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Manipulation In Ender's Game

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Manipulation was a major theme in the book, Ender's Game. All of the adults in the book manipulated the children in battle school and told them lies that forced them to do dangerous things. Dink Meeker said that the adults were the real enemies, which was true because they had everything planned out and the kids were just a piece of their puzzle and had no idea what the international fleet was planning.
The idea of the adults manipulating the children's lives is also seen throughout the book. The adults took children from their homes and pushed their bodies to the extreme just to train them into becoming of great use to the military. The adults manipulate Ender in order to fulfill their needs. They trick, lie and tell him just enough so that he can defeat the buggers. Basically, manipulation in Ender’s Game is a gray area. On one hand, it seems wrong to lie to and cheat a kid. On the other hand, the adults manipulate him …show more content…
It's just a half truth. You can worry about the other half after we win this war."(35) Colonel Graff tells Ender why people are used in society. Through Graff’s training and tests in the Battle room he eventually manipulates the way Ender thinks and acts. Eventually this made Ender into what he feared being the most, which was violent like his brother Peter.
Besides the manipulative relationship between the adults and Ender, there are a number of other relationships full of manipulation present throughout the book. For example, Peter manipulates Valentine. "Val, we can say the words that everyone else will be saying two weeks later. We can do that." (80) He used his understandings and motivations to make Valentine see what he's getting at and that he has become nicer than before, which could possibly be his way of manipulating and making Valentine believe that he has truly changed in order to make her do what he

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