Essay question: 'Heroes must contend with enemies in the world but also with their own personal difficulties.' Do you agree? Heroes must contend with enemies in the world but also with their own personal difficulties, whether deliberately invented or freely occurring. Furthermore, it is crucial to note that this confrontation with their own personal and very human problems, despite all the difficulties, is what determines the extent to which they are able to fight their enemies. This concept will be explored through examination of Orson Scott Card's 1985 science fiction novel Ender's Game and the 2006 graphic novel The Walking Dead (Books 1 and 2) by author Robert Kirkman and illustrator Tony Moore. A hero's character development and ability to fight enemies is shaped by encountering personal difficulties, within a manufactured and manipulative environment. Throughout Enders Game, the pre-teen protagonist, Ender, has his nature and mentality warped by manipulative adults in order to transform him into what they perceive, the most effective "savior" of the human race, only to have Ender find a just as effective "savior" of the human race. evil force within the battle school. The repeated dialogue at the beginning of most chapters, between two unknown officers discussing the necessity of Ender's immersion in "isolation" (1) and "enemies" (2) is an indication of intentional manipulation and exposure to a series of engineered human problems, in an attempt to turn Ender into the hero they want him to be. Card further accentuated this idea by imbuing these discussions with ambiguity. No setting is described, nor is the identity of the two men revealed; giving them a sense of enigmatic authority. The alienation and isolation that... are at the center of the card... bearer of justice. The personal human trials that Rick faces leave him unable to carry out a sense of justice “we will hang him” (5). Although this hardened judgment enhances his ability to fight and kill evil: threats to his family, it comes at a cost, the cost that ultimately transforms him from an innocent, pure but essentially "weak" hero to an effective, ruthless but imperfect. in his uncontrollable circumstance. From the examination of these two texts it is evidently clear that for heroes to be able to face their enemies it is essential that they first overcome personal difficulties. This is true for the characters in both novels, as we examine their journey to hero status. Whether the circumstances come from a manipulative external source or a series of uncontrollable events, both will undergo a similar developmental process..