The Polish Boy
"The Polish Boy" is a story by Orson Scott Card set in his Ender's Game universe. It tells the story of how John Paul Wieczorek (Ender’s father) as a small child gets tested by the International Fleet and convinces them to get his family out of Poland. It first appeared in Card's short story collection, First Meetings.
Plot summary
John Paul is a very smart child who is being home schooled because his family refused to comply with the populations control laws. One day, Captain Helena Rudolf from the International Fleet shows up to test three of John Paul’s brothers for possible admission into Battle School. She notices John Paul reading a book and decides to test him early. He passes the test and gets a very high score for leadership. The IF tries to get him to go to Battle School, but John Paul is only interested in trying to get his family out of Poland so that they can have a better life and he can get a good education. Captain Graff realizes this, but agrees to send the Wieczorek family to America because he hopes that one of John Paul’s children will go to Battle School.
This story contains younger versions of important characters in the Enderverse, such as Ender's father John Paul Wieczorek (later Wiggin), Hyrum Graff, and Admiral Chamrajnagar. Other characters associated with the IF appear, including Captain Helena Rudolf and Colonel Sillian.
Characters
Wieczorek family
- John Paul
- Mother - unnamed
- Father - unnamed
- Peter - oldest brother
- Catherine - oldest sister
- Nicholas - older brother
- Thomas - older brother
- Anna - older sister
- Andrew - older brother
- Two babies - unnamed
International Fleet personnel
- Captain Helena Rudolf - tester
- Colonel Sillian
- Captain Graff
- Captain Chamrajnagar
- Russian general - unnamed
Other characters
- Magdalena "Magda" Teczlo - Wieczorek's lawyer
References
- "The Polish Boy" by Orson Scott Card
- The Hatrack Orson Scott Card’s official website.
External links