Considering The Lathe of Heaven to be dystopian feels initially to be more of a stretch than saying the same of other works like 1984. This probably lies in the fact that the plot of 1984 centers upon a focus of realism, where The Lathe of Heaven explores science fiction. Just as in V for Vendetta, the entry of story elements like superhuman abilities removes much of the fear that the text would otherwise present. That’s not to suggest that the idea of someone who is capable of changing the world through dreams isn’t fearful, as this is shown very specifically in the case of Dr. Haber’s nightmare reality, but the notion itself is so outside our own society that it doesn’t lend itself particularly well to rationalizing dystopia in comparison to our cultural reality.
Texts like 1984 and The Iron Heel allow us the opportunity to view the progression of our own society in relation to those proposed within the works, but the inclusion of particularly outlandish things like aliens that appear to look like turtles and a world of gray people remove our own culture from the work, and act as a buffer for the dystopian world Leguin suggests. The relevancy is there, of course, just shadowed under laughs and feelings of distance from the events that occur.
Gray people as a solution to racism is an obviously important plea about the problem itself, just as a plague that solves the overcrowding of the world is a terrible solution to the issue, but relying upon the irrationality of dreams to solve these issues leaves the novel essentially without someone to blame. Haber is the culprit behind the manipulation of George Orr’s dreams, but as the book continually reminds the reader, his intentions are noble. Obviously, the same could be said for most totalitarian governments and despots who are seeking to improve the world, so in some way Haber assumes the role of imposing fear just as the totalitarian government in 1984, or the oligarchy in The Iron Heel. However, does the reader ever casually make that connection, or does Haber never feel as particularly threatening as The Party?
If he doesn’t, then why not? Perhaps the reader is reminded one too many times of how noble he is, or maybe the fact that Haber, while continually growing in power and significance in the multiple realities Orr creates, always remains tucked away in his office and removed from the world at large. He doesn’t become the President, or a living God in the eyes of the people, instead he remains unknown, simply shaping the course of reality. In actuality, once his position is closely examined, which is more fearful? The open dictatorship and propaganda of 1984, or the silent molding of society to the ideals of Dr. Haber?
Haber’s fear might have been more recognized if he used a more potent tool to shape reality than the dreams of George Orr. The single most deterring factor to comparing The Lathe of Heaven to a contemporary culture is that the dystopian element of society isn’t imposed by a realistic means. Dreams are irrational, and thus they are largely written off as a fearful means of proposing a future reality. They may only be the tool to which Haber applies his trade, but capitalism was the tool to the oligarchy, religion to Gilead, and technology to The Sprawl; these things resonate with us, and the dystopian worldviews they could bring about seem fearful because of it. They are culturally significant issues, whereas dreams, and shaping reality by them, are more a dream of their own.
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