The Faults of Balance in Communication

The Faults of Balance in Communication

              A balance is what keeps stability. At least, this idea is what seems to be the go to answer for various works of literature. In a way, the notion of balance has become a universal solution for all problems. However, the notion that a balance is a general solution to every challenge that life provides degrades the complexity of life itself. In LeGuin’s Vaster than Empires, and More Slow the idea that a balance is not necessarily the realistic solution to all problems emerges through three different characters: Eskwana, Osden, and World 4470. Through these characters, their specific intricacies, and their complex interactions with others LeGuin molds a complex idea of the world. It is also through these characters that LeGuin reveals a universal truth that demonstrates how the complexities of human communication extend beyond the simple solution of a balance.

              Communication is vital for the survival of the human race. It is for this reason that communication is such a complex idea that is built upon layers and layers of multifaceted factors. LeGuin approaches the idea of communication in an unorthodox method. Through her characters, LeGuin introduces the idea of communication as a subsect of the human capability to relate and understand others and to accept the unknown.

              Through the character of Eskwana, the complexity of how humans are able to accept something foreign as a long as it is within their realm of understanding and idea of acceptability is shown. Eskwana is character that is demonstrated to be characterized, at least by the other characters, as on the spectrum of autism. This is most likely due his low-level empathy abilities and his resulting sensitivity to the actions of others. However, despite this handicap, Eskwana is able to interact with the others. This is due to multiple factors including how Eskwana’s condition is understandable to the others as Tomiko had described him having “vulnerability” (LeGuin 157). This allows the others to properly adjust the way they interact with Eskwana in order to be able to properly communicate with him. In addition, Eskwana’s defensive mechanisms include becoming submissive and falling asleep in order to isolate himself from the negative emotions. This non-intrusive defense allows the others to accept this mechanism as necessary and at very least ignorable. In all, Eskwana’s character introduces a form of communication in which the characters’ could understand, and because they could alter their interactions to co-exist with Eskwana they could also accept the differences between him and the others.

              The next vital character, World 4470, is a sentient life-force that exists and functions in a way that human and humanoid species can never even being to understand due to their lack of ability to relate to such an alien experience. This foreignness, in contrary to what may be believed, gains a level of acceptableness in the minds of the characters. The existence that is beyond the characters’ mental reaches in every way possible makes it impossible for them to actually interact with the planet. The planet’s action of absorbing the foreign entity of emotion for the first time and propagating it through the characters was its attempt at what humans may consider communication. However, this idea of communication was so vastly different from the characters’ understanding of what communication was that it caused them to flee as a result. The characters’ understood that the planet’s means of communication was outside of their capabilities, accepted this as a fact, and then left. Therefore, while the method of communication that the planet used was entirely beyond the characters’ capabilities to comprehend, they were still able to accept this reality because of just how foreign it was.

              These two characters demonstrate two sides of the complexities associated with human communication. Eskwana represents the kind of communication that others can both understand and accept while World 4470 represents the communication that others can never begin to understand yet still are able to accept. The supposed ‘balance’ between these two different kinds of communication lies within the character of Osden. However, the idea of a balance being the perfect equilibrium is nulled by Osden’s contradictory existence. Osden is an empath, who despite being “cured” (LeGuin 150) of his autism still retains defensive measures that are less than ideal when it comes to communicating with others. His empathy can be understood by the other characters due to their knowledge of its existence through individuals such as Eskwana. However the extent in which Osden’s empathy traverses their own beliefs of communication causes them to deny its complexity and its existence. In addition, Osden’s odd defense mechanism involves reflecting the negative emotions of others results in a positive feedback loop of negativity. This accumulates to form a denial of things that can be conceptually understood, but not easily dealt with in reality. For the characters, Osden’s empathy gives him a sixth sense which is conceptually understandable but not something that they are able to actually deal with in real life. Therefore, Osden represents an odd midpoint between Eskwana and World 4470’s representations of communication for he represents the type of communication which can be understood but can not be accepted.

              ‘Balance’ is an idea where components are equally distributed so to not be entirely dependent on one aspect or another. Osden’s communication is undoubtable a balance between the two extremes of Eskwana and World 4470’s communications. However, it is clear that Osden’s communication is the least function of the three forms of communications. Balance is fragile, but almost never perfect. This is a concept that LeGuin seems to pursue in her representation of her characters. It is through these representations that the idea that communication is a complex concept that fails to find a satisfactory ‘balance’ between its many variables emerges. It is due to this that LeGuin’s story demonstrates the complexity of human communication and the need for humans to transcend the rudimentary elements of conceptual analysis to truly begin to understand the enigma that is human behavior and interaction.