Ender's Game

Core Content Overview#

Story Summary#

After experiencing war with an alien species, humanity established the International Fleet and began cultivating genius children as the new generation of commanders. The protagonist Ender learns competition and isolation at military school, baptized by war consciousness, even mistakenly causing death through deliberate arrangement. Finally entering Command School, he begins a series of simulation training, step by step toward his graduation test.

Highlights#

A Passage That Moved You#

About hatred, perhaps much of it is built on mutual misunderstanding.

I came to this idea: The moment I truly understand the enemy enough to defeat him, at that moment, I also love him.

We are like you: this thought entered his mind. We’re not monster humans. By the time we understood, we stopped going.

“So the reason for glorifying war is because we can’t communicate with each other.” “If another person can’t tell you what he’s thinking, you can never be sure he doesn’t want to kill you.”

This book was published in 1985, but its description of politics ironically still shows its shadow today.

Fear is always the most powerful weapon in politics. Fear can unite people, fear can also make people lose reason. If politicians control the media, people are at the politicians’ mercy, because without correct information there can be no correct judgment.

Everyone thinks Hitler got power because of his army, because they were willing to kill, this is partly true, because in the real world, power is always built on the threat of death and shame. But his rise to power was mainly because of what he said, he said the right words at the right time.

Because as long as everyone fears their kin, the International Fleet can continue to hold power, and as long as the International Fleet holds power, certain countries can maintain their hegemony.

Interesting or Unexpected Parts#

The three Wiggin siblings—with Ender as the youngest—are all genius children, but his brother and sister were not selected due to unsuitable personalities (the eldest son’s strong ambition, the second daughter too gentle, with Ender between the two)

Besides the main storyline, I find the political career his brother and sister developed on Earth also very interesting. His brother convinced his sister to use anonymous identities, each developing two characters to execute political intentions. The sister’s character is a political fanatic to attract a large number of followers, while the brother instead operates a peaceful rationalist character (this is really ironic).

He deliberately shaped his sister’s extremist character because he knew this way of creating fierce confrontation and building external enemies easily builds large blind support groups, using this characteristic to achieve his political purposes when needed.

Finally, his brother successfully became the Hegemon of Earth Alliance. I was later curious about this book’s publication date—it was actually 1985 (older than me; the movie was released in 2013). It makes one wonder whether the narrative about political manipulation in the book is a kind of prophecy, or whether such political environments have always existed and never changed.

Personal Reflection & Practice#

Impact on Me#

Don’t easily start war, because ending it may be more difficult than you imagine. As I write this reflection, I’m reading the next book “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Coming back to write this book’s reflection, my feelings about war and politics are even deeper.

Perhaps war can start very easily, but once started, it can never end, nor is it as simple as death. Even after war, the impact will be on an entire generation or multiple generations.

Practical Application#

Strive for mutual understanding, perhaps avoiding mutual destruction.

Extended Thinking#

Thought-Provoking Questions#

Can hatred be eliminated only after one side’s species is exterminated in war? Once war starts, can it never end? Even if temporarily ceasing fire, will war inevitably resume one day?

Recommendations & Summary#

Suitable Readers:

Readers who like science fiction and contemplating human nature.

Summary:

Better than the movie presentation, described more delicately. The movie basically focuses mostly on training and warfare, while the book’s plot development portrays politics and human nature more deeply than the movie. Watching the movie sometimes makes you feel quite disconnected, but reading this book instead allows you to immerse yourself. The story background and the science fiction setting of training in space are good. It’s not just training and warfare, the development and portrayal of human nature is what makes you additionally immersed in it.