Ender's Game, Chapters 1-7

Chapter 1, "Third"

The chapter begins with two unidentified voices talking about "him" and his brother and sister.  They decided to "take him" because they are "saving the world."  Ender (Andrew Wiggin) has his monitor removed.  He thinks that now maybe his brother Peter, who has "mad moods," will like him.  After the procedure, children at school tease Ender for being a "Third" (a third child authorized by the government, which restricts families to two children).  Stilson attacks Ender, but kicks him and then continues to strike him while he's on the ground to ensure that the other children won't attack him in the future.  Ender worries that he's just like Peter. (E.C.)

Chapter 2, "Peter"

 The  chapter starts with dialogue regarding the monitor being taken from Ender and the consequences of its removal. The first real conflict happens between Peter and Ender in this chapter, the game of "astronaut" and "bugger" allowing Peter to take advantage of a hypothetical situation and cause physical harm to Ender. Unkind words and death threats are made. All three of the Wiggin children (Valentine, Peter and Ender) display the personality traits which will continue to show throughout the duration of the novel. [SM]

Chapter 3, "Graff"

 This chapter is a pivotal one.  It starts off with Ender worrying about going to school and how a potential encounter with Stilson would go.  An I.F. Colonel by the name of Graff comes to the house.  Ender thinks he is there to punish him for the fight with Stilson that had happened the day before.  Graff tells them that he is actually there to take Ender to battle school.  The family and Ender are hesitant at first. Graff takes Ender away and tells him about his parents history, about them being religious and that a third child for them was embarrassing and shameful because of their religious backgrounds and the social norms.  After the discussion Ender decides to go with Graff and says good bye to his family. MF

Chapter 4, "Launch"

 The chapter begins with Ender and the other boys getting ready for the launch.  There is a lot of excitement, anxiety and nerves for all the boys.  Ender feels comfortable with Graff at the beginning of the launch, but that changes quickly.  Graff singles him out and make him out to be the best in front of the other kids.  The other kids get an attitude with Ender and assume that he is the favored child.  Ender quickly gets into a fight with another child and breaks his arm while flipping him through the air.  Ender feels guilty and compares himself to his horrid brother, Peter.  Ender speaks to Graff about singling him out and Graff tells him that he had better step up the plate and become the best.  (HG)

Chapter 5, "Games"

 Graff discusses the meaning of his actions in the gravity test, and tries to justify his reason for isolating him. Ender goes to his bunk bed and prepares for his lessons. When he opens his locker, he finds a pistol laser like gun. A man explains what the pistol is for and how it works. Ender meets Dap, the "mom" of his group. Ender already wants to go home, and continues to be isolated, although he observes how everything works in the school, and how people are grouped. After talking to a guy named Mick, Ender learns that every launch group has a bugger or person isolated from the group. He decides he doesn't want to be the bugger of the group. The Battle School was classes and games. Ender watches the older boy's games and likes watching a game where the boys dug tunnels and hid mines. After he understands the game, he challenges the winning player. Ender wins all three games by using different and unexpected strategies. Ender is bullied by his launch group, whose leader was Bernard, the boy Ender defended himself against. When Bernard starts bullying Shen, Ender passes messages through the desk to get Bernard in trouble. After Bernard gets introuble with Dap, the lauchies don't follow him anymore, and Ender is no longer isolated. (S.G.)

Chapter 6, "The Giant's Drink"

The chapter starts with Graff talking to someone about Ender being stuck at the Giant's Drink and compare him to another little boy who kept going back to it and ended up killing himself. The discussion ends with talk of Ender being poisonous to the launch group, but Graff insists that the isolation was necessary for Ender. Their discussion ends and the chapter begins with Ender and his group of launchies going into the battleroom for the first time. As he explores zero gravity circumstances and learns how to manipulate himself in it, Ender befriends Bernard's friend Alai. They figure out that the guns that are on their flash suits freeze whatever part of suit they hit by shooting each other in the foot. Then they decide to freeze all the other launchies. They got Bernard and Shen together with them and then froze everyone else. During study time back in their room, Ender plays Free Play on his desk. He gets through all the obstacles he's seen before, but he keeps getting stuck at the Giant's guessing game-- two drinks, one is poison and he has to choose which one to drink. Each time, Ender's character dies. Finally, after losing many times, he decides to kick the drinks over and instead kills the Giant. Instead of exploring the game any further, he decides to sign off and muses that he hadn't wanted to kill the Giant; he's not a murderer. [SM]

Chapter 7, "Salamander"

 This chaper begins with two unidentified speakers, probably Andersen and Graff, discussing how Ender beat the Giant game. Alai discovers how Ender got the message from Bernard to flash across everyone's screen, and they develop a close friendship. Ender is transferred to Salamander army  under Bonzo Madrid. Alai kiss Ender on the cheek when he finds out Ender is being transferred. In the Giant game, Ender cannot play on the playground like the other kids--the playground equipment won't let him.  This game eventually leads to the End of the World game in which Ender ends up in a tower, seemingly withouut escape; however, the game is interrupted by a command from Salamander army that he needs to report for duty. Ender meets Petra in his new army, and she is seemingly his only friend, even offering him extra training sessions after breakfast. Bonzo Madrid slaps Petra in order to prove a point as well., and proves even more distasteful a character by refusing to train Ender or allow him to participate in battles. Ender ends up holding evening practices with othe rLaunchies to sharpen his skills, and they became quite skilled at strange techniques. At the end of the chapter Ender disobeys Bonzo and plays in the game, disobeying direct orders, and Bonzo is infuriated--he trades Ender to Rat army. Ender aalso enrolls for an earth-gravity personal combat course. (D.W.)

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