Children are named randomly by a computer and raised in group dormitory settings. This freedom was so important to the founders of the society where Shevek lives that they see even having possessions or, in many cases, committed relationships, as a prison. The implication here is that people are genuinely good and genuinely care about each other and about contributing something positive to the world. The novel clearly advocates for personal freedom and glorifies an individual’s right to determine what s/he does for a living and for pleasure, who s/he loves, how s/he lives, etc., without any caveats. The discussion of freedom occurs at two levels: the freedom of the individual and the freedom of ideas. What makes the novel a must-read to this day are the other universal and complex themes it also tackles, including gender equality, the nature of time, and what it really means to be free. These ideas, while interesting, do read a little bit like a product of their time. The primary theme of the novel is an illustration of the merits and dangers of anarchy and socialism.

Written in 1974, the novel was an instant hit and won both the Nebula and Hugo awards. He travels to that home planet, with the ultimate goal of “tearing down walls.”

He has begun to see cracks in his society, and a return to the ways that the founders left their home planet to escape. This classic novel of science fiction is the story of Shevek, a physicist from a 150-year-old socialist-anarchist experimental utopia on a moon.

The dispossessed novel