Dehumanization in Ender's Game: Losing Humanity to Win

Introduction: Games, Humanity, and Moral Values

Society has made it possible for people to focus on a series of values that are more or less moral and that influence them to put across particular behavior. The idea of a game is the main point of attention in Orson Scott Card's 1985 novel Ender's Game, considering that the protagonist is actively engaged in playing and winning a series of games without actually realizing the significance of those games. The science fiction novel is meant to reflect humanity's behavior in recent decades and people's inability to maintain some of their most important values. In his determination to employ tactical thinking in winning games, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin loses touch with his humane side and ends up acting like a machine.

This novel says a great deal about humanity and about the general human character, considering that it presents Ender and his siblings as they go through several episodes during which they are practically forced to choose between being human and being perfect. One might be inclined to consider that the fact that the book is about children makes the storyline less mature. However, the concepts in the novel are actually very philosophical in nature, and a reader is likely to do a great deal of thinking while engaging with it. The subplot involving Ender's brother and sister is also significant in providing more information regarding human personality as a whole, because it shows their determination to impose their authority. In contrast to them, Ender is used as a tool, and his perfection is not necessarily beneficial for him.

Ender's Conditioning and Emotional Desensitization

The central character is taken from his family at a young age and introduced to a program designed to assist individuals in becoming perfect warriors. However, Ender's experiences desensitize him and gradually make him less able to feel human emotions. The enormous amount of stress he endures makes it difficult for him to develop accordingly, and he soon starts to have trouble expressing even the simplest of emotions.

In spite of the fact that Ender retains most of his attributes throughout the plot, he is unable to differentiate between right and wrong when he encounters critical circumstances. He is influenced to believe that the best solution available depends on his personal satisfaction consequent to performing an action. The author most probably wanted to emphasize the human condition by relating to how some people are willing to make great efforts to achieve certain goals, even if this means abandoning many of their principles in the process.

Ender's dedication knows no boundaries — he no longer wants a personal life and constantly tries to perfect his position in the International Fleet. "In my army we're always on duty" (Card 3). This character sees no reason to ignore his military principles during his free time. This stands as proof that his teachings shaped his personality and influenced him to adopt an approach that he believed to be particularly fruitful.

Dehumanization as a Process: Perfectionism and Lost Identity

While one might be inclined to perceive dehumanization as a process during which a person loses his or her self-esteem, it is likely that the reality is more complex. The individual actually grows more confident as he or she performs more and more acts perfectly, and eventually ends up expressing little to no interest in concepts that were previously important. Traditional values are no longer significant in the face of progress, and this is reflected in Ender's character: he loses his appreciation of human lives and does everything in his power to achieve success in his endeavor.

James Rogers perfectly captures the concept of dehumanization and contemporary attitudes regarding the process: "These days, dehumanization envelops planet Earth like a crushing, constricting spherical boa constrictor. Unlike our life-sustaining atmosphere with its molecules of oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, dehumanization is unnatural and consists of anti-life ideas" (Rogers 5). What is even more troubling is that many people are inclined to believe that ideas are innocent as long as they are not put into action. However, an idea can gradually poison people's minds to the point where they are no longer able to differentiate between right and wrong. This makes it difficult — and almost impossible — for them to realize when they are doing something immoral. These individuals come to believe that there is nothing wrong with committing a harmful act as long as the benefits it generates outweigh the act itself.

The expression "you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs" perfectly describes the thinking of an individual whose behavior is governed by dehumanized attitudes. People who believe that it is perfectly normal to behave this way are actually unable to understand the general character of the situation they are in. They see matters only from their own perspective and express little to no interest in showing sympathy toward concepts they do not identify with.

Trying to be a perfectionist carries a great deal of risk, and it is genuinely detrimental for an individual to focus exclusively on achieving the best results possible. Such a person is no longer able to see matters from an objective point of view and ends up concentrating all of his or her resources on acts that are in disagreement with humanity's traditional values. One of the first steps in the process of dehumanization is the moment when one loses interest in knowing the truth. Dehumanization can thus be understood as a set of impulses identified with the desire to destroy humanity. Ender's success in his field persuaded him to focus on self-interest instead of concentrating on the bigger picture. This played an essential role in diminishing his concern for individuals he considered to stand in his way to victory.

Nature is typically an environment where balance stands as the primary force assisting the world in experiencing progress. However, when people attempt to act in disagreement with its system, they create a false image of what "right" means. This is one of the main reasons people fail in various endeavors: they fail to look at the bigger picture. While trying to be perfect gives individuals the feeling that they have found their personal identity, it also causes them to lose touch with reality. The individual loses most of his or her qualities in the process of wanting to be perfect and is also likely to hurt most of the people with whom he or she interacts during this development.

By being dehumanized, an individual is gradually excluded from the community of people who promote moral behavior. He or she is influenced to abandon moral principles in favor of being guided by thinking meant to provide success in particular actions. Ender's Game returns to the concept of humanity on several occasions, emphasizing the fact that for dehumanization to be effective it needs to occur at an early age — when the individual is getting acquainted with the surrounding environment and is exposed to outside influence. It is especially difficult to determine whether Ender is right at the point when he decides it is acceptable to sacrifice his people. He is faced with an ethical dilemma and tries to choose the best solution available. It is not necessarily that he is less laudable for taking this decision, but rather that he is condemnable because he most probably does so in order to demonstrate his more advanced strategy. The fact that his superiors congratulate him for his actions further contributes to his dehumanization, as he learns that it is always normal to act on account of the best outcome available, regardless of the consequences those actions have on particular individuals.

Conclusion: Predisposed to Dehumanization

Ender practically acts as a machine — on and off the battlefield — considering that he is solely interested in victory and wants to complete orders without considering the harm he causes to his men in the process. This makes it difficult for him to think about the outside world, and he appears to be insensitive to concepts that would frighten a normal individual. In spite of his determination and intellect, he is used by people who know how to manipulate him. This character experiences a dehumanizing process that is shown throughout the novel. He grows from a sensitive boy into a dehumanized man who would stop at nothing to achieve success in his endeavor.

More and more individuals today come to experience a fate similar to Ender's — even though the circumstances of their manipulation differ from those in Card's novel — and it seems that people are predisposed to being dehumanized. The fact that they are determined to achieve certain goals makes it difficult for them to step back and see matters from an objective point of view. Orson Scott Card's novel thus serves as both a compelling science fiction narrative and a cautionary reflection on the fragility of human values in the face of ambition, manipulation, and the relentless pursuit of perfection.

Works Cited

Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. Retrieved March 18, 2012, from the Scribd Website: http://www.scribd.com/doc/34993931/Ender-s-Game-Novella

Dixon, John, and Mark Levine. Beyond Prejudice: Extending the Social Psychology of Conflict, Inequality and Social Change. Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Fournet, Caroline. The Crime of Destruction and the Law of Genocide: Their Impact on Collective Memory. Ashgate Publishing, 2007.

Kaufmann, Paulus. Humiliation, Degradation, Dehumanization: Human Dignity Violated. Springer, 2010.

Rogers, James. The Accelerating Pace of Dehumanization. Lulu.com, 2006.