 | The Word for World is Forest is Climate Fiction, written before such a term existed. This cautionary tale, first published in 1972, explores the clash of human military-corporate interests ruthlessly extracting precious lumber on a far-away planet and the planet's natives, for whom the forest is a sacred entity. The human colonists have enslaved the indigenous population, and keep them in degrading circumstances. Like many of Le Guin’s stories, there are intriguing cultural tidbits suggesting a complex and unique culture among the indigenous population. Historically, the pacifist natives solve their differences through competitive singing and don’t engage in the stark violence perpetrated by the “yumans.” |
The story is told through three distinct point-of-view characters:
- Captain Davidson is a “man’s man,” arrogant and hyper-masculine. His abhorrent behavior toward the natives and his “stupid” superiors makes perfect sense in his mind. He’s the sort of guy who’s always right and can never admit he made a mistake.
- Selver is a Dreamer, a type of shaman among the indigenous population. When Davidson rapes and kills Selver’s wife (not shown), Selver attacks him and almost dies from Davidson’s vicious counter assault (shown as a flashback). Selver escapes the yuman camp and tells his story to other natives, which eventually leads to him becoming the leader of a rebellion against the yumans.
- Raj Lyubov is an anthropologist studying the natives on behalf of the military-corporate powers. Dr. Lyubov rescues Selver from Davidson's brutality and nurses him back to health, then he and Selver work together to compile a human-native dictionary. Dr. Lyubov feels guilty about the way the planet and natives are being treated, but his concerns are ignored by his superiors.
 | The forest world itself reminded me of one of my favorite Le Guin short stories, “Vaster than Empires and More Slow.” Published in 1971, this short story follows the adventures of human astronauts exploring a forest planet that has no animals—except for the humans. It's fascinating for its exploration of the downside of extreme empathy, and its vision of a very different ecosystem than we experience on Earth. What elevates The Word for World is Forest, and earned it a Hugo Award, is the tension between the very different human and native cultures—and the price the natives pay trying to overthrow their oppressors. By engaging in human-like violence, they change their pacifist culture forever. |
The story theme of The Word for World is Forest reminds me of the Friedrich Nietzsche quote: “Beware when fighting monsters that you yourself do not become a monster.”
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