In 1972, a science fiction novella, The Word for World is Forest, written by Ursula K. Le Guin, is set in the fictional Hainish universe. Le Guin introduced this universe in her first novel Rocannon's World, published in 1966. In this alternate universe human beings did not evolve on Earth, but rather on Hain. The people of Hain colonized many neighboring planetary systems such as Earth, referred to as Terra. The novel begins with Captain Davidson, the commander of Smith camp, which is a camp where many native Athsheans are used as slave labor. Davidson decides to travel to the headquarters of the colony, intending to have a sexual relationship with one of the number of women who have just arrived. When Davidson returns to Smith camp, he finds the entire camp burned to the ground with all of the humans found dead. Davidson begins to look into the tragedy and finds four Athsheans. He recognizes one being Selver, a personal server at the headquarters of the colony. A few months prior to the attack, Davidson meet Selver's wife, Thele, and raped her. Rape is considered normal activity on their planet. Thele died in the process. Selver was so enraged he attacked Davidson. Davidson nearly killed him in the process. The Athsheans allow Davidson to leave and tell about the destruction of the Smith camp back to the colony headquarters. After the attack, Selver traveled the forest for five days before finding an Athseans settlement. He described the the destruction of his city, Eshreth, by the Terrans. They then built their headquarters at the site. He also explains to them about how the Terrans enslaved hundreds of Athsheans at the various camps. Selver explains that he constructed the attack on the Terrans camp because the Terrans don’t respect the gift of life the same way the Athseans do. The Terrans viewed women as objects instead of people. Le guin illustrates the themes of; language and communication barrier, colonialism, anti war, and the likeness of an Avatar throughout the novel.
In The Word for World is Forest the language barrier is a main theme. This is illustrated throughout as the protagonist is never able to bridge the the communication gap. The loggers and the native Athsheans have different languages. Their languages help each reflect their perceptions of reality in their universe. Yet they are unable to discover a common language because their realities are so different. For example, the word “Athshe” means both “forest’ and “world” in the native Athshean language. This word demonstrates the close link that the Athseans have with the forest and their planet. Just like the humans, the Athsheans face the trap of focussing on the 'otherness', differences, of the alien species, instead of recognising the similarities they have. Even those who make an effort to understand can only advance towards a superficial knowledge of each others' language and beliefs. The reality of culture is shown to be as crazy and complex as this forest-covered planet. Ursula Le Guin reinforces our sense of a double perception. She shows this through both human and Athshean eyes, "Until the men make a fit place for the women? Well! they may have quite a wait, They're like the people in the Elm Dream who come at you rump-first, with their heads put on front to back. They make the forest into a dry beach and call that making things ready for the women? They should have sent the women first" (Le Guin, 43). The contrast between the different languages created roadblocks in their worlds. Unable to communicate easily created immediate challenge with the Athsheans trying to earn their freedom from the Terrans.
Ursula K. Le Guin was strongly opposed to the Vietnam War. This opposition played a big role in the novel. The entire tone of the novel is rather harsh and hard-driving, playing off the anger in the United States at the time the country went into Vietnam. The tension and violence is a big part of the theme in the novel. There is constant tension between opposites. Through most of the novel, the Terran military is in control of the colony. Many comparisons to the novel and the war are highlighted throughout the novel. One such example is the high use of drugs used among US troops in Vietnam. This parallel is shown by the high use of hallucinogens among the Terran soldiers, which Le Guin portrays in the colonial as the norm. In the novel, Selver spends much of his time reflecting on the violence his own culture went through. He turns to violence as a last resort to save his culture. However, unlike Davidson, who enjoys killing, Selver sees it as poisoning his culture. This view is shared by his fellow Athsheans. This is exemplified when one of the elders of the Athsheans says to Selver, "You've done what you had to do, and it was not right” (Le Guin, 99). The Word for World is Forest also portrays the idea that colonialism should be challenged. The Terran colonists are depicted as being oblivious to the culture of the Athsheans. They and are convinced that they are from a higher form of civilization. This is seen a numerous times throughout history. In King Leopold’s Ghost, a book our class read in the beginning of the semester, the Congo had the similar issues as the Athsheans. They were both looked at as a lower, or non-human life form, which made it easy to be taken over by people believing they are the superior race. It was also seen in the history of the United States through the slavery of African American population. It took several decades and many historical events to abolish slavery in the US. Colonization start by one subgroup of people believing they are superior to another. This leads to one group exploding the other group for an economical and/or personal reason. This typically leads to slavery or the weaker group being forced to do things against their will.
The movie Avatar, which was directed, produced, and written by James Cameron, can be closely linked with The Word for World is Forest. Avatar shows the Earth's resources have been used up. It shows a native group of people on a planet which lives in close harmony with their world, and a rebellion by those natives against the exploitative human colonizers in order to save their species. James Cameron is known for being a fan of The World for World is Forest. Although there are many similarities between the two, the storyline and characters themselves are vastly different. There are some connecting ideas but overall the movie isn’t a direct copy of the novella.
Ursula K. Le Guin wrote an excellent novella through her use of tone of voice and word choice. She has a way making the reader rethink their life on the Earth and the damage they caused to our natural habitats. This is illustrated in the quote, "even the most umissionary soul, unless he pretend he has no emotions, is sometimes faced with a choice between commission and omission. 'What are they doing?' abruptly becomes, 'What are we doing?' and then, 'What must I do?'" (Le Guin, 107). We are also led to question our own positions in regard to interspecies and interracial relationships. This brings the reader’s attention to the harm humans have caused the Earth with global warming and the extinctions of animals. It’s common to see humans killing other humans in today’s world. The news is overwhelmed with stories about a terrorist attack, school shootings, and so much more. The Athsheans weren’t ever like that until Selver committed such acts. Once there was killing of the same kind it turns into a dominos affect in ones society. With the Athshean society mixing the planet’s ecology, shows they would rather live within the roots of the trees than clear up the forests. In addition to their belief in the forest, the Athseans integrated psychologically. Their goal is to integrate themselves with their waking consciousness. This allows the Athseans subconscious mind to integrate itself with the conscious mind. The Terrans viewed women as objects instead of people. As Davidson gets prepared to leave for the Centralville a lieutenant says to him, “Bring me back a Collie, Cap. Blonde. 34-22-36.” (Le Guin, 22). Through this conversation the men show that they see women as objects of pleasure. This mentality transfers to the Terran’s attitude towards the forest as a whole, as they feel they have the right to cut down and destroy the forest. The men don’t see the forest as an important source of life as the Athsheans do, but instead simply as lumber to be shipped to their dying Earth.