Societies attempt to create a world that is beneficial to all, in which all individuals are happy and contented. A world like this, however, is difficult to achieve: people have different conceptions of how a perfect world works and how to achieve a society that makes every individual satisfied. This type of world is called utopia, defined as an imaginary state in which everything is perfect. In contrast, a dystopia is a world in which society is unfavorable to everyone. In such a world, people are oppressed and blindly controlled. In Le Guin's novel The Dispossessed, readers are introduced to two very different worlds: Anarres and Urras. Both worlds strongly contradict each other: Anarres is a world where it is ruled by no one in particular. Rather, it is an anarchic society where everyone is considered equal, without rules or government. Urras is the opposite: they are inhabited by people seeking power, wealth and reputation. This makes it seem like Anares is the utopian world, a place where people share and are liberated. However, this novel proves that this is not the case. Indeed, it demonstrates that a true utopia cannot exist, because a utopian world depends on a person's conception of a utopian world, and with human nature intact, it simply cannot exist. The setting of The Dispossessed goes so far as to demonstrate that dystopian/utopian fiction can, and does, serve a didactic purpose: namely, it shows that utopias are essentially conceptualized based on one person's (and none Utopia really exists), how views can influence government and political ideals, and how morality and social stability vary across societies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The novel introduces readers to the protagonist, Shevek, an anarasti physicist. He inhabits a world where government control is non-existent. People work together and hierarchy does not exist in their society. Meanwhile, Urras is a landowning world, a place from which Shevek's ancestors fled in the hope of a better society. In this novel the chapters alternate, with even numbers set on Anarres and odd chapters set on Urras. The only exception to this rule, however, is the first and last chapters. This structure of the novel helps illustrate how very different the worlds of Anarres and Urras are, and how both worlds can essentially be seen as a utopia/dystopia, depending on the character and their perspective. This structure of the novel shows that utopias are conceptualized by an individual's mind and that the idea of ​​utopia simply depends on the person. Both planets are examined through alternating chapters, highlighting the differences that exist in both worlds. Urras, the planet Shevek travels to to further his scientific research, is a rich world that supports multiple nations and is considered a "proprietary" world in the eyes of Anarrestis. Meanwhile, Anarres is a planet that does not believe in governments, but rather in social sharing and cooperation. In fact, the people of Anarres don't even use possessive pronouns because their world revolves around sharing and no thing truly belongs to anyone. These drastic differences are emphasized through alternating chapters, as Shevek begins to discover more about the new world of Urras and draws comparisons to his home planet. When Shevek reaches Urras, he immediately notices the differences between his home planet and his new one. . First, women are not seen as equal counterparts to men. When asked what his opinion is on thewomen, Shevek explains: “Men maybe work faster – the older ones – but women work longer. I have often wanted to be tough as a woman” (17). Patriarchy exists in Urras, which seems to be a foreign concept to Anarrestis like Shevek. Furthermore, the people of Urras begin to tell Shevek what is his and what is not. On page 23, Urras's companions explain to him that the hotel room was "his", a term Shevek is not comfortable with. In the next chapter, set on Anarres, readers begin to discover that nothing on that planet belongs to anyone. When Shevek tells a woman that the sun is his, the woman explains to him: “It is not yours. Nothing is yours. It's sharing. If you don't share it, you can't use it” (27). These alternating chapters show the drastic differences between the two worlds and how Shevek comes to discover that these differences are seen as positive or negative, depending on the person. Towards the end of the novel, when Shevek reaches the Earth embassy in hopes of returning to his home planet, Shevek expresses his final beliefs about what a utopian society is. He tells Keng: Because there is nothing, nothing on Urras that an Anarresti needs! We left empty-handed, one hundred and seventy years ago, and we were right. Because here there is nothing but the States and their weapons, the rich and their lies, and the poor and their misery. You can't say good morning without knowing which of you is 'superior' to the other, or trying to prove it. There is no freedom... (346). It is obvious from the quote above that the differences between the two worlds have led Shevek to believe that his society is the better and more perfect world because it revolves around sharing and equality. , unlike Urras, which revolves around constructs of power. He grew up in a world where people were equal and the basics for everyone were the same. Because of the way he was raised, his way of life seemed the most perfect because it was normal for him. Life on Urras, however, was abnormal: he was so used to living in a different world, that he could never get used to the life of an Urrasti. Meanwhile Keng claims the opposite:Urras is the kindest, most diverse, most beautiful of all inhabited worlds. It is the world that comes closest to Paradise. I know it is full of evil, greed and waste. But it is also full of good, of beauty, of vitality, of fulfillment. He's alive... isn't he? (347). From this quote you can see how we are talking about these two opposing points of view regarding the exact same planet, but from different points of view. Shevek and Keng have opposing beliefs about what a true utopian planet is. Keng finds beauty in the power structure, the world landscape, and people. Shevek sees only greed, lies and restrictions (laws and the like). This shows that utopias are ultimately conceptualized by one person and that a true utopia does not exist because each person has their own standards of what a utopian society is made up of. The novel's alternating chapter structure emphasizes these differences and shows how these differences can be viewed in various ways depending on the individual. For example, Keng viewed these contrasts in a positive light, while Shevek viewed them negatively. While the Commander found it ridiculous that women were considered equal to men in Anarres, Shevek thought otherwise. A utopian society is ultimately decided by those who perceive it. On page 41, when the teenager Tirin, Bedap, Shevek, and Kvetur are conversing about the Northsetting Regional Institute, Tirin points out that the people of Urras think Anarres is the moon, while the people of Anarres think the opposite. Bedap asks, “Where, then, is the truth?” (41). Tirin replies: "On the hill one is sitting" (41). Through this quote, we notice how the perceiver plays a huge role in thedeciding what is or is not something, for example what is considered the moon, or what is considered a utopian society. The utopia/dystopia setting serves an educational purpose in other ways. One of these lessons is that utopian scenarios analyze the fact that human nature will always come into play when creating a utopian/dystopian society, making it virtually impossible to achieve a true utopia. On the planet Anarres, Shevek lives in volunteer societies where people volunteer for jobs they wish to participate in. He believes that there are no hierarchies of power and that everyone is equal, until he discovers the truth. On page 165, Bedap, Shevek's childhood friend, makes Shevek realize the truth about their so-called utopian society. Their society, which should not have been made up of power structures, actually has power structures, just hidden ones. When Shevek did his research, he was always under the control of Sabul, his fellow scientist. Bedap says: We have no government, no laws, that's fine. But as far as I can see, ideas have never been controlled on Urras... Sabul uses you where he can, and where he can't, stops you from writing, teaching... This is the power structure he is part of. The impermissible, inadmissible government that governs Odonian society by suffocating the individual mind (165). Through this passage, Shevek slowly becomes aware that there is, in fact, a government, and while it is not obvious, it exists. When the Anarresti attempted to flee Urras due to suffering, which is physical and visible (starvation, for example), the Anarresti also suffer ironically, from what Bedap calls “spiritual suffering” (166). It is human nature to always find ways to ruin what would seem like a utopian society because human nature is naturally selfish and seeks to gain. There will always be a natural tendency to excel, as Shevek did as a scientist, and such things arouse jealousy, like Sabul's. Human nature makes achieving a utopian society impossible. This passage of the novel featuring Bedap and Shevek teaches readers that there may be political and governing ideals, but such ideals cannot always be achieved due to natural human tendencies. While it may seem that no official government structure means no social control or oppression, the truth is that control can still be exercised, albeit covertly. Although everyone in Anarres seemed equal and anarchic, some people still lived better than others (such as researchers who had their own rooms) and ideas were still controlled. It's a great political ideal to have, but it's impossible to carry out. Likewise, in Urras, human nature also causes their “utopian” world to collapse. Even though they have the wealth, the riches, the beautiful land, there is still a lot that they lack in other areas. Besides greed, people don't treat each other equally and the world has gotten worse because of it. Keng states: “My world is a ruin. A planet spoiled by the human species. The air is grey, the sky is grey. We have failed as a species… a social species” (348). From this quote we can see that Keng's utopian world is not truly utopian at all. Human nature has caused the world to deteriorate, going from a seemingly perfect society to a society full of flaws: in essence, a dystopia. Ultimately, human nature makes it virtually impossible for utopias to exist, even if society's government or political views seem perfect or ideal. It is human nature to be selfish and want the best for oneself – this in itself is already a reason for the destruction of an imagined utopia. These examples teach readers that a utopia may be sought, but it will be perpetually out of reach. In the words of Bedap,“We have forgotten that the will to dominate is as central to human beings as is the impulse to help one another, and must be trained in every individual, in every new generation” (167-168). Le Guin also tries to demonstrate through the setting that people put in a lot of effort to reach the truth or revolutionize, but morality and social stability will always simply depend on society. During the journey, Shevek learns what it means to be free. The people of Anarres appear to be free due to the lack of government control and rules or regulations. However, this proves false later in the novel. Shevek and his people are not truly liberated, as Bedap points out, because their ideas are controlled and he has no say when other people don't believe what he believes. The people of Urras are not free either because they are controlled by the upper class, or the upper class is essentially "controlled" by money. Using the context of utopias/dystopias, one can see how no one is truly free in either society; in any society, no one will ever be truly free, no matter how hard one tries to achieve liberation. This novel attempts to explore political ideals and freedom, but finds that ultimately both cannot be achieved, at least not “perfect” political ideals nor perfect, full freedom. Urras believes that they have finally achieved freedom and are socially stable compared to Anarres. However, Shevek states near the end of the novel, “You don't understand what time it is. You say the past is the past, the future is not real, there is no change, no hope. So there is nothing but the present, this Urras, the rich, real, stable present, the present moment. But it's not real, you know. It is not stable, it is not solid: nothing is. Things change” (349). Through this quote, he states that nothing stays the same. Everything is in a constant state of flux. This is an argument against Urras, a capitalist world that depends on money. He states that there is no real security in a capitalist society as things are constantly changing. While the inhabitants of Urras may feel safe in their blanket of capitalism, they will always be at risk: it's not exactly a utopia. Beyond that, morals and values ​​differ between the two worlds, making it ambiguous which exactly is utopia (or whether they are both, in fact, dystopias). On page 219, Shevek states that his world has morals and that they attempt to moralize at all times. Without laws, they can choose between good and evil. Vea responds that people are stuck in their consciousness and that the Anarresti are not truly free. After all, inside people is “Queen Teaea” who tells people what to do (219). If there was a real queen/ruler, then at least people would be able to rebel against that leader, unlike the leader in their own mind. Through Vea, Shevek learns about gender in Urras' world and how it differs from his own. He sees Vea as a “body profiteer,” offering her body as if it were a commodity (213). Women are viewed differently in Urras than in Anarres. The fact that Vea dresses a certain way shows how Urras' society is shaped, which sees women as a commodity, and shows that Urras is indeed a planet that operates on patriarchal ideals. Ultimately, morals and social stability are different on both planets, allowing Le Guin to demonstrate that people can have conflicting moral/social standards but still see one world as a utopia and another as a dystopia. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, it is important to note that The Dispossessed uses,.