Children Of The Mind Theme Essay

In Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card, Card uses a variety of craft moves to demonstrate the theme of sacrifice. Sacrifice is clearly the theme because the author contemplates whether sentient alien life has as much worth as human. The character Jane sacrifices herself in order to save the planet Lusitania, home to three sentient species: the Piggies or Pequeninos, the Buggers and the Humans. Card develops a strong affection for the character Jane who is a creature created by the Buggers’ hive queen. Jane is made up of net of philotic twining with a soul “downloaded" into it, creating a creature that only exists through technology. When Earth sends a fleet armed with the ¨little doctor¨; the futuristic equivalent of an atom bomb, capable
One perspective is that the aliens have a deadly adaptable virus that would kill human kind if ever unleashed, in contrast the aliens feel that the humans are killing them for no reason. In reality the war is a misunderstanding that two characters race to remedy before the fleet arrives in Lusitania. Card masterfully uses different perspectives to give depth and suspense to the story.
A final craft move Card uses is foreshadowing to build suspense. He does this in a number of situations, he foreshadows how Jane came to exist and how the descolada virus works, among other things. This quote, "Maybe it's a kind of language," is an example of this use of foreshadowing, it foreshadows that the genetic molecules the descolada people are sending may be a type of language. Card often uses foreshadowing to convey themes or important information.
Overall, Card uses a net of craft moves to ensnare the reader in his complex plot. These craft moves also lead to prove the theme of sacrifice, and how it is more important to save what you love than yourself. Card analyzes that intelligent life is equal to intelligent life even if intelligent life is