"Solitude" is my favorite Le Guin story in general, but I think only because it reminds me of the social breakdown I've witnessed after economic catastrophe here in my corner of Ohio. The world she describes is one that has imploded as well, and what the anthropologist mother explores is a society of distrust and fear of developed technology and social control systems. Which, minus the fear of developed technology, is a world that is familiar to me. The boys warring in gangs. The girls and women taking care of children independently. It's a horrible vision, but I identified in my own way, especially with the daughter who chose to stay, because it was her world regardless of its quality compared to other worlds.
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Date: 2010-12-26 05:49 pm (UTC)