• abysmalpoptart@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    I think it’s more of a book reference to his fight with bonzo, who was bullying ender. Ender was a few years younger and knew he had to win the fight “permanently,” so it’s inferred that he knew what he was doing (not intending to kill him but that’s obviously a possibility).

    Iirc, the officials told ender that bonzo was sent home. In reality, he did actually kill bonzo and was lied to about it.

    • intensely_human
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      His goal was to demonstrate that he was a crazy animal. That was the thing he was hoping would keep the bullying away: demonstrating a lack of constraint.

      It wasn’t so much about disabling the other boy as about establishing an image as an unpredictable enemy.

      • abysmalpoptart@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 year ago

        His goal was to point out that it wasn’t worth it to mess with him, he’s going to fight back hard and take you out. It was about deterring him from wanting to ever pick on him. Right, his goal wasn’t to permanently disfigure him, but to establish a permanent idea that it isn’t worth it to pick on him

    • Dkarma@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Fair but ender himself says he never meant to kill bonzo or the kid in his earth school.

      • abysmalpoptart@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        1 year ago

        That’s fair, though he was trying to permanently end the bullying, which is what i think OP was referencing at least. Since, you know, that would end bullying permanently