As the funkiest protest song says, "War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing." There are few of us who feel that warfare is a positive thing, but many of us think it's a necessary evil. In The Lathe of Heaven,Ursula Le Guin wants us to ask ourselves: is it? How could war be avoided? The characters in the novel have a bit of success in their plans to eradicate war, only to have other forms of institutionally sanctioned violence replace it. At least in this novel, it seems that we're just too addicted to hurting one another to give it all up.
Questions About Warfare
- Why is George's world so overrun by warfare? What has caused it? Why does it get worse after the Plague?
- How do the references to previous wars affect your understanding of the warfare in The Lathe of Heaven? Do they affect your feeling toward current wars? If so, how?
- Why is Portland the first place to be struck by invasions in The Lathe of Heaven? Why not somewhere else?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Warfare in The Lathe of Heaven is a metaphor for warfare in our current lives.
The characters in The Lathe of Heaven believe that humanity cannot exist without some kind of warfare or violence.