The Word for World Is Forest facts for kids

Le Guin giving a reading in 2008

The Word for World Is Forest is a science fiction story, also called a novella, written by American author Ursula K. Le Guin. It was first published in the United States in 1972 as part of a collection called Again, Dangerous Visions. Later, in 1976, it was released as its own book by Berkley Books. This story is part of Le Guin's larger series known as the Hainish Cycle.

The story is about a military logging colony set up by people from Earth (called "Terrans") on a planet named Athshe. The Terrans have taken over the planet and enslaved the native people, the Athsheans, who are naturally very peaceful. They treat the Athsheans very badly. Eventually, one Athshean, whose wife was killed by a Terran captain, leads a rebellion against the Terrans. They manage to make the Terrans leave the planet. However, this fight introduces violence to the Athsheans' peaceful way of life for the first time.

The book strongly speaks out against colonialism (when one country takes control of another) and war. Ursula K. Le Guin wrote it partly because she was upset about the Vietnam War. It also explores important ideas like protecting the environment and how language connects to culture. The story shares themes of dreaming with another of Le Guin's books, The Lathe of Heaven. It also uses the idea of a forest being like a living mind, similar to her story "Vaster than Empires and More Slow".

The Word for World Is Forest won the famous Hugo Award in 1973. It was also nominated for several other awards. Most reviewers and experts liked the book, calling it moving and powerful. However, some critics felt it wasn't as good as Le Guin's other works, like The Left Hand of Darkness. They thought it sometimes sounded too much like a lecture and that its characters weren't as complex.

The story was first called "Little Green Men," which was a common phrase in old science fiction stories. In her introduction to the 1976 book, Le Guin explained that she was worried about how humans were using up the natural world, especially for money. She said this concern was a big reason why she wrote the story.

Exploring the Story's Setting

The Word for World is Forest takes place in the fictional Hainish universe. Ursula K. Le Guin first created this universe in her 1966 novel, Rocannon's World. In this imagined history, humans did not originally come from Earth. Instead, they evolved on a planet called Hain. The people of Hain then traveled and settled many other planets, including Terra (Earth) and Athshe. This happened possibly a million years before the time of the stories. For reasons Le Guin doesn't fully explain, these planets later lost touch with each other. Le Guin doesn't tell the whole history of the Hainish universe at once. Instead, readers learn bits and pieces from her different books.

Reconnecting the Planets

The novels and other stories in the Hainish universe describe efforts to bring these planets back together to form a galactic civilization. Explorers from Hain and other planets use spaceships that take years to travel between star systems. However, the journey feels shorter for the travelers because of time dilation. This is a real science idea where time passes differently for people moving very fast. They also use a device called the ansible for instant communication across space. This device was first introduced in Le Guin's book The Dispossessed.

Each Hainish novel explores at least two "thought experiments." One main idea is that all human-like species in this universe came from Hain. The second idea is unique to each book. In The Word for World is Forest, the special idea is about a military logging team from Earth (called "Terra") colonizing the peaceful planet Athshe. The Athsheans, who are small and covered in green fur, see the Terrans as human. But the Terrans do not see the Athsheans as human. The Athsheans call the Terrans "yumens," while the Terrans often use a disrespectful term, "creechie."

Life on Planet Athshe

Most of the planet Athshe, which the human colonists call "New Tahiti," is covered by ocean. The land areas are mainly in one part of the northern hemisphere. Before the Terran colonists arrived, this land was completely covered in thick forest. The Terrans are interested in using these forests for timber. This is because wood has become very rare and valuable on Earth. Athshe's plants and animals are similar to those on Earth. They were placed there by the Hainish people during their first wave of colonization, which also settled Earth. A visitor from another planet, Cetus, also clearly states that the native Athsheans "came from the same, original, Hainish stock."

The Athsheans are physically small, only about a meter (around 3 feet) tall. They are covered in fine greenish fur. They are a very peaceful people. They have developed many ways to avoid violence, such as special body postures to stop aggression and competitive singing instead of fighting. Unlike Terrans, Athsheans have a polycyclic sleep pattern, meaning they sleep in several short bursts. Their natural circadian rhythms (body clocks) make them most active at dawn and dusk. Because of this, they find it hard to adjust to the Terran 8-hour workday. Athsheans can consciously enter a dream state. Their dreams both help them heal and guide their actions. Those who are good at understanding dreams are highly respected among the Athsheans.

How the Story Is Told

The novel has eight chapters. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the three main characters. Davidson narrates chapters 1, 4, and 7. Selver tells chapters 2, 6, and 8. Lyubov narrates chapters 3 and 5. This way of switching narrators highlights the differences between the characters. It also shows how isolated they feel within their own societies.

Lyubov and Davidson's chapters are told from a "limited omniscient" point of view. This means the reader mostly sees their inner thoughts. Davidson's belief that the Athsheans are inferior and his hostile feelings towards the planet are shown directly. Lyubov's struggle to do his job without emotion while still following his personal morals is also clear. In contrast, Selver's chapters are told from a truly "omniscient" (all-knowing) point of view. This allows Le Guin to give the reader more information about the planet and its people. Selver does not have long inner monologues. Instead, several other Athshean characters also play important roles in his chapters.

Focus on Decisions, Not Just Action

Even though this is an anti-war novel about a military conflict, it doesn't describe most of the fighting, planning, or strategies. Instead, much of the action happens "off-page." The story focuses on the decisions the main characters make about the conflict in their minds. The language used in each chapter changes with the character telling it. This shows how they think about the events in the book. Davidson's thoughts are full of disrespectful language. He calls the Athsheans "creechie," and refers to the women in the colony as "prime human stock."

Le Guin herself later said she was not happy with the "strident" (harsh or loud) tone of the novel. She had been very troubled by the Vietnam War. However, she was living in London when she wrote the book. This meant she was separated from the anti-war movement she had been part of in Oregon. Because of these circumstances, The Word for World is Forest became what Le Guin called a "preachment." She said writing the book felt like "taking dictation from a boss with ulcers." She explained that she had wanted to write about forests and dreaming. But the "boss" made her write instead about environmental destruction. Charlotte Spivack, a scholar, said the book was an "angry work" that ended with a feeling of hopelessness.

See also

In Spanish: El nombre del mundo es Bosque para niños