Literary Discussions

"The Lathe of Heaven" by Ursula K. Le Guin
ISBN 0-380-01320-7 (AVON books).

The PBS movie version of this science fiction novel was broadcast
recently, followed by an interview of Ursula Le Guin by Bill Moyers.
She states that the title and the novel itself are inspired by Taoist
writings.

It is a story about a man named George Orr, who has "effective
dreams". His dreams literally transform reality; when he awakes,
both present and the past have been altered to agree with the "new
reality" which he has dreamed. A scientist, William Haber, discovers
George's ability and tries to harness it in order to "FIX" everything
that seems to be wrong with the world. Each attempt makes the world
slightly worse in some unforeseen way. One might see in Dr. Haber's
passion to "FIX" the world the folly of those social activits
who equate spirituality with "good deed" doing and charitable works,
and who attempt to "eliminate poverty" (even though both Moses and
Jesus emphatically say "the poor shall always be with you").

The struggle between George Orr and Dr. Haber represent (for me
anyway) the differences between the East and the West: Eastern
religion vs Western Religion; Eastern philosophies vs Western
philosophies.

Dr. Haber is eventually "destroyed"; his mind is destroyed in his
megalomaniacal attempt to acquire effective dreaming for himself. He
practically destroys all of existence as his own effective dream
regresses back to the primordial "big bang". In the scene where the
dreaming Dr. Haber approachs the nothingness of that Void, one is
reminded of the first chapter of Genesis, and the hebrew term "tohu
va bohu", (for my thoughts on this please see my browser page:
"Tohu Bohu - Hebrew in Genesis for 'without form and void' - Page 240"

)

The "effective dream" which transforms reality reminds one of Lord
Vishnu asleep, whose dreaming bubbles and froths countless universes
and Lilas. In college, I read a poem by Goethe in English
translation. The last line said "foams forth to God His own
infinitude". I wish I could find that poem again.

Each chapter heading starts with a quotation. Here are a few of the
quotes from The Lathe of Heaven:

Confucius and you are both dreams, and I who say you are dreams am
myself a dream. This is a paradox. Tomorrow a wise man may explain
it; that "tomorrow" will not be for ten thousand generations. -Chuang
Tse: II

Those whom heaven helps we call the sons of heaven. They do not learn
by learning. They do not work by working. They do not reason by using
reason. To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a
high attainment. Those who cannot do it will be destroyed upon the
Lathe of Heaven.-Chuang
Tse: XXIII

When the Great Way is lost, we get benovelance and righteousness. -
Lao Tse XVIII

Heaven and Earth are not humane - Lao Tse V

Those who dream of feasting awake to lamentation - Chuang Tse II

I will add to these two quotes of my own from the Bible:

God has put eternity in the heart of man, yet no one can find out the
work that God does from beginning to end. - Ecclesiastes 3:11

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all
things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given
to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.-Ecclesiastes 1:13