Reading Blog II: Mary Kate Cury

The Lathe of Heaven

The Lathe of Heaven (by Ursula leGuin) is another novel that concerns itself with an individual and their role in the world around them. The title refers to a verse out of the Tae Te Ching, which reads “…to let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a high attainment. Those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the lathe of heaven.” This verse is a two sentence summary of the primary theme of the novel. It is set in the near future, in an America that (despite being in the future) is very reminiscent of the 1970s—marked by bleakness, deprivation, and a sense of disenchantment. George Orr has been sent to a psychiatrist in order to figure out why he abuses a variety of stimulants and narcotics. It is revealed that whatever occurs in George’s dreams will also come to pass in the real world. The psychiatrist, though altruistically motivated in the beginning, begins to manipulate George’s power for personal gain. The manipulations leave the world more and more devastated, and reality begins to fragment. George is finally able to break the cycle of manipulation but exerting sheer will against the crushing power of the technology used to control his dreams. This book questions man’s desire to control his own destiny, versus the Taoist principles of understanding and accepting the ways things are for what they are—small pieces that fit into a whole so big that individual roles are rendered incomprehensible.