The Idea of Utopia
After reading The Dispossessed, I intially felt depressed- that the ideal of a Utopia was not acheivable. This is an impression that I believe was shared by several of my classmates. However, my eventual conclusion was that Utopia was not the goal of the settlement of Anarras. The intention was to achieve a society that was free of the restrictions of Urras. However, a true paradise would necessitate the satisfaction of carnal desires as well, not possible on a planet as barren as Anarras. (I should clarify that by carnal desires I am primarily discussing adequate food, more luxurious shelter, etc. not copulation, obviously readily available.) Anarras is thus not intended to be a Utopia, and the fact that it is not one is not a failure. The Terrans tell Shevek that they see Urras as a paradise, but he sees its flaws. Anarras is the same. It has its aspects of the paradisical, but overall it is not a paradise.
However, I believe Utopia is to be found in the novel. It exists not in any society, all of which are flawed, perhaps unreparable, but in the people. The true paradise is in the satisfaction of certain characters who are able to get beyond the flaws of their surroundings to find true happiness. It is the concept that the characters themselves discuss through the idea of pain, "shared" and conquered (61-2). Shevek himself finds his paradise at the end of the novel, I believe. He is going home to his own planet, his own people, his family. To him, it does not matter that he may not be accepted, that he may suffer physical and psychological pain, he is still joyful because he is going home. That is where the true joy is. The true paradise. Inside Shevek's head.
posted by lennearb @ 3:15 AM
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