Jason Pryde’s Reviews > The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia > Status Update

“Shevek had learned something about his own will these last four years. In it’s frustration he had learned it’s strength. No social or ethical imperative equaled it. Not even hunger could repress it. The less he had, the more absolute became his need to be.”
This echo’s Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead” (see Wikipedia article)
“…Rand's belief that individualism is superior to collectivism.”

‘… “Hell” He said aloud. Pravin was not a good swearing language. It is hard to swear when sex is not dirty and blasphemy does not exist…’
I cannot think of a more precise explanation of a moral utopia.

I go up and down on UKLG’s politics and philosophy but I found an interesting passage where Shevek is visiting Takver in the Aquaria.
“Submitting his physicists arrogance to those small strange lives…beings to whom the present is eternal…need not ever justify their ways to man”
The wisest Zen monks strive to be as in the moment as a goldfish.

[Spoiler Alert] “We aren’t, except biologically, mother and son, of course. You don’t remember me and the baby I remember isn’t this man of twenty…I don’t suppose I’ll be back…Goodbye, Shevek.”
This is the saddest passage I have ever read in my life.

Ursula LeGuin is obsessed with social conscience, the “most powerful force motivating behavior on Anarresti”. The moral quandaries that Shevek wrestles with when he is accepted into the institute with private rooms, extra desserts, etc. Things that most of his population perhaps longs for but criticizes in others as selfishness. He usually rationalizes his good fortune.

“There were no disguises and no advertisements. It was all there, all the life, all the work, open to the eye and the hand… “ description of city of Abbenay on planet Antares.
Still haven’t figured out why so many names start with “A” in this book.
Plot vs characterization vs metaphor, different qualia for different purposes. Every reader takes away something different.

Really having a difficult time wrapping my mind around Ursula Le Guin.
Presumably, her protagonist carries her intended theme. His vague sense of “dispossession”, a man with no country or even planet, seems to be equally disillusioned with his own planet as with Urras, the planet he is visiting. He is positively impressed by the social fabric, the glamour and ethics of Urras but where are all of the workers?

[SPOILER ALERT]. Interesting that Shevek travels from planet Anarres to planet Urras to initiate peace and understanding between the two populations…as a physical scientist, not a politician or even a social scientist. Physics is the bridge and his science reputation is his passport to meet with the leaders of Urras.

Chp 3. Chronologically marching through the protagonists life leading up to his moment of truth. This book was written in the mid to late last century. Boomers were just getting into their stride of making the world a better place and replacing old icons with themselves at the same time.
Question everything, be constructively discontent. Fix everything once and for all. It’s so obvious. Yada yada yada…

Ursula Le Guin is a brilliant writer and writes for brilliant readers.
It takes a readers full attention to synthesize all of the subtle details in the dialog and narrative to catch the full intent of her story.