender and his friends had the fate of the world sitting on their adolescent shoulders.

Answer 3

It's the best sci-fi book of all time, does it have to have a moral? For me, it is very important that there was never any indication that the buggers were ever going to attack Earth again, but we just had to pre-empt them by whatever means necessary. Sound familiar? It is particularly interesting to me, as I discovered this book just as Bush was beating his phony war drums to build support for a "pre-emptive" war against Iraq.

This book and the many follow-ons (none of which are nearly as good) seem to be mostly about how we are so quick to label as "enemies" or "bad" anyone whom we perceive as "different." Communicate and understand, before you judge.

Answer 4

If you are a genius, it doesn't matter if you send other kids to the hospital, just as long as you win a war against an alien planet