Ender's game...psychology.

Discuss all things pertaining to the EnderVerse milieu.
Clotho
Launchie
Launchie
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2011 1:34 pm

Ender's game...psychology.

Postby Clotho » Sun Sep 18, 2011 1:55 pm

I finished Ender's Game today, and one of the things that I was constantly thinking about throughout the book was how it seemed as if Peter was the Id and Valentine was the Superego while Ender was the ego himself. Peter has a temper and is constantly doing and saying what he wants whether it be threatening Ender's or Valentine's lives or skinning squirrels. Valentine seems to be the more moderate but moral one, while Ender is a combination of both of these as are humans themselves. Just an observation of mine. It could be complete crap, but just something to think about.

User avatar
neo-dragon
Commander
Commander
Posts: 2516
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:26 pm
Title: Huey Revolutionary
Location: Canada

Postby neo-dragon » Sun Sep 18, 2011 2:10 pm

I think that's a fair analysis. I'd never thought of the Wiggin children that way, but it seems obvious now.

Welcome to Pweb. :D
"Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic."
- Frank Herbert's 'Dune'

Clotho
Launchie
Launchie
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2011 1:34 pm

Postby Clotho » Sun Sep 18, 2011 2:40 pm

The ego acts according to the reality principle; i.e. it seeks to please the id’s drive in realistic ways that will benefit in the long term rather than bringing grief. At the same time, Freud concedes that as the ego "attempts to mediate between id and reality, it is often obliged to cloak the Ucs. [Unconscious] commands of the id with its own Pcs. [Preconscious] rationalizations, to conceal the id's conflicts with reality, to profess...to be taking notice of reality even when the id has remained rigid and unyielding.

Throughout the novel, Ender is constantly trying to figure out how reality figures in with his dreams in which Peter (id) and Valentine (superego) are usually present. I think this is why Peter is constantly on his mind, because he is the hedonist...basking in excess of cruelty and power. Valentine becomes the moral conscience, making him do what is supposedly right, even though by the end we find out the the the right thing to do--kill the buggers--was really the wrong thing. I wonder if I could write my thesis on this hehe...

User avatar
Luet
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead
Posts: 4511
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:49 pm
Title: Bird Nerd
First Joined: 01 Jul 2000
Location: Albany, NY

Re: Ender's game...psychology.

Postby Luet » Tue Jan 03, 2012 8:33 am

Well, I think the study of it is called forensic psychology. So, you could go read some books about it if you are interested. :)
"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." - Albert Camus in Return to Tipasa


Return to “EnderVerse Novels and Stories”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot] and 21 guests