Page 29

Page 29

    He walked the bridge to the door in the shuttle. He noticed that the wall to his right was carpeted like a floor. That was where the disorientation began. The moment he thought of the wall as a floor, he began to feel like he was walking on a wall. He got to the ladder, and noticed that the vertical surface behind it was also carpeted. I am climbing up the floor. Hand over hand, step over step.
    And then, for fun, he pretended that he was climbing down the wall. He did it almost instantly in his mind, convinced himself against the best evidence of gravity until he reached an empty seat. He found himself gripping the seat tightly, even though gravity pulled him firmly against it.
    The other boys were bouncing in their seats a little, poking and pushing, shouting. Ender carefully found the straps, figured out how they fit together to hold him at crotch, waist, and shoulders. He imagined the ship dangling upside down on the undersurface of the Earth, the giant fingers of gravity firmly holding them in place. But we will slip away, he thought. We are going to fall off this planet.

    I think this passage describes the book, as well as Ender very well. It shows that Ender is a very individual thinker, and a person who is able to adapt. It captures the tone of the writer very well. His tone is serious and thought-provoking at the same time, which I really like. And this whole commentary about gravity really shows that.