Metamorphoses in Ender's Game and Riddley Walker
Metamorphoses and transformation is a common theme in sciencefiction, particularly since its speculative nature may make it that mucheasier to consider novel scenarios and changes unlikely in more traditionalfiction. This theme is dealt with in a relatively practical fashion in thetwo science fiction classics Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban and Ender'sGame by Orson Scott Card. In their process of developing from childhoodinto adulthood, the protagonists of both these stories stand at a cusp ofvital change, and essentially live the death of an entire way of life andbeing. Each reacts to this loss by recreating themselves anew from asynthesis of old and new, paradoxically coming into their own andovercoming their enemies by melding with them to form new, stronger selves. Perhaps the most important thing to realize when approaching thesetwo books is that in both cases the main characters are children. Theentire point of Ender's Game, of course, is to deal with the subtle waythat brilliant young children can be unknowingly forced into supersedingthe evil of adults. The youth of the protagonist is such a major plotelement that it is not at any risk of being forgotten, however it is so
These historical junctures mark the stories as more than just one'stypical coming-of-age saga. In a very real way, both Ridley and Ender seemto be emblematic of something beyond themselves, and their transformationsover the course of the story are the transformations of an entire age. One is also reminded ofmodern psychological theories that say the parent or authority figure isalways internalized in children reaching adulthood as the cruel littlevoice who sits in the corner of their mind and complains about it when theydo whatever they want to do. At the end, he is the onlyhuman they can communicate with. This ties in directly with the fact that both these stories tell ofthe coming to adulthood of their children protagonists. Graff, Mazer, and the others actively work tocontrol and harm him for the greater good, and are of course deceptive aswell. When Dragon Army is pushed too far and breaks, he isable both to find a new and strange tactic for fighting back, but alsoturns to creating an alternate world in which he can be at peace and buildrafts. Whichever thought the authors had in mind,these important ideas of integration remaining within the books, Once again Riddley's story is most obvious in its move towardssynthesis and integration in metamorphoses. Yet in eachone of these relationships he is not just drifting on the the nextavailable comrade -- he is actively undergoing a change in mental state andin representative progress. When he is separated from his family on earth, one seesimmediately how hard he works to create peace and unity among his launchgroup, though the adults and kids alike thwart him. This is both a history of how cultural progress turns intohuman society, and an indication of how childhood idealism becomes adultfunctionality. By the end of the book, he has led hisdistant army and his commanding staff of children to a total victory, andyet that victory in turn creates a war on earth that forever changes theface of global and even galactic politics. This is above all else, one supposes, a storyabout the military and its effects on children and the so-called innocent. For all ofchildhood is the process of absorbing the hated rules and attitudes ofadulthood. In each of thetransformations listed above, one can also trace ways in which Riddleytakes on elements of the spirit and ideals of those he leaves.
Common topics in this essay:
Riddley Walker,
Goodparley Goodparley,
Speaker Dead,
Ridley Ender,
Ender Riddley,
Teller Father,
Scott Card,
Dragon Army,
Ardship Riddley,
Graff Mazer,
becoming peter,
iron age culture,
lissener goodparley,
transformation adult,
riddley's story,
break free,
world relationships,
ender's game,
riddley walker,
hive queen,
iron age,
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Acceptance Essays
