Ender's Game

by Orson Scott Card

After an intermediate or advanced child has been taught to discern biblical worldviews and to celebrate them, he learns to discern unbiblical worldviews and to denigrate them. Then there will come a point when the student must learn that, while the author writes from an unbiblical worldview, he has touched on some deep or poignant truth that should be celebrated. Ender's Game falls into just such a category.

The worldview is decidedly humanist. Although the action of the story follows the conflict between man and bugger--a storyline that seems almost silly in the telling--the true conflict is between Ender and himself. The question haunting Ender through the book asks, "Is Ender like Peter?" Peter, who hurts animals for pleasure and was rejected for the position Ender later receives, represents an evil heart. But even Peter's evil is eventually diminished; Ender writes his brother's memoirs, showing how Peter can be understood. Perhaps fate made him cruel, so he cannot be culpable, the author suggests. Or perhaps he wanted something good, but wanted it too much. No. This part of the worldview must be rejected. Man is evil. He needs redemption from sin, not explanation and understanding.

Compared to such a grievous error, the truth I argue to be worth celebrating may seem trivial. Orson Scott Card is a talented author. In Ender's Game, he skillfully relates human emotions, in particular, loneliness. (Card's loneliness is existential, c.f. Kierkegaard or Nietzsche). Not only does he expertly describe loneliness, but he explicates the thoughts and situations surrounding loneliness with poignancy. This ability to portray human emotion is laudable because loneliness is so universal a feeling. The Fall separated man not only from God, but also from other men. Unregenerate man definitely experiences this isolation, and while Christians' community in the Church is partially restored, a full sense of companionship will not be experienced until our Glorification. Card does not depict the biblical reason behind loneliness, though. His genius is merely in expressing it. Because of that, this book should be kept for advanced readers.