The most prominent archetype in Enders Game is the desert.

Ender lives in a desert

throughout the novel, and is a victim of its alienation and depression. From the very beginning,

Ender is isolated from his own family and those that surround him because he is a third. On top

of this, he also had his monitor for longer than both his siblings, separating him even more.

Ender continues on to battle school, which is located in space, isolated from the world. He is

alienated from the other children as Colonel Graff makes an example of his intelligence.

Throughout the novel, he is continuously separated from other children as a result of his own

personal excellence or the manipulation of the teachers. Ender plays a game at the battle school

which provides a method for self-exploration. Search for self is a theme associated with the

desert setting. This alienation that Ender faces is key to his success and his education. Without it,

Ender would not have been able to effectively defeat the buggers. His isolation was meant to

make him independent and prepare him for the real war, and thus was an essential part to the

novel and Enders journey.