English 192
Lauren Bacon
27 August 2013
I have an edition from 1969, I will cite chapter numbers and page numbers [however, Patrick has changed page numbers to reflect the course edition]. This is the first time I've been exposed to this book and the themes presented here. Due to the density of the text I will focus only on plot development and themes as they've developed in the first nine chapters only, there is too much material otherwise.
Some background that I felt helpful in understanding this text is relatable to its author. Le Guin's novel is the first Hugo-award winning novel by a woman, and this is the first selection that we are reading in this class written by a woman.
Written in 1969 — culminating an end to the era of individual freedom explosion, a pinnacle of counterculture revolution, Major events and changes including the Vietnam War, hippies, man's first landing on the moon, Woodstock, the Beetles, MLK, Jr., the assassination of President Kennedy, and the second-wave feminist movement, there are literally countless examples of social development and change occurring during this time. This is an interesting era in the realm of science fiction and The Left Hand of Darkness explores many of these issues in a veiled and creative manner.
The most undeniable and predominant theme presented in the initial chapters of this text relate to gender roles. Most notably for me, I was drawn to our main character "Ai" and the interpretive problem of gender. Le Guin has been lauded and criticized for her portrayal of gender roles in this selection, and in some capacity I read Ai as the author's voice, curiously conflicted and making a veiled statement about gender and the role this plays impacting on our society.
The introduction that addresses the various interpretations of Left Hand was added in 1976. And in a nutshell Le Guin is saying that she does not claim to have written a preeminent discussion of gender roles, she claims to have written a piece of fiction, very interesting science fiction, and the reader can extrapolate whatever he or she wishes from this writing. She is not producing an answer, but she is describing something in the realm of what she perceives as Art,
and as with all great Art, interpretation is left to the observer. On the last page of her introduction, Le Guin states, quote:
So my interpretive focus has been drawn consistently to Ai and the problemazation of gender and the resulting challenges.
Ai is an "Envoy" — he is on the planet to persuade King to join the galactic union, but there will be further discussion of this later. Upon automatically referring to Estraven as a male, Ai thought: Though I had been nearly two years on Winter, I was still far from being able to see the people of the planet through their own eyes.
His visual description is that the beings are asexual people: I tried to, but my efforts took the form of self-consciously seeing a Gethenian first as a man, then as a woman, forcing him into those categories so irrelevant to his nature and so essential to my own.
I'm led to ask the question, why? Why is that first establishment so essential to Ai's own society? This is a clear and almost beautiful question explored here, in this genre of SF, this statement is completely about a Gethenian figure, yet the reader has no choice but to ask themselves about a bigger question Why is the gender establishment to essential to one's own interpretation of another?
I've found myself stopped short on a few occasions wondering in my day-to-day life when I meet someone new, a client, a mutual friend, an associate, am I looking at a male or a female? Now, we live in a much more progressive state and country today in 2013 then when this text was formulated in the 60s, yet this question is still asked. And I'm not a feminist nor am I anti-sexist, rather… curious to know why it matters.
As he is too tall, Ai refers to his own stature on page 13 (ch. 1): the alienness of my physique.
Ai notes how he thinks of Estraven with words like man,
he,
and him,
even though the terms don't rightly apply here. That we're looking at these asexual figures. Ai refers to the king as Him,
his,
he
constantly: ch. 3, e.g. p 31.
In chapter one: Ai thinks to himself, he's annoyed by Estraven's sense of effeminate intrigue
when Estraven invites Ai over to his house for dinner, and it's meant to be over heard by Tibe — Annoyed by this sense of effeminate intrigue,
ch 1 (p. 8) Effeminate
is defined as Having feminine qualities untypical of a man: not manly in appearance or manner, marked by an unbecoming delicacy or over-refinement…
I saw at last that I was missing another signal. Damning his effeminate deviousness, […] (14; ch 1)
Everything said to Tibe seemed to take on double meaning.
(8; ch. 1) Estraven has feminine style, all charm and tact and lack of substance, specious and adroit
(12; ch. 1). But Estraven's powerful presence is manly (7; ch. 1). Such categories are meaningless on Gethen, the whole population is androgynous, neither male nor female.
Even in a bisexual society, the politician is very often something less than an integral man.
(10; ch. 1) His accepting this kindness of an invitation to dinner at Estraven's and has inadvertently accepted a social cue that he's willing to understand that Estraven will no longer support Ai in an alliance with the King.
Aliens with human-like features: Gethenians are yellow-brown or red-brown, generally, but I have seen a good many as dark as myself.
(35; ch. 3) In a sense, we understand the King to perceive himself as a "human," and to perceive Ai as alien. From the reader's point of view, we are understanding human-like features, similar to what was discussed in [R.U.R.?]. Not male or female with but human-like features, and personally, I read something of an animal quality to Tibe and his yellowed teeth, they are shown as an animal may show his teeth for power. And there is a description of hair, how it's used for warmth, and how Ai was less hair-covered then most and therefore a recognizable outsider, or an alien.Some are blacker,
I said, we come all colors.
The king sees a picture of a female; they have no language to describe her on Gethen, presenting the idea that a person in permanent "kemmer" is a pervert: It's a disgusting idea, Mr. Ai, and I don't see why human beings here on earth should want or tolerate any dealings with creatures so monstrously different.
(36; ch. 3)
Quotes of interest. My landlady, a voluble man
(47; ch 5). I thought of him as my landlady, for he had fat buttocks that wagged as he walked, and a soft fat face […] He was so feminine in looks and manner that I once asked him how many children he had. He looked glum. He had never born any. He had, however, sired four. It was one of the little jolts I was always getting. Culture shock was nothing much compared to the biological shock I suffered as a human male among human beings who were, five-sixths of the time, hermaphroditic neuters.
(48; ch. 5). I'm confused as to why this sounds like bestiality to me.
Goss: Goss went light and quick, graceful as a girl.
(57; ch. 5)
King Argaven mocks Ai with sarcasm. In one of the gaffes that Ai made when discussing his motives for coming to Gethen he said he came alone in order to establish peace so that the king will not "fear" him, which is an unsuccessful statement. The King says, But I do fear you, Envoy. I fear those who sent you. I fear liars, and I fear tricksters, and worst I fear the bitter truth. And so I rule my country well. Because only fear rules men.
(39; ch. 3) And this is a part of the story where I found something more comical than not, this is the one time in life where it seems OK to be called a tool
by the king, who has exiled Estraven for treason, but not Ai, as he was just the tool or victim of this treason, not the one bearing the device.
It could be observed that to go to war is male, ego driven and dominant, so to argue why the Gethenians never mobilize, the author writes, They behaved like animals, in that respect; or like women. They did not behave like men, or ants.
(49; ch. 5) Followed by Ai's memory returning to Estraven's definition of patriotism for the Gethenians, which isn't pride in one's country but for essentially to argue as if in a family quarrel.
It is hypothesized that the experiment of creating the Gethenian people was, potentially, the elimination of war.
(95; ch. 7) — read this excerpt.
Another male ego-driven idea is that men like muscle cars that go fast: Gethenians could make their vehicles go faster, but they do not. If asked why not, they answer:
(50; ch. 5) Testosterone?Why?
Like asking Terrans why all our vehicles must go so fast; we answer Why not?
No disputing tastes.
His mission a bust, Ai leaves the castle to think some thoughts, like whether or not Estraven ever lied to him.
Ai decides his next action will be to go to the neighboring country Orgoreyn and try to get them on board. But before that, he's going do a little sightseeing and head east to the Fastnesses to get info on the Foretellers.
City of Rer where he meets Goss, then to the Fastnesses where he sees Foretellers and meets Faxe. Once Ai gets to see the Foretellers, he establishes that Gethen will join Ekumen in five years.
Estraven's journey to Orgoreyn (capital city Mishnory), where he lives on Fish Island. Commensal Yegey is his employer. Estraven then meets Commensal Obsle, foretelling Ai's relocating to Orgoreyn.
In chapter seven, which lacks a cohesive plot, similar to a medical chart of notes regarding sexuality and gender within the Gethenian culture, we learn about the sexual practices of the Gethenian hermaphroditic people.
The mother of several children may be the father of several more,Ch 7 page (91; ch. 7)
We close with chapter 8 learning that the king is pregnant with an heir … followed by chapter 9 where we learn about the origin of Estraven, and more.