Sunday, April 13, 2014

What is the symbolism of the playground ("the slide would not hold him")? in Ender's Game Ch. 7 Salamander

Ender and the other students in battle school are only children. At the very start of the chapter Graff and another commander discuss how the training is impacting the children. Ender's inability to participate in the playground represents his loss of childhood innocence due to the hardships he has been forced to endure for the sake of his training. The children view him with hostility, since those above him have always forced him to be...

Ender and the other students in battle school are only children. At the very start of the chapter Graff and another commander discuss how the training is impacting the children. Ender's inability to participate in the playground represents his loss of childhood innocence due to the hardships he has been forced to endure for the sake of his training. The children view him with hostility, since those above him have always forced him to be at odds with other kids. Like any other child, Ender craves affection and fun with other children. He is constantly looking for a sense of peace, perhaps for a simpler life after the war is over, but this scene suggests that the changes he has faced through the process might make it impossible for him to ever be a child again. He has been pushed into a violent adulthood. 

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