Hee! This is so strange, because I only read Ender's Game for the first time a week or so ago. I nabbed it off Penelope's shelves, and when she came home I was all 'Now we're going to have over-dinner meta about Orson Scott Card!' And so it was.
I can't see the book as an apology for Hitler, because, uh, the whole plot is as follows 'OMG Can We Possibly Engineer This Kid Into Unintentional Genocide Through Severe Physical and Emotional Abuse'? And if the Weimar Republic was fiendishly pulling Hitler's strings in an attempt to make him slaughter the Jews, well, I feel history should be less silent on the topic. I think it's interesting if Ender's details do conform to Hitler's details, but even that I can see as an author going 'wouldn't it be cool if - but Hitler being a nice kid!' (Ender is a nice kid. He's a total, total psycho, but he's got very good intentions.)
Nevertheless, I also fail to see how anyone could read the books and not go 'OH MY, OSC has terrible problems' right off. Because, uh, really? The homophobia? Not so veiled!
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This dude Bonzo is the only guy we get a lot of physical description for. He's uber hot. Super fine! Ender sees him and wants to follow this beautiful countenance as his leader forevermore.
Bonzo is totally evil however, and plots to kill Ender, and to further this plan they uh. Well, they have a wrestle to the death shower scene! As one does. And then Ender... beats him up till he dies... and then beats up his corpse... some more...
OSC not so subtle on the morality lessons, therefore. I'm not really sure that he can be compared with Tolkien or Rowling, because he is so pamphlety and the world is subservient to my whims-ish. Though actually, for such a didactic book, it is a rather good read.
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Date: 2006-11-30 07:36 pm (UTC)I can't see the book as an apology for Hitler, because, uh, the whole plot is as follows 'OMG Can We Possibly Engineer This Kid Into Unintentional Genocide Through Severe Physical and Emotional Abuse'? And if the Weimar Republic was fiendishly pulling Hitler's strings in an attempt to make him slaughter the Jews, well, I feel history should be less silent on the topic. I think it's interesting if Ender's details do conform to Hitler's details, but even that I can see as an author going 'wouldn't it be cool if - but Hitler being a nice kid!' (Ender is a nice kid. He's a total, total psycho, but he's got very good intentions.)
Nevertheless, I also fail to see how anyone could read the books and not go 'OH MY, OSC has terrible problems' right off. Because, uh, really? The homophobia? Not so veiled!
s
p
o
i
l
e
r
This dude Bonzo is the only guy we get a lot of physical description for. He's uber hot. Super fine! Ender sees him and wants to follow this beautiful countenance as his leader forevermore.
Bonzo is totally evil however, and plots to kill Ender, and to further this plan they uh. Well, they have a wrestle to the death shower scene! As one does. And then Ender... beats him up till he dies... and then beats up his corpse... some more...
OSC not so subtle on the morality lessons, therefore. I'm not really sure that he can be compared with Tolkien or Rowling, because he is so pamphlety and the world is subservient to my whims-ish. Though actually, for such a didactic book, it is a rather good read.