List the conflicts in Ender's Game.
Expert Answers
| Certified Educator
briefcaseTeacher (K-12), Professional Writer
bookB.A. from Calvin University
bookM.A. from Dordt University
calendarEducator since 2014
write5,943 answers
starTop subjects are Literature, Science, and History
There are a lot of internal and external conflicts present throughout this book. I'll try to list as many as I can.
- Ender's conflict with Bonzo. This one ends with physical violence and Bonzo's death.
- Ender's conflict with Stilson. Like the previous conflict, Ender kills his opponent.
- Ender's conflict with the commanding "officer" of each army that he is a part of in the battle room. When Ender first gets to Battle School, no army or commander wants anything to do with Ender.
- Ender's conflict with the other commanding officers once he himself gets control of Dragon Army. Even as a fellow commander, Ender doesn't immediately gain the respect of the other commanders. Ender also struggles to gain the respect of the soldiers assigned to his army.
- Ender's real conflict and battle against the buggers at the end of the book.
- Ender's conflict with Graff and other Battle School adults. Ender knows that he's being manipulated.
- Ender struggles with being a "third."
- Ender struggles to remain good while knowing that he must at times be violent and cold like Peter.
- Valentine and Peter struggle against each other regarding their plan to influence politics on Earth.
- Valentine and Peter have a fake struggle against each other as Demosthenes and Locke.
- Every time Ender steps into the battle room, he is in conflict against another army.
- Ender struggles with depression as a result of feeling extremely isolated throughout various parts of the book.
Related Questions
- What are Ender's conflicts in Ender's Game?
- 1 Educator Answer
- In Ender's Game, describe the computer game now that Ender has beaten the giant.
- 1 Educator Answer
- How does the setting affect the conflict of Ender's Game?
- 2 Educator Answers
- What are the major events of Ender's Game?
- 2 Educator Answers
- How does Ender change throughout the book Ender's Game? In what parts of the book is this shown?
- 3 Educator Answers
| Certified Educator
calendarEducator since 2015
write109 answers
starTop subjects are Literature, History, and Business
In literature there are generally considered to be two main types of conflict: external and internal conflicts. External conflicts are issues that happen between the main character and outside forces; internal conflicts occur within the character. While this book certainly contains a lot of action, it is the internal conflict that gives it staying power. Here are a few conflicts of each type.
External Conflicts
- Ender's efforts to remain safe from bullies. This includes Bonzo, Peter, and other characters.
- The human race and its war with the Formics. This is the war that becomes the central external conflict of the novel.
- Ender's struggle to make friends despite his commanders' attempts to isolate him.
- Ender's struggle to win battles and progress through battle school.
Internal Conflicts
- Ender's fight to remain a child and hold onto his innocence after all the violence and conflict he endures.
- Ender's struggle to remain a good and caring person while also defending himself. He worries that all the fighting will force him into becoming more like Peter.
- Ender's struggle to forgive himself for what he is forced to do to the Bugger species.