Ender's Game

Ender is an interesting character. He is not an Everyman, but his plight is the human condition - he has free will, but it is constrained by the reality built for him. His superiority dramatizes the conflict. If Ender can be manipulated, how can a regular schlep avoid manipulation. As Valentine says at the end, all one can do is accept that one is always being used and choose to be used in a positive manner. The flip side is that as Ender is being manipulated, he is also manipulating others. He, and his siblings, are masters of manipulation. Ender controls his squadron leaders; Valentine and Peter manipulate the world. The book is also about the power of fear. Fear of the Buggers unite the people of Earth. Fear of the Buggers drives humanity to wipe out an intelligent species without remorse. It is us or them. Fear of defeat pushes the military to warp Ender into a killing machine. Fear pushes Peter to let Ender leave. Fear is the ultimate manipulator. The final pages make an attempt to get beyond fear and manipulation, but does not succeed. It does not have the time to expand the idea that through remembering the lessons of the past can humanity hope to grow beyond its fear.