A Legendary Sci-Fi
In 1985, Orson Scott Card released a novel that upended the word of science fiction, “Ender’s Game”. A story involving a protagonist named Ender Wiggins, a young boy tapped to lead a war with a group of aliens. Through a series of brutal psychological trials called ‘games’, Ender is forced to question his morals and place in the world. Personally, I consider the story of Ender Wiggins to be one of the most important stories of our time, especially looking at it from a faith perspective, bringing us to our subject for today.
Ender Wiggins and The Teachings of Jesus
Ender Wiggins is one of the most complex characters I have seen depicted. In this war torn backdrop, there are no ‘chosen ones’ coming to save everyone. Ender is not a character to be pitied or sympathized with. Audiences will certainly pity Ender for the harsh training, and for the fact that he is alone. Yet rather than react by saying ‘why me’, Ender initially submits to his ambition, becoming more ruthless as time progresses. Yet rather than become a cold, bitter man, there is a shocking character arc towards the end, which is why I think of him as such a complex character.
Orson Scott Card shared that in the early drafts of his book, Ender spends time studying a Bible. Although we aren’t given the exact texts he would have read, the author shared that he had the teachings of Jesus in mind, especially the teachings surrounding peace and non-violence.
As I watched the film and considered the commentary offered by the author, I decided that this is not a story told for entertainment, this provokes deep thoughts on theology and morality.
“I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves.” – Enders Game
Orson Scott Card explicitly stated that despite his Mormon faith, Ender Wiggins is a Christian. Why put the Bible over the book of Mormon? The author shared that it was more relatable. I can understand that. I mention this specifically because I noted that the movie downplayed this vital aspect.
An Eye for an Eye…
In the book of Exodus, Moses lays down the law, literally. When it comes to wrongs being done we are told, ‘an eye for an eye and a life for a life’. This was done from the perspective of justice instead of revenge. Later Jesus would preach, “love your enemies, and pray for those who would despitefully use you.”
In ‘Enders Game’, these concepts are put in technicolor detail. Ender is put through a series of brutal physical and psychological tests, constantly testing not only his prowess, but his intellect and whether he has the grit to do what is necessary.
“We thought we were the only thinking beings in the universe, until we met you, but never did we dream that thought could arise from the lonely animals who cannot dream each other’s dreams.” Enders Game
Frequently, we are given a bird’s eye perspective at the hard boiled military commander who relies on propaganda and deceit, not caring if he destroys Ender Wiggins. The commander only wants to see his mission accomplished, if it shatters his proteges, then so be it. As far as the commander is concerned, there is no measure to extreme in his war against the formics.
One vital detail is that humans haven’t yet been attacked by the formics. There is merely the perceived threat of an attack. The way the military sees things, it is vital to launch a pre-emptive strike. As the story is told, at one point in history, humanity had fought the formics once before. So there exists bad blood if you will. Although an uneasy truce had been declared, there is still the desire for revenge. Not merely a life for a life, but absolute scorched earth. The military tries to justify this desire by insisting that humans should be the first to attack.
Right and Wrong in War
Ender Wiggins is an unwitting pawn of this galactic chess match. All he knows is the propaganda the military feeds him, not realizing most of it is lies. Here is where things become interesting. The military believes that the children they’re recruited are pliable, and won’t ask hard questions. Ender Wiggins is none of the above. He is not fighting for survival, Ender is fighting for respect, and to earn his place in the world. Ender experiences the full gamut of supposedly ‘adult’ emotions. He experiences moments of loneliness, the desire to get ahead, the longing for meaning and to apply his talents to what is right. He deals with bullies, being demeaned by his elders, and learning how to play two opposing sides. The implication being clear enough.
“Human beings are free except when humanity needs them. Maybe humanity needs you. To do something. Maybe humanity needs me—to find out what you’re good for. We might both do despicable things, Ender, but if humankind survives, then we were good tools.” – Enders Game
As Ender is put through a slew of brutal psychological tests, specifically designed to break down his mind, something unexpected occurs. Strange visions begin to seep into his training. Odd visions that go completely against what the military has designed and allowed. Bizarre visions of a Formic attempting to communicate an obscure message. Here Orson Scott Card gives us a glimpse at the supernatural. Technically, these visions should be impossible. Despite the attempts by the military to gain absolute control over their trainees, it is clear there is a Higher Power intervening.
A Theological Perspective
Theologically this becomes even more interesting. Orson Scott Card offered a revealing piece of commentary by explaining that “Ender Wiggins is a Christian, and his story must be interpreted as a Christian making sense of his beliefs in a corrupt world.” With this in mind, we can gain a more accurate understanding of the theological underpinnings of this legendary sci-fi.
“I knew that in science fiction, one of the cardinal rules is God cannot be a computer…you can have Zeus anytime, as long as he is a computer.” – Orson Scott Card
Our first important detail is that Ender Wiggins is supposed to represent an average believer attempting to understand his faith in a time when his government is forcing him to go against his beliefs. Many Christians, especially today can identify with this struggle. Do we obey God, or men?
This is far from a mere pacifist tract, instead delving into the concept of ‘just wars’. this is an idea that has been explored for years. Essentially, we’re asking, if war is wrong, is there any sort of clause where war can become justified, even if not morally right? In other words, even though it may be wrong to be an aggressor in war, does this also mean that it is wrong to wage war in an attempt to stop it? These are complex questions, and surprisingly Orson Scott Card delves straight into these issues.
In this setting, Orson Scott Card introduces a moral dilemma. The military establishment is questioning whether they ought to initiate a strike against the Formics. As noted earlier, already the civilized world has experienced a devastating attack from these strange life forms. No one knows why the attack occurred, nor did anyone bother to ask why. Now that the Formics are gathering once again, the military has decided that they will not be victims of history. Initially this made sense to me, strike first, in order to head off a serious war, that is precisely what I would do.
Instead as the plot unfolds, something else comes up. A serious concept that has radical implications for global politics and peace. Ender eventually discovers that the civilized world was never in any danger, but instead is dealing with the fact that the military has become a law unto themselves. The military doesn’t even desire to pursue a path to peace. This brings Jesus’ teachings regarding violence in even sharper focus. What if the military had listened to the words of Jesus? Would this have solved this calamity from occurring? In my mind, there is a vital theme to consider here; if every world government were to follow the teachings of Jesus, we would probably avoid all the terrible disasters we so often find ourselves in.
Really ask yourself, if every world government followed the teachings of Jesus, would we ever have found ourselves embroiled in Vietnam, Korea, the World Wars, etc? Would we ever have built and developed nuclear weapons? How about machine guns, tanks, ballistic missiles capable of crossing continents? In all of these examples, such weapons of mass destruction are all created out of fear. One nation fears another nation may attack so we arm ourselves with bigger, more powerful weapons. But if we followed the teachings of Jesus, then there would be no deceit, no need for fear, and thus none for violence. There wouldn’t be any selfishness, therefore no need for hoarding, or sealing resources.
In Conclusion
Ultimately I believe that ‘Enders Game’ is the definite sci-fi novel of our times. Even more relevant now than it was in the eighties. One of the rare stories that manages to capture deep theological and societal issues.
