I always loved books for its openings and I was immediately enthralled, yet terrified, with Ender’s Game particularly the relationship between Peter and Ender. From the beginning, we learn that Ender is a special child, having a monitor placed on the back of his neck longer than anyone else had. After school, Ender finds Peter inviting him to a game of buggers and astronauts. Peter being the astronaut while Ender being the bugger. This game isn’t about winning, the buggers never win. Sometimes the games got mean and the game would only end until the bugger decided it was over.
“Peter smiled at him, ‘Slimy, huh? Well, bugger-wugger, let’s see how you break that face of yours.'” With a slight shift of his weight, Peter using immense pressure delivered a blow to the side of Ender’s head, and when he fell, Peter put his toe against Ender’s groin and pressed with his foot. Then he placed his knee on Ender’s stomach, continually added more and more pressure, making it harder for Ender to breathe.
“‘I could kill you like this.’ Peter whispered, ‘Just press and press until you’re dead. All I could say that I didn’t know it would hurt you, that were were just playing, and they would just believe me and everything would be fine. And you’d be dead. Everything would be fine.'”
After all the threats of death, and all the times he was slammed in the face, Peter walks by Ender’s bed and stood by his head. He whispered, “Ender, I’m sorry, I know how it feels. I’m sorry. I’m your brother. I love you.”
How do you react to this? How does one take all this abuse let alone from your brother?! I think the part that shocked me the most was not even Peter’s anger and frustration but the mind games. The most vicious act that Peter had done was not pressing his knee to the groin, but what he whispers at the very end of the first chapter. “I love you.” What is Ender who was only six years old supposed to believe, to feel. It is much easier to hate someone who undoubtedly hates you back. But what if they say they love you? Do they mean it?
After going to Battle School and being considered the best of the best, Ender says what he wants from Peter is, “I want him to love me.”
Who knows if Peter meant it?
December 27, 2024 at 4:14 am
I just read this article you shared here. I just got to know about the game theme. The game is actually not for winning but for learning a lot of things. Where Ender is a special child, having a monitor placed on the back of his neck longer than anyone else had. After finishing school, Ender finds Peter and inviting him to a game of buggers and astronauts. These two characters looks very interesting. Not like the game type that we play everyday. In our game plot there is a winner and players should know how to bypass Gamstop more details https://uk.notgamstop.com/gamstop-faq/how-to-get-around-gamstop/ We just play for the pleasure. While playing this type of games excitement goes high.