Summary: The trailer for “Ender’s Game” brings this interesting book to the attention of a wider audience. Rightly so, as it’s themes are important to today’s America. Dark themes, evoking aspects of ourselves we prefer to hide (as popular art so often does). This is a revised and expanded version of a September 2010 post.
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Contents
- Background on the author
- Why is Ender’s Game popular?
- Its powerful, weird dynamics
- Ender as an appealing Hitler-like figure
- The narrative structure of Ender’s Game: porn
- Why generals like Ender’s Game
- For More information — & link to free copy of the story
- Trailer for Ender’s Game
(1) Background on the author
Orson Scott Card has become the latest pawn in the culture war. DC Comics hired Card to write Superman comics. The Left protested Card’s right-wing views (especially his anti-gay stance). DC fired Card (i.e., put the project on indefinite hold). Now Card has another shot at influencing the wider Audience of Americans — and the world (it will be interesting to see the film’s reception in foreign markets).
My nickel review: the short story is brilliant, fascinating, well worth reading. I found the book to be unreadable. If you have not read the short story or book, before continuing either scroll to section 7, or read this free post of the short story.
(2) Why is Ender’s Game popular?
One aspect of its mass appeal: it tells the story of modern America. The world’s superpower — bigger, richer, stronger than any other nation — but we see ourselves as victims. We are forced to invade our Latin neighbors, repeatedly, to see that our businessmen get a fair deal. Attacked on 12/41, 8/64, and 9/11 — forcing us to bomb nations into oblivion (the total weight of bombs dropped on Vietnam was 3x what we used in WWII). But we remain unsullied in our own eyes because our motives are pure.
Others see the story’s appeal in the personal history of its readers: “Creating the Innocent Killer: Ender’s Game, Intention, and Morality“, John Kessel, update of an article originally published in Foundation – the International Review of Science Fiction, Spring 2004 — Excerpt:
Ender gets to strike out at his enemies and still remain morally clean. Nothing is his fault. Stilson already lies defeated on the ground, yet Ender can kick him in the face until he dies, and still remain the good guy. Ender can drive bone fragments into Bonzo’s brain and then kick his dying body in the crotch, yet the entire focus is on Ender’s suffering. For an adolescent ridden with rage and self-pity, who feels himself abused (and what adolescent doesn’t?), what’s not to like about this scenario?
An even more pointed answer comes from “Ender’s Game: fascist revenge fantasy? Nah, geek revenge fantasy.“, posted at Wax Banks, 21 August 2006:
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