The Irony of Compassion

My love of scifi originated in a work of pure genius called Ender’s Game. Orson Scott Card’s most beloved novel opened up a new world of thought for me, filled with speculations about the future, theories about science, and ruminations on human nature. One of the things I find most fascinating about Card is his ability to analyze the human condition. In Ender’s Game, Ender’s capacity for great compassion fascinated me.

Throughout the book, Ender fights not only physical and virtual battles, but a constant internal battle that rages within him. Ender was created to be kinder than Peter, but more aggressive than Valentine. And he was; he was the perfect combination of compassion and utter ruthlessness. But, to him, the ruthless qualities are not valuable, rather, they reflect the curse of being related to Peter. He fights against those qualities that remind him so much of his menacing older brother. Yet, his inner ruthlessness emerges again and again, against Stilson, against Bernard, against Bonzo, against the buggers. As Ender tells Valentine, he has the ability to understand other people and “In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. And then, in that very moment when I love them…I destroy them” (238). Ender, the compassionate, becomes a killer, and Peter, the ruthless, becomes the world leader that brings about international peace. Ironically, it is Ender’s compassion that makes him into the killer that the International Fleet needs.

“We [Colonel Graff and the International Fleet] had to have a commander with so much empathy that he would think like the buggers, understand them and anticipate them. So much compassion that he could win the love of his underlings and work with them like a perfect machine, as perfect as the buggers. But somebody with that much compassion could never be the killer we needed. Could never go into battle willing to win at all costs. If you knew, you couldn’t do it. If you were the kind of person who would do it even if you knew, you could never have understood the buggers well enough” (298).

It seems that throughout history, compassion is a quality that makes great leaders. Great compassion inspires people and brings about major changes in society. Look at the examples of Jesus and Mother Theresa. In no way am I suggesting that Ender is a Jesus-like figure, but like the aforementioned persons, he has the ability to inspire those around him to follow his every command and in following his commands, change the world. It is tragic, however, that in the case of Ender his great capacity for compassion is manipulated for the task of extermination.