Gender and utopian society in Le Guin and Silverberg

¶ … Left Hand of Darkness" by Le Guin & "The World Inside" by Silverberg

Perfect world is a concept that has gained more importance since the rise of 19th century with the world studded in wars, political and regional issues, racial and gender-based issues and conflicts. Contrary to the real world, imaginary perfect world is filled with love and prosperity with intense care for the other human beings. The books that will be reviewed and compared in this paper are based on the same concept of a perfect world.

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin is an author of many science fiction novels including "The Left Hand of Darkness." The book is a winner of 1970's Hugo and 1969's Nebula Award for Best Novel. Written in 1969, it

The World Inside

Futuristic world has been shown in this novel written by Robert Silverberg. Everything in the suggested time 2381 is perfect with every human being happy on the planet having huge and towering buildings that rise thousands of feet higher from the floors of the planet. Urban monads have been built by the human inhabitants of the planet. Each monad consists of 25 cities having more than 40 floors. Monad 116, focused in the novel has 8 million residents with the population still rising. Focus of the novel is on a rise of population in an increasingly fast manner. Financial support of the population living in these monads comes from agriculture made possible by the conversion of habitable land area into agricultural lands. Novel has highlighted that the people in these monads are happy in making families. The novel has shown that making families with more and more births of babies is one of the most overwhelming desires of the citizens of these monads; based on which males of these monads chose random partners (Silverberg 23). This novel is thereby based on the celebration of humanity and a massive rave in which the inhabitants of monads are involved. Sexual freedom is what the men in these monads enjoy and refusing to such freedom is considered illegal for women. The flow of achieving the desires is suddenly followed in the novel by a great change witnessed by these human beings in the form of isolation increased by the building that they live in, as the power of their desires starts to wear out. The world shown in this book is free of rules that play roles in restricting reproduction as wars, birth control, starvation and crimes. Along with desires, one theme that has made this population more interesting is their belief in sharing. It is believed by the inhabitants of these monads that life becomes easier with sharing in the presence of scant resources. With all these efforts, a stable society is created by these inhabitants. Still there are a small percentage of people who suffer from mental illnesses dealt with by 'social engineers'. The novel talks about how human beings have found a way to reconcile the problems of God by being fruitful, multiply, taking care of the other people in the surroundings by sharing and living in their own world. Still such self-controlling, and a promiscuous society faces turmoil and a phase of destruction. The book is a reflection towards a packed society we live in these days where all human beings have turned a blind eye to the civil rights of the other people thinking that may be in one way or the other it can justify the current situation in the society (Silverberg 89).

Conclusion

Both books have sketched futuristic worlds more or less desired by nearly every human being on this planet. Modern world is struck by wars, issues, confusions, rising population, and scant resources that are about to end. These issues are nowhere to be seen in the perfect world sketched by the authors. The planets and monads are complete as there are no imperfect world's issues being faced by the people living in these perfect and complete worlds. Sharing and loving is the main aim of these people. Humanity has been highlighted in these novels at its highest level. The strongest points in 'The Left Hand of Darkness' is that peace can be created in the real world by focusing lesser on gender and more on human values.