She Unnames Them, Ursula K. Le Guin: Summary & Analysis

‘She Unnames Them’: Plot Summary The short story 'She Unnames Them' by Ursula K. Le Guin, published in the New Yorker in 1985, presents a unique twist on the biblical story of Adam and Eve. The narrative is told from the perspective of Eve after she has taken on the task of removing the names Adam had given to all the animals in the Garden of Eden. This act of "unnaming" the creatures challenges the conventional idea of humans having dominion over nature and explores the consequences of unraveling the linguistic barriers between humans and animals. Read the Story Text Animals Embracing Namelessness In Le Guin's story, the animals willingly accept their new state of namelessness. While some species, like yaks, initially resist letting go of their assigned names, they eventually acquiesce. Horses, indifferent to the names humans bestowed upon them, remain unperturbed. Farmyard animals, in general, are content to part with their names as well. The cats, having never trul…