The Lathe of Heaven Part three: Finale

“Volcanoes emit fire”(150).-George Orr

This quote is one simple truth muddled amongst so many confusions and deceptions. This simple, muttered statement struck me as one of the most straightforward, explanatory quotes in Le Guin’s The Lathe of Heaven as it is not only so literally accurate as to grab the reader’s attention from the many other fantastical statements, but it also perfectly describes Haber, Orr, and their Oregon setting. When I first read this quote, I stopped reading. It was so short and so straightforward that it did not seem to fit amongst Le Guin’s usual nonsensical dream scenes and Haber’s scientific rhetoric. The mere length of this quote draws the reader’s attention to it as it begs, the question: Is that it? Is that Orr’s final argument against Haber? But after further reflection, I realized that this statement is perhaps the best warning Orr could have given Haber, though he did not state it loudly enough to be heard.

True, a volcano erupts in the novel’s Oregon setting, putting this quote into context, but this quote is really a metaphor for the havoc Haber wreaks and the sleeping emotions welling within Orr as he watches the Doctor’s scheme unfold. Orr, while passive throughout the better part of the novel, finally cannot stand to watch Haber use his mind for his own conniving activity and finally explodes, telling Haber that he “can’t let [him] use his effective dreams anymore”(144). This action upon his built-up emotions drives Orr to finally turn off the Augmentor on Haber, completing what he says to be the one action of his life(178). Perhaps a better interpretation for the metaphor lies in Haber. Haber is associated with volcanoes as he keeps his office window facing Mt. Hood, and is frequently describes as a huge man by all who meet him. Haber, the volcano of a man, becomes a figurative volcano when he tries to dream effectively and essentially begins to destroy the world, similar to how a volcano’s lava destroys all that is in its path. The difference here is that the figurative lava is Haber’s dreams, and dreams can expand forever, unlike lava which eventually stops when it reaches the sea. Haber’s dreams are therefore more dangerous than a volcano as they have the potential to destroy not only the Oregon area, but to seriously cripple the world and its occupants.