of the philosopher Odo, who advocated a society without centralized control or even organized government or religion. Urras, the planet from which the Odonians wished to escape, is very similar to Earth (or Terra, as it is referred to in the novel): It is a planet dominated by competing forms of government and characterized by both extreme poverty and the grotesque accumulation of wealth. Shevek, a physicist from Anarres, represents the link between the two planets. As the first traveler from Anarres to Urras in decades, he represents progress to both the Anarresti and the Urrasti. He provides the hope for a synthesis between the contradictory forces that are represented by the two planets.

The narration alternates between the planets: For example, the first chapter features Shevek’s departure for Urras, while the next chapter flashes back to Shevek’s infant and childhood years on Anarres. This pattern of alternation helps to highlight the contrast between the two worlds; as readers become more convinced that the world of Urras is an undesirable extrapolation of present-day societies, they also become aware that Anarres is at best the “ambiguous utopia” of the novel’s subtitle. Shevek’s personal mission as ambassador to Urras becomes complicated by the same power politics from which he had hoped to escape. As it becomes apparent that the Urrasti governments want him to visit only so that they can benefit from his theories, Shevek begins to look for a third alternative to the impasse present on the twin planets.

Shevek finds himself controlled on Anarres by Sabul, the head of the Physics Institute, and on Urras by the government and official university of A-Io, the dominant nation of the planet. After his arrival on Urras, Shevek tries to reach out to the working classes, delivering an inspiring speech on behalf of interplanetary unity at a mass meeting of the groups representing labor in A-Io. As his departure from Anarres caused one of the first riots in the planet’s history, his speech on Urras precipitates a Haymarket style massacre when the government of A-Io violently represses the labor gathering, killing many of the participants and scattering the remainder. Shevek then turns to the only independent party left, the aliens who have established contact with the governments of Urras.

Shevek first seeks asylum at the embassy of the Terrans, representatives of the Earth of the distant future. The Terrans are there because of the charity of the Hains, the most advanced and ancient race in the galaxy. Earth itself has long been decimated from the type of greed of ownership that is only too apparent on Urras and is being surreptitiously established on Anarres. With the aid of the unbelieving yet understanding Terran ambassador, Shevek arranges for a simultaneous broadcast of his theories to all known civilizations in the galaxy. His discoveries will profit all equally by allowing for instant communication between the planets, leading to the destruction of barriers that have been established between the races. With his work accomplished, Shevek is free to return to Takver, his partner on Anarres, ready to undertake the new project of helping to ensure a continuation of the permanent revolution that originally formed the basis of Anarresti society.

Despite the fact that the central character in The Dispossessed is male, the novel provides considerable commentary on issues of concern to women. At the forefront is another investigation of the concept of androgyny, or the sharing of traits among men and women. While not as complete an analysis of androgyny as Le Guin’s previous novel, The Left Hand of Darkness, this novel addresses more thoroughly the question of equality and partnership between the sexes, arguing for a reality which goes far beyond the present institutions of marriage and childbearing.

Le Guin develops her analysis of equality through two female characters, Takver, Shevek’s partner on Anarres, and Vea Doem Oiie, an attractive Urrasti woman. Takver represents the complete equality demanded by the sexes on Anarres. Because there are no laws concerning property on Anarres (in fact there is no property officially), women are freed from their traditional status as the property of a husband, father, or brother. The Urrasti institution of marriage, based on property law, has been replaced on Anarres with the concept of “partnership,” where each member of the partnership is equal to the other. Unlike marriage, partnerships are rarely if ever dissolved, despite the fact that it is a moral instead of a legal agreement. Also unlike marriage, childbearing is considered an issue separate from partnering. Takver, a research scientist in her own right, chooses to keep the children with her while Shevek is posted to a remote part of the planet. It is her idea, also, for Shevek to travel to Urras. Vea Doem Oiie, on the other hand, fits into the category of women that Takver calls “body profiteers.” Married to a prominent official in the government of A-Io, she uses her attractiveness to control and manipulate. Her flirtatious charm is reinforced down to the magnetically implanted jewel in her navel. It is eventually revealed, however, that her interest in Shevek is attributable to her job as a Mata-Hari style agent for the government. Though her type is more common on a profit-oriented planet such as Urras, Takver concludes that there are also body profiteers on a utopian planet.

The narrative structure is cleverly crafted. Since Shevek is a theoretical physicist focused on the concept of time, the alternating chapters are designed to mirror two facets of his theories. Time is perceived as either simultaneous or sequential, representing either being or becoming. One set of chapters explores the events occurring concurrently during Shevek's visit to Urras, while the alternating chapters trace the sequence of events from his birth through childhood to adulthood. His goal is to reconcile these perspectives to develop a unified field theory of time. By the final chapter, Shevek is preparing to leave his home planet for Urras, mirroring his departure from Urras to return home.

Another technique employed is the recurring image of the "wall." Shevek aims to dismantle the barriers dividing humanity both within individual planets and between different worlds. In several scenes, either a literal or metaphorical wall hinders his objectives. Walls also appear in Shevek's dreams.

Le Guin also employs the technique of authenticating detail. Readers are immersed in the stark, marginal existence on Anarres and the opulent extravagance of life on Urras.

The Dispossessed belongs to the genre of Utopian/dystopian fiction, tracing its roots back to Thomas More's seminal work that coined the term. More precisely, its unique social perspective is heavily inspired by the revolutionary concepts of Shelley and Kropotkin, as well as the teachings of Taoism.

Three short stories are intricately linked to this novel. "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" (1973) explores whether the happiness of Omelas's citizens is justifiable when it relies on the severe suffering of a single person. Among those who choose to leave such a society is Odo, the protagonist of "The Day Before the Revolution" (1974). Odo is the woman who inspired the rebellion that led to the creation of Anarres's anarchist society. However, in the story, she is already seventy-two years old and will not live to witness its fruition. The third story, "The New Atlantis" (1975), also examines two contrasting worlds. The old Atlantis suffers from ecological collapse, while the new Atlantis rises from the sea where the old is submerged. Despite this, the new world emerges from the ocean's depths, where the towers of the old still stand, prompting the question of which is truly old and which is new. Like The Dispossessed, this story presents an ambiguous utopian vision.