Ender's Game (Part 3)

     Ender was off to Battle School with about thirty other boys who were supposedly just as smart as he was, and just as capable of being a commander as he was. They blasted off into space with no belongings to their names (everything necessary was to be provided at the Battle School). On the way up, Ender accidentally broke a boy's arm. He was commemorated as being the only one man enough to be there. He was being isolated, which had been mentioned in the dialogue at the beginning of the chapters, socially. 

     Ender would realize how much this isolation helped him later, but at the moment he feels that it is unfair, and he isn't without reason. Imagine if you were separated from your friends and peers. It would be lonely and frightening, especially for a six year old in a new school that trains you in battle. 

     Ender begins to adjust to the new schedule at the Battle School, even though he has no friends in the school. He's learning to operate alone. He's already shown his prowess at technology and computer hacking and building defenses on his Desk (which is like a slightly larger iPad). You can get games on the Desk, and there's one game in which Ender is always using. He's a character in a world in which there are several different scenarios that you can switch between. But that becomes important later, when we learn about Ender's psychology. 

     Then the boys in Ender's 'Launch Group ' (the other kids he launched to the Battle School with) are introduced to the Battle Room. The Battle Room is at the center of the school and it has zero gravity, mimicking conditions in space. Ender and a boy names Alai take to the Room immediately. They start bouncing off the walls, testing ways to move and travel, and they figure out how to use these guns that they're given. The guns shoot a light/lazer-like beam that 'freezes' the person you aimed at (it makes their Zero G suits stiffen up so they can't move). Ender is commemorated again for his work, and he is alienated even further. 

     Alai becomes Ender's first friend at the school, which must be nice for Ender. He was isolated for months, and then he's reintroduced to the social world. I cannot empathize with how Ender must be feeling. I've never been alienated like that, but maybe it's a sort of good learning experience for everyone to have. So they know how others feel. 

     This segment showed how much the people who run the Battle School want to push Ender even further, to be a commander sooner, to lead and army young. They want him to be perfect for when the 'buggers' next attack, which could be anytime. They isolated him, and now he has a new friend who he can laugh with whenever. 

     This seems like too much happiness for Ender to deal with all at once. The Colonel Graff will probably end his enjoyment as soon as he possibly can.