Valentine and Peter

Valentine and Peter Wiggin, the older siblings of Ender Wiggin, form one of the most consequential and secret partnerships in the novel. Their collaboration, conducted under the pseudonyms Demosthenes and Locke, is a calculated attempt to shape world politics from their childhood home, first in the city and later in Greensboro, North Carolina. This partnership is not merely a political scheme; it is a complex web of manipulation, mutual dependence, and deep-seated rivalry that defines their relationship and ultimately determines the fate of the Wiggin family and, to a significant degree, the world.

Origins of the Partnership

The partnership begins in earnest when Peter, at age twelve, approaches Valentine, then ten, with a plan to influence world events. Peter, who has been tracking Russian troop movements through train schedules, believes that the world is on the brink of a major shift, and that the right words at the right time can change history. He argues that they are not like other children, that they think and write differently, and that they can use the nets to become influential voices. Valentine, despite her fear and moral qualms, is drawn to the idea, partly because she recognizes her own desire for power and partly because Peter's sincerity, even if calculated, moves her. Their initial efforts involve using throwaway identities to test their writing, learning to sound adult, and then creating the personas of Demosthenes and Locke. Peter chooses the name Demosthenes for Valentine and Locke for himself, both obvious pseudonyms that are meant to attract attention and speculation.

The Mechanics of the Collaboration

The collaboration is built on a strict division of labor and a careful construction of separate identities. Peter insists that they must seem completely separate, writing about different topics, using different regional nets, and never referring to each other. Valentine writes as Demosthenes, a paranoid anti-Warsaw writer who exploits fear, while Peter writes as Locke, a moderate and empathic voice. They even create spare identities to drop in third-party opinions. Peter, who is the strategist, dictates the overall direction, but Valentine's talent for persuasion and alliteration makes Demosthenes memorable. They compose debates for their characters, with Valentine preparing opening statements and Peter inventing throwaway names to answer her, creating lively and intelligent exchanges. They track the spread of their phrases, noting when they crop up in other places, and they are thrilled when Demosthenes is offered a weekly column and Locke is picked up by a New England newsnet. The partnership is a game, but it is also a serious exercise in power, and Valentine finds herself becoming Demosthenes, thinking like him even when she disagrees with his positions.

The Strain and the Break

The partnership is not without its tensions. Valentine is troubled by the positions Peter makes Demosthenes take, particularly the calls for war to break up the Warsaw Pact. She is also humiliated when her father praises Demosthenes at the dinner table, not knowing that his own daughter wrote the columns. Peter, for his part, is jealous when Demosthenes is invited to join the President's Council on Education for the Future, a recognition that comes before Locke. He becomes angry and leaves Valentine to write her own columns, but she does not need him anymore. The partnership begins to fray as Valentine grows into her role, and she starts to see the world through Demosthenes' eyes, even agreeing with some of his ideas. The turning point comes when Colonel Graff, who has discovered their identities, recruits Valentine to help Ender. She writes a letter to Ender, which is used by the I.F. to manipulate him, and she is awarded the Star of the Order of the League of Humanity for her efforts. She feels she has sold her brother, and the experience deepens her disillusionment with Peter's schemes.

The Partnership's End and Its Legacy

The partnership effectively ends when Valentine decides to leave Earth with the first colony, taking Ender with her. She reveals to Ender that she has used her knowledge of Peter's past, including his torture of squirrels and his treatment of Ender, to blackmail him into letting her go. She tells Ender that Peter wanted to use him as a pawn, and that she has secured their freedom. Valentine's departure marks the end of the collaboration, but its legacy endures. Demosthenes retires, and Locke, now revealed as Peter, becomes the Hegemon of Earth, using the influence they built together to propose the Locke Proposal, which forestalls a devastating war. The partnership, born of childhood ambition and fear, ultimately shapes the political landscape of the post-bugger-war world, even as it drives the Wiggin siblings apart. Valentine, in her new life as a colonist and historian, writes the history of the bugger wars, while Peter, as Hegemon, rules Earth. Their collaboration, though secret and often fraught, proves that two children could indeed change the world, for better or worse.