Examples Of Porlock As A Foils

Le Guin’s Vaster Than Empires and More Slow contemplates the existence of the other beyond the self and epitomizes the struggles the self has with the induction of foreign elements and the resulting paranoia that stems from the unfamiliar. The character of Porlock is a prime example of xenophobia and the infectious nature it perpetuates throughout society and ultimately serves as the key foil to Osden that emphasizes the necessity for the acceptance of the other in order to culminate in a mutually beneficial understanding of one another.
The entire NAFAL flight crew is initially described by the narrator as comprised of “… escapists; misfits; nuts” because of their ludicrous mission to explore parts of the galaxy hundreds years of travel

away from their traditional home, essentially separating them from anything and everything a sane person would hold dear (101). Therefore, the group of scientists aboard the ship consists of personalities that range from both ends of the extreme. Porlock in particular is a character embroiled in the merits of cynicism remarking that he “… can’t stand him [Osden]” because “The man is insane” (102). The hostility Porlock portrays towards Osden is openly reflected back upon him due to Osden’s empathetic projections, which, as the narrator notes, forms a self-perpetuating and destructive feedback loop that breeds negativity and distrust. Porlock fails to similarly empathize with Osden and this loop instead serves only to widen the gap between himself and Osden as it inherently leads to aggressive conflict between the two. Porlock’s consistent distrust and unwillingness to even attempt to understand Osden is reminiscent of the struggles of the self to understand the other. In essence, the self is completely embroiled only in the matters of immediacy alienating itself from the other because of self-interestedness.
In essence, Porlock seems to represent the interests of those who are only absorbed with their own well-being as he fails to empathize with Osden’s predicament in the following conversation with the crew members where he calls Osden “intolerable” exclaiming that “Nothing gives a man the right to be such a bastard” (103).

His irritable demeanor is relentless in its pursuit of Osden’s strangeness. He essentially views Osden’s reformed autistic tendencies as an inhuman or even subhuman byproduct of experimentation. He explicitly states that “nothing gives a man” the right to be a bastard implying that Osden is in some way inferior to himself and therefore he thinks less of Osden as a result. Porlock’s failure to understand Osden is the initial conflict that sets the rest of the story into motion. The dynamic the foil of Porlock and Osden create serves as the springboard for Harfex’s skepticism as well as the overarching sweeping fear that grips the camp side. Porlock’s incessant complaints and jeering taunts about Osden become infectious to even the other more level-headed team members, as they join in and unite around their mutual distrust of

Osden.
Porlock’s behavior is by all means irrational from an outsider’s standpoint and seems to coincide with Sigmund Freud’s definition of the id (whereupon Tomiko or the reader would be the ego and Osden the superego). As the id, Porlock leaps at every opportunity to slander Osden and to persuade the others to behave irrationally towards Osden imitating a voice whispering lies that breed paranoia. For example, in the short story there is a scene where Jenny Chong and Olleroo are conversing about Osden and Porlock appears out of the blue to interject when Olleroo claims that Osden is “not really so bad” teasing “You ever slept with him, Olleroo?” (109). Porlock’s singular role in the short story is to simply dissuade all of the team members from becoming familiar with Osden at all. His singular desire to watch the world burn makes him nonexistent in the character development department, but at the same time accentuates the development Tomiko makes towards her acceptance of the other as the dichotomy between Osden and Porlock becomes relevant as Osden becomes a more sympathetic character, while Porlock fades into irrelevance.
Porlock’s role reaches a peak when he confesses that he was the one who assaulted Osden and set the entire plot into motion.

Porlock confesses, “Do I have to say his name? Osden, then. Osden! Osden! Why do you think I tried to kill him? In self-defense? To save all of us! Because you won’t see what he is doing to us. He’s sabotaged the mission by making us all quarrel, and now he’s going to drive us all insane by projecting fear at us…” (122). Porlock’s own sense of paranoia is so destructive that it is ultimately the source of his own downfall. Porlock’s intense hatred for Osden is allegorical to the hatred minorities or unfamiliar experience today at the hands and persecution of the mob mentality. The unfamiliar perpetuates a sense of distrust, which is even reflected in the forest when it feels fear upon its acknowledgement of a foreign organism invading its natural ecosystem. This distrust evolves into fear as the self makes no effort to understand or accommodate the peculiar and this fear results in xenophobia. Porlock’s xenophobic tendencies borders upon fanaticism as he consistently hounds Osden’s reputation and paints him as the monster within their own group, when in fact, it’s xenophobia and doubt itself that is the monster in the back of their own minds. When Osden is struck by Porlock, all he feels is unfathomable fear, which evidently stems from Porlock’s fear of Osden that becomes the same fear that grips the entire planet. In this way, even after his removal

from plot relevance in the latter portions of the short story, Porlock has transferred his fears onto the planet that becomes afraid of these foreign creatures who it does not know and does not understand. Only when Osden becomes one with the forest and shares his own feelings (as opposed to reflecting those of others) does the forest become complacent, a sentiment Porlock would never be able to understand because of his irrational behavior.
In conclusion, Porlock’s sense of paranoia prevents him from interacting rationally with Osden. This coupled with his inability to escape Osden’s oppressive presence within his mind, forces him to adopt the haphazard and aggressive behavior he displays towards Osden. His inability to contemplate the existence or even the humanity present in the other becomes the short-sightedness that ultimately silences him. The character of Porlock serves as an important stepping stone into the main conflict of the story and each subsequent appearance elevates the tensions between characters in the plot. The dichotomy between Porlock and Osden is extremely fitting towards the development of the story as one cannot understand others, and the other understands others too well. Thus, Osden’s ascension into acceptance of the other as a welcome part of the being is only possible through Porlock’s conversely skeptical view as the other as inhuman.