The Dispossessed

true departure is return.

‘The Revolution is in the individual spirit, or it is nowhere. It is for all, or it is nothing. If it is seen as having any end, it will never truly begin.’ We can’t stop here. We must go on. We must take the risks.”

Those who build walls are their own prisoners.

The wall described in the opening symbolizes several of the themes of the novel. Look for other references to walls in the text. What is the meaning of this sentence: “It enclosed the universe, leaving Anarres outside, free?”

Children can be raised by all kinds of configurations of loving adults: the traditional nuclear family is not necessarily the best model for childrearing.

New ways of using language to make men and women more equal are needed.

The world had fallen out from under him, and he was left alone.

The Day Before the Revolution.

In many ways, Annares is an idealized hippie commune.

She was particularly inspired by the work of American pacifist/anarchist/reformer Paul Goodman