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Petra Arkanian
A young, brilliant soldier in Ender’s Dragon army, whom Ender teases and abuses in an imitation of the way he was teased and abused when he was younger. Ender realizes he treats Bean in this way to help Bean become his best, but still feels guilty for how he is treating Bean. Bean later becomes one of Ender’s most trusted commanders during “the game” against the Buggers at Command School. (Orson Scott Card has also written a number of novels in the “Ender Universe” that focus on Bean.)
Bean Quotes in Ender’s Game
The Ender’s Game quotes below are all either spoken by Bean or refer to Bean. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10 Quotes
Ender wanted to undo his taunting of the boy, wanted to tell the others that the little one needed their help and friendship more than anyone else. But of course Ender couldn’t do that. Not on the first day. On the first day even his mistakes had to look like part of a brilliant plan.
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Ender is given control of an army at Battle School. On his first day commanding the army, he verbally abuses a young soldier named Bean, making fun of him for his size. Ender immediately regrets his actions and wishes he could take back what he said. But Ender also knows that his priority is developing his authority over his new group of soldiers. For this reason, he doesn't apologize to Bean, but instead moves on with his speech.Ender's behavior in the scene illustrates the contrast between his cold, calculating manner and his secret compassionate side. Ender was a sweet child, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a
I made sure they all noticed you today. They’ll be watching every move you make. All you have to do to earn their respect now is be perfect.
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Ender tries to justify his behavior to Bean, the soldier he verbally abused in front of his new group of soldiers. The justification Ender gives Bean is uncannily similar to the explanation Graff offered Ender at the beginning of the novel: like Graff, Ender is manipulating Bean's peers against him in the hopes that Bean will rise to the challenge and become a stronger, better soldier.Ender's behavior toward Bean proves that Graff's training is working. Even though Ender hates Graff for hurting him and turning him against his friends, Ender emulates Graff's behavior reflexively—it's a classic example of "mimetic behavior" Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde
Chapter 11 Quotes
“They need us, that’s why.” Bean sat down on the floor and stared at Ender’s feet. “Because they need somebody to beat the Buggers. That’s the only thing they care about.”
“It’s important that you know that, Bean. Because most boys in this school think the game is important for itself—but it isn’t. It’s only important because it helps them find kids who might grow up to be real commanders, in the real war. But as for the game, screw that.”
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In this quotation, Ender confides in his friend Bean—a young, ambitious soldier in the Dragon Army, whom Ender had initially mocked for his size. Ender tells Bean what he's learned about Battle School so far: the game, he believes, is fake, while war is real. Ender claims that most students in school are so competitive that they never fully grasp that the game is "just a game"—there are always students like Bonzo who are so competitive that they're willing to kill an opponent because of a win or loss in the Battle Room.Ender's speech is ironic, as we'll soon find Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas
Get the entire Ender’s Game LitChart as a printable PDF.
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Bean Character Timeline in Ender’s Game
The timeline below shows where the character Bean appears in Ender’s Game. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 10: Dragon
...who was first to launch in the right direction. The soldier says his name is Bean, and Ender responds by teasing him about his name. He then proceeds with his first...
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...how to push off walls with one’s legs frozen. All the time, Ender singles out Bean, praising him for his correct answers while also bullying him for his size. Eventually Ender...
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...help some of the most inexperienced soldiers. At the edge of the battleroom, he notices Bean waiting for him, and goes to talk. Bean begins, “I know what you’re doing, Ender,...
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After practice, Ender tries to understand why he was hard on Bean. He realizes that Graff used the same strategy on him before he’d even arrived in...
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Chapter 11: Veni Vidi Vici
...however, and insists that he should have been paired against a competent army. He asks Bean what he would have done as Salamander commander, and Bean points out that Bonzo should...
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The chapter cuts to Bean’s point of view. Bean is sitting in his barracks room when he receives a message...
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Ender asks Bean for his help. He needs Bean to think of “crazy ideas” to help the Dragon...
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Chapter 12: Bonzo
As the chapter begins, Ender and Bean are practicing with their troops. Bean has found a “new toy”—a deadline (long, thin wire),...
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...the battleroom: they’re ready to shoot the Dragon soldiers at a moment’s notice. Ender consults Bean on how best to proceed. Bean is reluctant to continue at all—it’s an unfair fight,...
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Ender is sitting in his room when he hears a knock. It’s Bean. Bean has just been transferred to command the Rabbit Army, he tells Ender. Bean seems...
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Suddenly, Colonel Graff enters Ender’s room. Ignoring Bean, he informs Ender that he’s been transferred to Command School. Bean protests that no one...
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Chapter 14: Ender’s Teacher
...he’s been prepared to command an elite group of commanders, including his old friends Alai, Bean, Dink, Shen, Crazy Tom, and many of his other loyal commanders from Dragon. Ender relays...
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...with him. Strangely, Ender’s friendship with his commanders weakens during this period: Alai, Petra, and Bean respect Ender and become excellent at understanding his commands, but they cease to think of...
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...fights he’s faced: against Stilson, against Bonzo, and against two Battle School armies at once. Bean, remembering the same Battle School episode, mutters, “Remember, the enemy’s gate is down.’ Ender laughs....
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...Eros to kill Ender, but the Russian forces have refused out of respect for Ender. Bean and Petra enter the room after Alai, and explain to Ender that the war is...
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