I am not sure how relevant it is to see Ender as a true child. What can Card be saying about childhood and adulthood? Maybe Ender is a symbol? Of how childhood is a myth we have created in the modern world? I am not quite sure about how I see this or the reasons for why it does not matter to me...but I know that in my mind, it is not really important that we accept Ender as an actual 6 - 12 year old.Mr. P. The one thing of which I am positive is that there is much of which to be negative - Mr. P.Once you perceive the irrevocable truth, you can no longer justify the irrational denial. - Mr. P.The pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand; the kind you can feel in your heart...Scorsese's "Mean Streets"I came to kick ass and chew Bubble Gum...and I am all out of Bubble Gum - They Live, Roddy Piper

Best thing to do when making a post with potential spoilers is to put a warning. This format usually works pretty well:SPOILERS!!!and then begin your message down here.

oh, got it mr. p

Julian,you've got a good point, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.However, Ender isn't acting like a 12 year old, either. He's acting beyond the comprehension of a lot of adults: particularly in thinking through who is playing what kind of games with him.I probably couldn't do that kind of analysis until i was 33, if then. Heck, if now! but we do know that ender is special, in many, many ways, which makes it almost believable.