You are responsible for all that you do, all that you don't do, and the consequences thereof.

Sunday, October 02, 2011

The "meaning" behind stories: Orson Scott Card

I remember reading once an anti gay rant by the author of Ender's Game. A commenter on the webpage I saw it on, seemed rather upset to discover it. They'd believed the Ender's Game series was one that taught tolerance and acceptance. I had gotten a very different meaning from the series.

Orson Scott Card doesn't teach tolerance and acceptance in his stories, instead the message, is that humanity must learn to accept the natural order of things, and to seek truth over imposing our own prejudices. His anti-gay rant was founded on the belief that homosexuality was an unnatural thing, and that gays were the ones failing to accept reality. The evidence scientists have been able to find, does not support that view. Unfortuneately, he did not seem to be aware of this.

Even more depressing, are the beliefs that are revealed by some of his other works. The main theme of The Worthing Saga is the despicability of ordinary humans. The Homecoming Saga, is filled with the idea that humans without God cannot avoid self-destruction. Overall, his view of humanity seems very pessimistic.

I have yet to encounter anyone who has seen the same meaning in these stories as I have. Clearly, it is easy for people to see, what they want to see. If they seek acceptance, then they will find it, not seeing the details that warp it. While I have confidence in my analysis, I still wonder how much I have manage to misinterpret.

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