Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Lathe of Heaven, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Limits of Utilitarianism
Dreams and the Limitations of Knowledge
Cosmic Balance
Power and Selfishness
Summary
Analysis
It’s March 24. William Haber makes his way across the cool, marble floor of the Oregon Oneirological Institute. Penny Crouch greets him as he enters his office. He’s glad he brought Penny with him when he was named Director of the Institute last year. Haber enters his office and gazes out the enormous window at a gorgeous view of the Willamette River, city skyline, and distant mountain peaks.
It appears that Haber has used Orr’s dreams to give himself a retroactive promotion that went into effect last year. Haber’s nice office reflects his elevated status: he now has the nice view he coveted in Chapter 2.
Themes
Haber sits at his desk and gets started on the “hackwork” that comes with the “running of a Government-connected science research institute.” Though Haber doesn’t mind the tedium, he dislikes not having enough time for his research. In fact, his new position has forced him to give up all but one of his patients. Haber’s sole patient, George Orr, has an appointment at 4:00 p.m. today, and a HEW inspector will be there to observe their session with the Augmentor. Haber grumbles about the “Goddamn Government prying,” and the way his many successes have made him the victim of “public curiosity” and “professional envy.” If he was still a private researcher at P.S.U., working out of his office in Willamette East Tower, nobody would have given the Augmentor a second thought.
This scene offers a more detailed picture of all the ways Haber’s life has improved since he began treating Orr, notably that he’s now in charge of an important “Government-connected science research institute.” The fact that Orr is the only patient he’s maintained suggests that Haber has more desires for Orr’s dreams to fulfill. Haber’s complaint about the “Goddamn Government prying” is ironic, given the prying that he engaged in to achieve his current “Government-connected” position. Haber seems to accept a certain degree of Government prying, so long as he’s at the giving rather than receiving end of it.
Themes
The lawyer, Miss Lelache, arrives before Orr. She’s a terse but competent woman. She carries a big purse with a chunky golden clasp holding it closed, and she wears loud, metal jewelry, including a ring that depict[s] “a horribly ugly African mask design.” Haber thinks that Lelache’s display is itself a mask, “a lot of sound and fury signifying timidity.” Lelache asks questions about Orr and records the conversation with a pocket recorder, which annoys Haber. Haber tells Lelache that Orr is “disturbed,” per the Health Office’s definition, though his condition is improving with treatment. Lelache asks Haber to describe this treatment, and Haber describes how the Augmentor produces stimuli encouraging dreaming.
Lelache’s clothing and accessories reflect her outwardly aggressive, bold personality. Haber’s belief that Lelache’s ring and overarching intimidating demeanor are fronts that conceal a meek interior might be a projection of his own duplicitous personality. His phrase that Lelache’s ring is “a lot of sound and fury signifying timidity” is an allusion to a line from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in which Macbeth implicitly justifies his egregious crime of murdering King Duncan by claiming that life is meaningless and merely “a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury / Signifying nothing.” In this context, Haber’s decision to use these words to insult Lelache’s constructed exterior might also reflect an attempt to justify his own deceptive mannerisms.
Themes
Lelache asks Haber how he decides which “stimuli” to use on patients, which is a subject Haber has been avoiding. Haber gives an overly detailed, longwinded answer about starting with generalized stimuli and conducting tests on animals. He predicts that it might one day be possible to supply a disturbed mind like Orr’s with brainwave patterns that can “‘teach’ an abnormally functioning brain new habits.” Of course, Haber assures Lelache, he’ll be sure to “reregister with HEW” before undertaking this research (though what he doesn’t tell Lelache is that he’s currently conducting this research in his sessions with Orr).
This scene depicts Haber’s attempts to divert Lelache’s attention away from what Orr is actually doing with Orr and his dreams. Haber offers an intentionally longwinded, convoluted response to Lelache’s simple questions in an attempt to confuse or bore Lelache into accepting the legitimacy of his treatment methods. In addition to this, Haber explicitly withholds certain information form Lelache, such as the full extent of the research he’s conducting on Orr. At this point, it seems pretty clear that Haber is up to no good.
Themes
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Lelache presses further, asking Haber what the Augmentor actually does. Lelache’s nosiness annoys Haber, but he tries not to show it. Haber describes the Augmentor as a time-saving device whose primary job is to make Orr enter a dream state more quickly and, in so doing, minimize the time and effort needed for him to overcome his fear of dreams. The Augmentor can also deliver a signal to Orr’s brain to prevent him from having a nightmare, which would be catastrophic to the therapeutic process. Haber downplays the ways the Augmentor coerces Orr’s brain into behaving a certain way, making it out to be a gentler, more natural alternative to something like electrical brain stimulation.
Haber continues to pretend he’s using the Augmentor to cure Orr of his fear of dreaming, when in reality, he’s using the machine to control Orr’s dreams as a means to some ulterior end. The implicit message behind Haber’s comment about nightmares being catastrophic to Orr’s recovery is that one of Orr’s nightmares could unleash nightmarish changes onto reality.
Themes
Haber is grateful when his desk communicator buzzes, alerting him to Orr’s arrival. Orr enters Haber’s office. He and Lelache awkwardly shake hands and pretend not to know each other. The juxtaposition between the “meek” Orr and the “fierce” Lelache amuses Haber. Intent on putting on a “show” for Lelache, Haber places his hand across Orr’s throat to induce hypnosis, though Orr detracts from the performance when Haber’s touch causes him to flinch—a reaction Haber sees as evidence of Orr’s growing resistance to hypnosis.
Orr and Lelache’s awkward handshake evokes the image portrayed on the SNCC pin Lelache referenced in Chapter 4, which, in turn, alludes to the Taoist concept of yin and yang. Haber’s comments affirm this connection, when he uses the image of Orr and Lelache’s handshake to establish Orr and Lelache as opposite forces, one “meek” and one “fierce.” Rather than frame these opposite forces as complementary, though, Haber sees Orr’s meekness and Lelache’s fierceness as counteracting, defeating forces. Haber’s desire to put on a “show” for Lelache underscores how heavily public perception and egotism distort his otherwise well-intentioned ambitions.
Themes
Once Orr is in a trance, Haber asks him to name something that worries him. Orr responds, “overpopulation.” Haber begins the process of hypnosuggestion, inviting Orr to think of “overpopulation” as a mere metaphor he uses to express his real anxieties about “unfreedom” and intimacy. Haber prompts Orr to have an effective dream about overpopulation. Inwardly, Haber bemoans the way Lelache’s presence is forcing him to deliver instructions to Orr in such vague, indirect terms. Still, Haber thinks, it’s not as though his hypnosuggestion methods are concrete at this point. In fact, Haber changes his strategy each session to undermine Orr’s annoying habit of interpreting his hypnosuggestion too literally, which Haber sees as Orr’s resistance to being coerced. Haber decides that today’s abstract suggestions might actually “rouse less unconscious resistance in Orr.”
Haber has to deliver Orr’s hypnotic instructions in vague terms to maintain the illusion that he’s administering legitimate therapy to Orr, rather than giving him explicit instructions to change reality. Haber’s observation about Orr’s too-literal response to his hypnosuggestions implies that he’s had some issues getting Orr’s dreams to enact the exact changes he has in mind. Orr’s growing resistance to hypnosis illustrates Orr’s rejection of Haber’s Utilitarian ethics: even unconsciously, Orr rejects Haber’s moral imperative to impose changes on the world that interfere with fate.
Themes
Haber instructs Orr to dream of an “uncrowded” world, motioning for Lelache to watch the EEG screen as he does so. Then he commands Orr to sleep and turns on the Augmentor, which makes Orr descend into the d-state of sleep. Haber explains to Lelache that Orr’s brain activity is normal now, though it does exhibit the “occasional high peaking” that’s reminiscent of the electroencephalograms Haber has observed of men at work on intense, creative pursuits, such as painting or writing poetry. Once more, Haber assures Lelache that it’s Orr himself and not the Augmentor that’s creating these peaks. Inwardly, Haber recalls an attempt he made to stimulate Orr’s brain with a recording of a peak trace in an earlier session, but the resultant dream was “incoherent.” He doesn’t mention this experiment to Lelache.
Haber goes out of his way to assure Lelache that the Augmentor isn’t doing anything to Orr’s brain—that it’s only tracking his brain’s activity. Haber continues to employ figurative language to conceal the literal actions he’s coercing Orr’s dreams to undertake. Here, he compares the brainwaves of Orr’s dreams to the brainwaves exhibited by people undertaking creative pursuits to mask the truth that Orr’s dream is actually, literally creating reality.
Themes
Haber turns off the Augmentor once Orr is deep inside his dream. He and Lelache watch the EEG screen, waiting for the peak trace to appear. When the peak occurs, the vibe inside the room suddenly changes. Haber can feel “the shift,” and as Lelache looks out the window at the vanished towers, a terrified expression on her face, Haber knows she can feel it, too. Haber hadn’t thought Lelache would recognize the change, but he should have expected it, as she was there when Haber gave Orr the instructions to imagine an “uncrowded” world. Haber joins Lelache in looking out the window. As they stand there silently, Haber thinks about Portland, its decimated suburbs, and the hundreds of thousands of people who perished during the Plague Years. These days, during the Recovery, Portland’s current population hovers around 100,000.
There’s a huge disparity between Haber’s positive request for Orr to dream away overpopulation and the harrowing way Orr’s dream fulfilled that request—through a deadly plague. This disparity illustrates a common critique of Utilitarianism, which is that happiness is subjective and difficult to quantify. Haber’s belief that eliminating overpopulation will create a happier world might be true for the 100,000 Portlanders who survived the Plague Years that made the elimination of overpopulation a reality, but it certainly isn’t true for those who perished.
Themes
Suddenly, it occurs to Haber that he assumed Lelache wouldn’t see Orr’s dream become reality because he himself had failed to understand Orr’s power the first time he was exposed to it. Haber hadn’t paused to acknowledge the fact that he couldn’t have been the Director of the Oregon Oneirological Institute until last week because, prior to last week, the Institute hadn’t existed. Yet despite knowing this, Haber also knew the Institute had also existed for the last 18 months, and that he had been its founder. Until this moment, Haber realizes, he’s suppressed his double memory and Orr’s effective dream that willed it into existence. Haber wonders how Lelache will respond to her double memory and vows to destroy her if she makes any attempts to interfere with his research. For a moment, he feels capable of killing her right there in his office.
This is a critical moment for Haber’s character development. Now that he is consciously aware of Orr’s ability, he can either do the right thing (or the thing that’s in line with the Taoist worldviews the novel espouses) and stop using Orr’s dreams to change the world, or he can ignore his new knowledge, continue to meddle with Orr’s dreams, and risk throwing the universe off its natural balance. Haber’s sudden desire to kill Lelache suggests that he’s going to choose the latter option, since it shows the lengths he’s willing to go to continue his research.
Themes
Lelache is still staring at the diminished skyline. Haber senses that she doesn’t quite believe what she’s seeing, which puts him at ease. Haber babbles on about his childhood in New Jersey and the restructuring that occurred in the aftermath of “the Crash.” In comparison to the East Coast, he tells Lelache, Oregon’s overpopulation wasn’t much of a problem. Haber knows it’s risky to discuss the “critical subject” of overpopulation so early in the reality shift, but he’s determined to act normally to make Lelache forget that she saw whatever it is she thinks she saw.
Haber thinks Lelache will discount any conscious awareness of a double memory, which is what happened to Haber the first time he witnessed one of Orr’s effective dreams. Still, Haber tries his best to distract Lelache from reflecting consciously on her double memory, since Haber seems to think that conscious reflection (as opposed to an unconscious feeling) is what solidifies reality for a person.
Themes
Though Haber tries to act casually, he’s having a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that he has two memories of Earth: one in which the global population is almost seven billion (and which is no longer true) and the other in which the population is (and is currently) a manageable one billion. Haber thinks about the six billion people who no longer exist and wonders, “what has Orr done?”
Haber’s difficulty conceiving of two realities should encourage him to reflect on the gravity of what he’s just encouraged Orr to do (murder six billion people) and reconsider using Orr’s dreams to change the world. But when Haber asks himself the rhetorical question, “what has Orr done?” he effectively relegates all responsibility for the Plague to Orr, which minimizes his own role in the tragedy. That Haber refuses to acknowledge his complicity in the Plague suggests that he hasn’t learned from his mistakes and will continue to exploit Orr’s dreams.
Themes
When Haber tires of small talk, he calls Orr’s name three times. Orr wakes up, looks out the window, and asks where everything went. Haber sees Lelache react to Orr’s question and quickly tries to redirect the conversation, telling Orr that he only had a “nightmare.” Orr says he dreamed about “the Plague” and asks Haber, a hint of “sarcasm” in his voice, if he remembers “the Plague Years.” Haber confirms that he does: he was 22 when he first heard about the atmosphere’s pollutions morphing into “virulent carcinogens.” Everyone Haber knew died during those years. Orr makes a wry observation that the Plague really “took care of the overpopulation problem,” and Haber can’t miss the “edge” in his voice. Haber reminds Orr that there’s no longer famine in South America, Africa, and Asia, thanks to the Plague.
Orr’s “sarcasm” implies that he knows Haber is aware of the altered reality. The “edge” Haber later detects in Orr’s voice confirms this. Haber steers the conversation toward the elimination of famine to justify the Plague, arguing that the deaths of billions of people creates a future in which countless generations will be relieved of the suffering that famine might have caused. Haber’s logic attempts to quantify happiness: he argues that the improved quality of life for future generations outweighs the suffering that six billion people had to incur to make possible that improved quality of life.
Themes
Though Haber sees tears in Orr’s eyes, he continues to discuss Orr’s nightmare about the Plague exclusively in metaphorical or psychological terms, refusing to acknowledge the unspoken truth that they both know: that Orr’s dream wasn’t a nightmare about the Plague—it was the effective dream that willed the Plague into existence. Haber tries to drive Orr to an emotional breaking point, reasoning that Lelache will be less likely to believe anything Orr says if he’s visibly unstable.
Haber continues to use vague, metaphorical language to keep Orr in the dark about just how much he knows about the power of Orr’s dreams. Haber thinks that he can gaslight Orr into suffering a visible emotional breakdown that will reinforce their power dynamic and keep Lelache’s suspicions at bay: if Haber can make Orr appear mentally unstable, it makes Haber seem more authoritative and trustworthy in comparison, which will increase the likelihood that Lelache will accept Haber’s claims that everything is normal over Orr’s insinuations that things aren’t normal.
Themes
Orr stares silently and incredulously at Haber before divulging the rest of his dream. He describes working for the Interment Corps, digging ditches and burying the endless piles of naked, starved dead. Orr looked for Haber in his dream, but Haber wasn’t there. Haber suggests that Orr’s real experiences must have factored into the Plague dream, but Orr is adamant that he couldn’t have buried anyone, since nobody died, since there wasn’t a Plague—not until he dreamed of it. Orr tries to force Haber and Lelache to acknowledge their double memories, too, but Haber stands up and puts an end to Orr’s noncompliance before Lelache can answer. Haber makes up a quick excuse that outsider interference will destroy the integrity of Orr’s therapy and blames today’s unpleasant hypnosis experience on Lelache’s presence in the room.
Orr describes in vivid detail his dream-experiences of digging ditches for the Plague’s many victims to underscore the suffering involved in solving the overpopulation problem. Orr is trying to show Haber that happiness (or maximized well-being) is subjective and difficult to quantify.
Themes
After Orr leaves, Haber apologizes for the “crisis session” Lelache had to witness and rags on Orr for being stubborn and delusional. To Haber’s relief, Lelache doesn’t challenge him anymore and leaves shortly after Orr.
Haber tries again to undercut Orr’s authority. When Haber refers to Orr’s intense emotions as the hallmarks of a “crisis session,” he recasts Orr’s completely legitimate response to being complicit in the deaths of six billion people as the irrational emotions of a mental patient which, in turn, heightens Haber’s authoritative presence. Haber’s strategy appears to work, since Lelache leaves without asking any questions.
Themes
Alone in his office, Haber removes a bottle of bourbon from his desk. He looks out the window at the clear, unobstructed view of the mountains, listens to the river’s distant roar, and toasts “to a better world.”
When Haber toasts “to a better world,” he implicitly justifies the deaths of six billion people by recasting the tragedy as a cause for celebration. Haber believes that the increased happiness made possible by eliminating overpopulation justifies these deaths.
Themes
