Graff's Decision in Ender's Game
Why does Graff allow the boy to hit Ender on the head? What are the consequences?
Final answer:
In the novel Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Graff allows the boy to hit Ender on the head as part of his training. The boy who hits Ender is named Stilson and he ends up getting severely injured and dying from the fight.
Explanation:
In the novel Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Graff doesn't stop the boy from hitting Ender on the head because it is part of the training program designed to push Ender to his limits. Graff believes that Ender needs to face challenges and obstacles in order to develop his skills as a military leader. By allowing the boy to hit Ender, Graff is testing Ender's resilience and ability to overcome adversity.
The boy who hits Ender on the head is named Stilson. After the incident, Ender fights back and severely injures Stilson. Unfortunately, Stilson ends up dying from the injuries he sustained in the fight.
In Ender's Game, Graff's decision to allow the boy Stilson to hit Ender on the head is a controversial and morally ambiguous one. Graff, as the head of the Battle School, is tasked with training the best military minds to defend Earth against an alien threat. He sees Ender Wiggin as a potentially brilliant leader who needs to be pushed to his limits in order to reach his full potential.
By subjecting Ender to physical and psychological challenges, Graff believes he is preparing him for the harsh realities of war. Allowing Stilson to provoke Ender into a fight tests Ender's ability to think under pressure and make split-second decisions in a combat situation.
The consequences of Graff's decision are tragic. Stilson, the boy who confronts Ender, ends up paying the ultimate price for his actions. Ender's response, though driven by self-defense, leads to Stilson's severe injuries and eventual death. This incident haunts Ender throughout the novel, as he struggles with the guilt of inadvertently causing someone's death.
In hindsight, Graff's decision to allow the altercation between Ender and Stilson reflects the harsh and unforgiving nature of the training program at the Battle School. It raises complex ethical questions about the lengths to which authority figures are willing to go in the name of preparing soldiers for war. Ultimately, Ender's journey in the novel forces readers to confront the moral ambiguity of sacrificing individual lives for the greater good of society.