I was just wondering, did anyone else find a religious meaning to Ender's Game? I am just wondering what other people took from OSC novel (and I am not--NOT-- saying OSC wrote anything that he didn't mean to [my meaning is: what he wrote is what he ment, not any such things like this Ender vs Hitler garbage]). Maybe OSC subconcious did a little subconcious mojo and inserted a little other meaning, eh?
Posted by Julian Delphiki Jr. (Member # 5882) on :
I did sence a little religious infulences. But how could you not have any religious infulences, when you deal with such a moral question as destroying an intire race? All his "Ender" books deal with one profound question or another. That is the nature of his writing.
-W-
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I think being a religious person, Card's work will unavoidably have religious overtones. Though I've always thought of Ender's Game as being more of an action fest than most of the later work.
But something that does strike me is his isolation at the Battle School being like the mortal condition, separated from our spiritual home. In particular, Valentine is his link to the human race, but in order to serve her he has to wade through all this unloving stuff.
Posted by raphael (Member # 5870) on :
i think OSC put in a lot of religion in his books (and not necesarily subconciously) take for instane sister chalotta. she's got a lot of religeous opinions and sayings inserted into the book. and even Ender has some. when he says for instance that he is a "suspector" of the existance of a god. his whole attitude towards the church is very respectfull.and he mentions (if i'm not mistaken)that if he ever chooses a religion he would be catholic. also in children of the mind there are references to different religiond like for instance the samoans whos beliefs i found very interesting. there are also the people of path whos whole religion turned out to be false and based on a mutation of the so called 'god spoken' . it looks as if there is a slight rebuttal towards people who blindly follow their religion no matter the evidence showed against it.
Posted by X12 (Member # 5867) on :
Good points, BUT I was refering to Ender's Game in this thread... not the rest of the series
Posted by raphael (Member # 5870) on :
oh, gosh. i geuss youll have to excuse me. it's currently two o'clock in the morning where i live and anything written now is under the influence of about 5 cups of coffe. maby i should just go to sleep instead of humiliating myself in public because of my sleep deprivation (or however you spell that I'm not too strong on thinking right now...) Posted by Grandma Edie (Member # 5771) on :
A religious theme in ENDER'S GAME? Inevitably.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Anyone who in in the position of destroying, or saving, a whole species [even though the destruction was unknowing, and the saving was at least partly brought about by appeals to his subconsicious by the hive queen] others]is, whether he wishes it or not, in the role of God. Or of Satan.
Ender once defends another student on the "desk" network, and signs it "God." Ender means nothing in particular by that; Card means that in respect to the buggers, and his two human manslaughters, Ender was, for the moment, their God.
This forces a choice on him, at the end of EG.
1) He can arrogantly accept his godhead as if he were entitled to make deliberate decisions of life and death for others; this would make him a Satan. OR: 2)He can accept responsibility as a xenocide, and use the rest of his life to do what he can to undo the catastrophe, without qubblies about his degree of guilt. This makes him close to a Christ-figure, or at least a Christ-Bearer, or Christian martyr. He is bearing sins which are not his own.
There is no third choice, except perhaps suicide.
Ender chooses the second alternative. The Speaker Trilogy is the working out of that choice, but the choice is made by the end of ENDER'S GAME, when he writes books "revered as holy writ."
Grandma Edie, also known as Edith S. Tyson, author of ORSON SCOTT CARD: Writer of the Terrible Choice
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
"He is bearing sins which are not his own."
Is this a catholic concept? I know that the Enderverse does not adhere to LDS cosmology (for instance, I'm pretty sure the passing of Ender's aiua to another body is against Joseph Smith's definition of the soul being the spirit and the body together).
But in LDS cosmology, we don't have to "suffer" for our sins, though we often reap the consequences. While remorse is an essential element of repentance, ongoing regret is considered prideful. Or at least assuming the role of judge, which is claiming part of the Lord's power. Which brings us back to him being a Satan. From what I understand of the LDS paradigm.
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