Chloe Campbell
Ulrich
9 th
Honors Lit
September 13, 2012
Loneliness can define a person. Feeling different or unaccepted in society causes one to feel alone. This kind of loneliness consumes a person and defines who they are. Ender Wiggins, an extremely intelligent third of the family, was taken from his home at the age of six to attend battle school in space for the government. Although Ender is incredible at battle and strategy skills, he finds himself out casted in a group of hundreds of boys near his age. His intelligence keeps him apart from the rest of society and causes him to become extremely lonely. I believe that the novel
Ender’s Game by Olson Scott Card tries to portray through the character of Ender how loneliness defines a person and although he may have some friends to help cope, the loneliness still lingers.
Ender Wiggin is defined by his loneliness. He is deemed an outcast because of his extreme differences with the other boys in the battle school constraining him to be alone most of the time. When Ender was taken to battle school at age six he was faced with the challenge of trying to fit in. While on the ship to travel to the school Ender, “toyed with the idea of trying to be like the other boys,” while the other boys laughed (Card 28). Ender only thought about the idea of trying to get along. The way the author used the word toyed shows that Ender didn’t really want to fit in with the others he was just picturing what it would be like if he did. But even though he doesn’t try very hard to fit in, he still finds himself being extremely lonely. I can relate to Ender feeling this way. In the sixth grade I moved from my home town to a brand new state. I felt like an outcast at a new school because no one knew or understood me yet, just like Ender.
Eventually I found my place with a group of people who liked and understood me. I look forward to finding out whether Ender will decide to try to find his place or group that he belongs to.
Although throughout the first half of the novel Ender is established as a lonely child, there are a few friends he meets that help him cope. One example of a friend is Alai. Ender found a common bond with Alai because of their similar determination for the games. Alai and
Ender first connected during a battle game where Ender realized, “The launch was no longer divided into Bernard’s in-group and Enders outcast. Alai was the bridge” (Card 62). Alai helped
Ender join forces with the other boys so they could work easier together. Another person that befriended Ender was Valentine. Thinking of Valentine helps Ender feel less lonely at battle school. If there is one person that truly loves Ender it is Valentine. Valentines love for Ender shoes when she yells, “Come back to me! I love you forever!” because Ender is leaving his family (Card 26). Ender knows that Valentine loves him and he uses this information to comfort himself when he feels lonely.
Overall I enjoyed the quality of this novel. I believed that Card formed a great picture through his descriptive writing style and characters. He created a young, intelligent, and relatable character named Ender who is consumed by his differences and loneliness. Although he has a few friends Ender remains lonely deep down inside. I look forward to finding out how Ender

copes with his loneliness later in the novel and whether he finally finds his place in his battle school society.