setting! (#11)

Obviously, in the case of “Vaster Than Empires, and More Slow”, setting makes up a great deal of the story.  A lot of times, setting seems to only simply help the story along, and provide little more than further description.  However, what I have noticed in the case of most science fiction pieces is that setting usually has a great impact, and is really almost as integral as the novum itself.  For example, with “Vaster”, I would even consider the setting to be the novum: the characters are on a planet seemingly overrun by humanistic plant life. Taking place back on planet Earth, this story would not have worked so well.  Or perhaps it would have, but it would have had to take place in a different time than the one we are currently in: maybe, centuries from now when scientists have come up with too good of a growth hormone for plants, and something goes terribly wrong; or if Venus Fly Traps have begun to breed out of control.  Either way, the story had to be in a different setting in order to work. 

Had the story taken place in a different setting, the actions absolutely still could have happened, but they would have had an entirely different make up and outcome.  For example, part of an investigative team could have been taken captive by natives of another country, perhaps on Earth, but the whole essence of the story would have been different.  Since it would have been people, and not plants, lines such as, “’It was washing you.  Anointing you with lotions.  Special lotions to keep you supple and, well, and green.’  Everyone stared at Sam now, and she raised her arm through the leaf mould.  Indubitably green.  Not just a reflection.  A stain,” would have been completely unusable.  The main part to take away from this story was that the plants had lost family, and were trying in vain to make a similar connection with these humans.  Without this setting, the hostages would have been taken for a different reason, and thus the story would have had a different meaning.

 Le Guin’s motive for writing this story may have been to demonstrate the idea of alien life possessing human qualities, or even of some sort of greater moral law instilled in all types of life forms.  These could explain the way the plants longed for some sort of surrogate child, or why lullabies soothed them into cooperation.  This class has taught us to look at the story an author chooses to present their own thoughts through.  In this case, the most unique point of the story is the setting.