The novel “The Lathe of Heaven” by Ursula Le Guin was published for the first time in 1971. It won the Locus Award for best science fiction novel of the year.
When George Orr is caught using drugs prescribed to someone else, he’s forced to undergo psychiatric treatment to avoid serious legal problems. Initially, Dr. William Haber dismisses Orr as a disturbed man when he tells him that his dreams transform reality. However, when Haber examines Orr while he dreams using his special equipment, he realizes that the changes his patient has induced are real.
Dr. Haber considers the potential offered by George Orr’s power and wants to use it to improve the situation in an overpopulated world affected by climate change. Orr is frightened by the possible consequences of his dreams, which is why he had resorted to drugs that blocked his dreams. Dr. Haber, however, is determined to conduct experiments to change the world for the better.
Ursula Le Guin took the title “The Lathe of Heaven” from a quote by the Chinese philosopher Chuang Tse (his name was transliterated from Chinese in various ways) that is included in the novel. Actually, it comes from a mistranslation, as lathes had not yet been invented in his time.
“The Lathe of Heaven” is considered a sort of homage to Philip K. Dick. The two writers were in contact and exchanged ideas, so it’s inevitable that they influenced each other in some way. By the early 1970s, Ursula Le Guin had already published some novels that became classics of science fiction and fantasy. In this case, however, if the reader didn’t know who wrote this novel, they might easily think it was written by Dick. This may seem an anomaly for a writer like Le Guin, but is it really? Beyond inspiration, the author actually incorporates themes found in her other works.
The novel starts at the beginning of the 21st century in an overpopulated world, and it’s interesting that, already in the early 1970s, someone explicitly mentioned climate change and its negative effects. Dr. Haber has good intentions, the kind that pave the way to hell. When he realizes that George Orr’s power is real and enormous, he starts using his role as a psychiatrist to harness that power to eliminate global problems. However, the results are never exactly what he intended, as there are always unintended consequences.
Dr. Haber’s attempts to create a utopian world clash with George Orr’s interpretations of his instructions. Ursula Le Guin uses all of this to develop her philosophical ideas, in this case, connected to the desire to control one’s life and the world around us. Even with the best intentions, unforeseen and unintended consequences can lead one to question whether the cure is worse than the disease.
Dr. Haber’s various attempts to build a utopia through George Orr shows the various consequences of his desire to radically eliminate various problems that affect the world and humanity. In turn, these consequences bring psychological changes to Orr, and especially to Haber.
Each new reality constructed by manipulating George Orr offers food for thought about the world’s problems and the real possibilities of solving them. “The Lathe of Heaven” isn’t a very long novel, but it encompasses many themes, with quotations mainly from Chuang Tzu but also from other philosophers, such as Lao Tzu, and writers. For this reason, it was the subject of in-depth analysis. It’s become a classic with food for thought that reflects Ursula K. Le Guin’s style. It’s a novel to be read and reread regardless of genre labels. It’s available on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
