Ender and Valentine

Ender and Valentine

Relations are really important to have in life, as it lets you share your life with someone. Without relations a person doesn’t have an identity and becomes very lonely. In the book Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, a story has been told about a young man named Andrew Wiggin a.k.a. Ender. Being a third child wasn’t easy for Ender, because people around him always misunderstood or underestimated him, which caused problems in his relationships. In these situations, his sister, Valentine, was the only one who supported him. Throughout the book he faced many problems, mainly isolation. In these times he would look up to no one but her sister. Valentine always supported, cared and fought for Ender, and that’s what made their relationship grow stronger.

Since Valentine cares for Ender very much, she acts like Ender’s mother throughout the book. Whenever there is a fight between Ender and Peter, his older brother, Valentine is the one who brings the fight to an end just like a mother. Everyone in the novel thinks that Valentine is the caretaker of Ender because when Ender gets his monitor removed, Valentine acts as his monitor. Valentine protects Ender from Peter by being Ender’s shadow. Noticing this behavior, Peter threatens Valentine, “You are his mother now, you better watch him, day and night. You better be there.” (Card 13) This scene takes place in chapter 2, when Peter, Ender and Valentine are playing games and Peter beats up Ender. Valentine always supported and fought for Ender. She is the only person Ender was related to.

But their relationship becomes weaker when Ender decides to go to the battle school. The distance between earth and the battle school was now visible in Ender’s and Valentine’s relationship. This distance in their relationship, on the bright side, was a good idea because it helps Ender concentrate at battle school and make it to the command fleet. Valentine was never able to forget Ender and therefore writes letters to him every time. She celebrates Ender’s birthdays all by herself. This proves her one hundred percent commitment towards their relationship. On the other hand, Ender little known about his sister didn’t think about Valentine that much. Due to his own problems at the battle school, he couldn’t write back letters. Few years’ passes, they see each other again. This is when Ender is sent to earth for his vacation. While in the lake talking about their childhood, Valentine questions Ender, “So we’re strangers now? (Card 235)” Ender answers, “Aren’t we, Valentine? (Card 235)” They are completely unaware of each other’s lives but they still remember their childhood. This is the beauty of Ender’s and Valentine’s relationship. After some time spent together they were closer than before.

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Since Ender see’s Valentine as his caretaker he obeys her and returns to the battle school. The gap in their relationship once again increases until the destruction of the buggers. Valentine towards the end gets very manipulative towards Ender and their relationship, “I know what you’re thinking, Ender you’re thinking that I’m trying to control you just as much as Peter or Graff or any others. (Card 280)” This scene occurs when Ender is done with bugger world and wants to go back to the earth, but Valentine refuses to go because Peter was now in charge of the earth. Valentine knew that she would never see Ender again, if Ender went to the Earth and she went to the first colony. And that’s why she tries to convince Ender to stay with her. This proves that she really cares about her little brother and loves him dearly. Valentine is also very cunning and manipulative like Peter. She tries to show Ender that she is not controlling, but she is. Due to Ender’s compassion for people, Valentine wants Ender to be with her forever after the destruction of bugger world.

After discovering bugger queen, Ender decides to publish a book based on the story said by the bugger queen. Ender had full support of Valentine in publishing Speaker of the dead. She helped him inform people of earth that buggers weren’t really harmful.

Valentine plays a very important character when it comes to Ender and his relationship, because Ender always obeys her. Valentine is the only person Ender has a good relationship with. The ups and downs always occur in a relationship, but that’s what made their relationship grow stronger. Supporting each other was the key factor in their relationship. In this way Ender and Valentine’s relationship survives through the obstacles.