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Trevor Ah Sue

Professor Vincent

ENGL 2600

March 6, 2019

Literary analysis

The short story "Vaster Than Empires More Slow" by Ursula Le Guin is a science fiction

short story that follows the story of an expedition. A crew of 10 "escapists; misfits, [and] nuts"

were assigned to survey an undiscovered frontier and gather information about the planet (Le

Guin 101). Le Guin teaches an important lesson about the environment through character

interactions and important events in the story. She uses symbolism to highlight the message of

the story, she encourages the reader to apply these principles into their own lives. "Vaster Than

Empires More Slow" emphasizes the negative impact humans have on the environment through

its characterization, setting, and theme.

This story uses several forms of literary elements to support this idea that Le Guin wants

the reader to learn that humans have a negative effect on our environment. In this short story, Le

Guin focuses on characters and events in a story-telling manner. Her main focus at the beginning

of the plot is to give the reader an in-depth introduction to the main characters. This way they

can get an idea of the importance of their roles towards the end of the story. Characterization is

an important part of this short story. When the character Osden is introduced, we learn that he is

an "empath." He has special abilities that allow him to "feel his feelings, and [theirs], and is hard

to put to say which is which." (Le Guin 102-103) Osden's ability is the keystone of this short

story, he uses this ability to discover the humanlike emotions that World 4470 transmits to him.

The characters represent humans as they discover a new world, the contention that they feel
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towards each other symbolizes human imperfection. Although their intentions were good, the

survey crew caused the world to fear them since they disturbed its peace.

Le Guin wants the reader to learn several lessons throughout this short story. Reading

this work through the lens of reader-response criticism can help the reader understand what role

he/she plays in the story. The message of this story is very broad, to conserve the environment

and understand the affect inhabitants have on it. Le Guin uses Osden's power and World 4470 to

symbolize the human race and planet Earth. This new idea that an environment can have a

feeling of fear helps the reader view our environment in a different light. As the survey crew tries

to make sense of the world's feeling of fear, Osden mentions that World 4470 feels "isolated …

That's the fear. It isn't that we're motile, or destructive… We are the other" (Le Guin 128). The

world sensed fear because it was no longer in isolation, this was the first time it had encountered

a different life form. World 4470 has a personality similar to the reader, the reader can

understand why a life form could experience fear when it is disturbed in its peaceful state. This

excerpt can help the reader relate personal experiences to the story. Personal experiences can

affect the reader's perceptions of the story, connecting these experiences helps the reader benefit

more from its message and makes the story seem more relatable. This is why Le Guin's intended

audience is so wide-ranging since they can connect personal experiences to the message, it

becomes more relevant and impactful. The overall message of this short story motivates the

reader to act by making them feel a sense of guilt for inhabiting an environment that might seek

isolation.

The short story as two different main settings: the ship that the crew used to travel, and

World 4470. The characters were introduced as a band if "misfits" and "nuts" who all shared the

same assignment, to explore the universe and search for life on other planets (Le Guin 100-101).
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The initial setting of the story was in the space ship, this particular setting reflected the mood of

the crew. Throughout the story, contention filled the enclosed space. The negative mood of the

crew could symbolize the chaos that humans bring to the environment. The isolated world is an

untouched and unbothered land that is tainted by the negativity that the survey crew brings with

them. Le Guin uses this symbolism to emphasize the impact of humans on an environment, they

disrupt nature. Le Guin only mentions one emotion that World 4470 felt as the survey crew

started to investigate: fear. Fear in itself is an unpleasant emotion. It is usually caused by a belief

that someone or something is dangerous or a threat. A connection is drawn from this story to the

real world, these ideas invite the reader to ask himself/herself: What if the earth can feel

emotions? What am I doing that affects the environment? Would the environment afraid of me?

These ideas open up a new perspective that should spark change in the way the reader sees the

environment.

In the critical essay "The Shadow" by Carl Jung, he teaches about a sister part of the

personality called the shadow. Many connections can draw from this critical essay to the short

story "Vaster than Empires and More Slow." Jung presents an idea that everyone has a "sinister

being" that represents the part of them that their ego refuses to recognize (186). He says that we

must conquer the shadow through self-awareness in order to reach enlightenment (Jung 186).

The ideas taught by Jung are directly related to the characters of this short story. Jung explains

that this personality trait is difficult to recognize and overcome, "the shadow is a moral problem

that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious without

considerable moral effort" (187). This statement explains how man's natural desire is to be

noticed for his good traits and personality attributes, although, it is difficult for him to become

aware of his shadow. Given Osden's ability to feel the emotions of his fellow crew members, it is
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impossible for them to hide their shadow from him. He sees them without their socially

acceptable personality mask and reflects those same emotions towards them, which causes

contention within the group. These contentions create an undesirable atmosphere on the ship. Le

Guin emphasizes the relationship between humans and humans, as well as the relationship

between humans and the environment. She teaches about the importance of having a transparent

personality. Jung goes on to explain that all humans have a negative aspect of their personalities,

whether they desire to recognize it or not. For example, it is human nature to take from the

earth's resources. As inhabitants of the earth, humans must be aware of the environmental

footprint they create as they seek to draw out the earth's resources for their own benefit.

Le Guin uses elements like characterization, setting, and theme to emphasize the overall

message of this short story, that humans have a negative impact on the world they inhabit. She

warns the reader of the negative effects people to have on the environment by introducing them

to an idea that an environment can have emotions. She focuses on social interactions between

characters as well as interactions between characters and the environment. As more and more

humans inhabit the earth, the environment continues to deteriorate. The earth is stripped of its

resources to benefit its inhabitants and it receives nothing in exchange. Le Guin challenges the

reader to be aware of the effect they have on the environment and invites them to help the natural

world they inhabit.

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Works Cited

Le Guin, Ursula K. Vaster Than Empires, and More Slow. Doubleday Books. 1971.

Jung, Carl. "The Shadow." 1951.

Howe, Elisabeth. Close Reading An Introduction to Literature. Pearson Education Inc. 2010.