The Dispossessed’s landscape is a huge influence on both Urrass and Anarres’ cultures and characters. Although Urras and Anarres may appear to be different civilizations, they are similar in that both have highly-organized and complex ways of living. Both civilizations offer two sides to the story, each with their own set of values in government, geography, society. Anarres, an open-minded, isolated society like Urras, is closer to the truth. Urras’s isolation makes it difficult for its residents to follow the lavish lifestyles they share. Anarres is home to Abbenay as its capital. But the rest of the territory is deserted and barren. The government has limited space for growth. The Dispossessed’s landscape and geography have an impact on each culture and their people. The society of the Dispossessed would change dramatically if geography and landscape were described differently. Ursula K. LeGuin thought Anarres, an utopia built on deprivation to be the ideal society. It is not clear.

Each civilization has its own unique set of geographical privileges which can impact the culture’s mindset. Urras’ Aio, the main nation in the novel is extremely fertile and has many resources. However, Urras’ people try to avoid taking advantage of this overabundance. Any industrious production, however, is supported by the mining of heavy metals until exhaustion. The government controls almost all aspects of Urras’ AIO life through its capitalist economy. The Urrasti are very aware of the beauty of Urras’ A-Io and tend to be wasteful. Shevek receives pajamas for his quarantine stay when he first arrives at Urras. The doctor burns Shevek’s pajamas after he has completed his quarantine. According to the doctor, pajamas are cheap and a service issue. He says you can wear ’em and throw them away and it is cheaper than cleaning (13). Urras’s willingness to throw away perfectly good pajamas is a sign of their economic outlook. Their society is so wealthy that they don’t see the need to recycle clothing. Anarres is aware of the fact that their natural resources can be limited. Therefore, they do everything possible to conserve them by being as wasteful as possible. They encourage recycling and don’t allow for excess. Shevek doesn’t know that pajamas can be used in Anarres. They don’t have clothes for just one purpose. He is amazed at the doctor’s explanation when he burns his clothes. Anarres’ geography has limited resources so Anarres residents reuse lots. Vea invited Shevek and introduced him to A-Io’s elaborate lifestyle. He was drinking alcohol, something he did not get in Anarres. He was then asked about Anarres. Shevek said, “It’s a horrible world.” This one is not. Anarres has a lot of dry, dusty hills. All meager, none of it. Life is hard, boring and tedious. There is not enough. You don’t always get what you want or need. The Urrasti have plenty” (228). Shevek, the protagonist, is using this moment to compare Urras with Anarres in a very raw way. Urras has clearly been compared to Anarres’ environment, and Shevek’s open description of Urras shocks those who listen at Vea.

Each civilization’s life is affected by the shape of the planets. Anarres is more spread-out and Urras has a continent surrounded with water. Urras has a very homogenous population due to the isolation it provides. Designated people can forcibly remove their freedoms if they challenge conformity. They were shocked to learn that Dr. Shevek was visiting Anarres.

Shevek enjoyed the praise for his work. The Anarres people did not have a lot of knowledge about physics so they could not appreciate his teachings. Shevek couldn’t freely share his physics research because Anarres had strict restrictions on speech. Urras was keen to learn and to be innovative, so he was delighted to find a place that would allow him to share his research with others. Shevek made the most of his position within Urras.

He was a big fan of the Urras freedom of speech. He “wonded” why the government didn’t stop him from speaking…He spoke pure and unrestrained anarchism, which they didn’t stop him (144). Shevek certainly took advantage the Urrasti’s weak minds and fed them his intellectual beliefs. This is why island’s people are open to new ideas. They are open to learning and accept the information they receive.

Anarres has great geographic freedom. Its people are more likely to reside in areas like the coast or Abbenay. Anarres society is more concerned with conformity than deviant acts. The areas surrounding it are less populated than the barren regions. Abbenay is the capital of Urras. It is also the most popular place for Anarres citizens to live in. Anarchist governments encourage people to respect each other. Although it would be ideal to have no central authority, government, or restrictions on Anarres, this is not possible. Because an authority is not obvious, many people will not resist it. However, Le Guin has created Anarres to demonstrate that even complete freedom will still have some authority suppressing individuality.

Anarres is described by 167) as a planet “not intended to support civilisation,” (167) and it experiences natural disasters such droughts. Urras has no such problems. These hardships tend to encourage Anarresans to help one another more. Takver, who was pregnant with Sadik at the time, was very vulnerable to not receiving enough nutrition to support her baby and herself. Her community provided additional meals to her and other pregnant women. During the drought, pregnant women could receive a light additional meal each day, just like old people and children. Anarres communities were generally closer to one another during hard times like these. Urras was not subject to the same geographic challenges as Anarres so it was not possible for them to enjoy the same community bonding that Anarres had.

The landscape of The Dispossessed controls the culture, characters and everyday life of every civilization. It controls society and shapes government. While it might not seem to be a significant factor, landscape can have a profound impact on our lives. People who live in urban areas will experience a very different lifestyle than those who are raised in rural areas. Each place does NOT necessarily have to produce more people. This is why Ursula K. Le Guin defined landscapes with purpose. It added to the story’s imagery and gave readers a way to see the characters from a different perspective. It gave a clear conclusion to each civilization.

michaellang

Michael Lang is a 33-year-old professor and blogger who is passionate about writing. He has been blogging for over 7 years and has written for various online publications. Michael is also a seasoned professor who has taught at the college level for over a decade. He is currently a professor of English at a community college in the Midwest.