http://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2010/11/201082-left-hand-of-darkness.html
The part of this blog that has me thinking is: "The word shifgrethor, which describes the underlying code of conduct that governs Gethenian society -- "prestige, face, place, the pride-relationship" (p. 14) -- is rooted in a word for shadow: and The Left Hand of Darkness is about shadows and light, from the bland Orgota ('it was as if they did not cast shadows', p. 147) to the depthless disorientation of a snowscape without sunshine -- without shadow, which aids perception."
I hadn't really thought deeply about the title in relation to the Gethenian society, but I really like her opinion. The more I searched for different opinions, I came across a statement that many have posted about, one that I wanted to ask you guys if you believe because I'm not sure what to think.
"In one of her essays Ursula LeGuin has since appologized for ruling homosexuality out of her book The Left Hand of Darkness. (That said, the narrator of the book seems freaked out enough when one of the mutable-gender characters becomes _feminine_ and attractive....)"
Do you guys think LeGuin ruled out homosexuality in her novel, or as stated earlier, do the underlying code of conduct that governs Gethenian society that is rooted in a word for shadow actually include all types of sex and sexuality: heterosexuality, homosexuality, and female and male? That all of these define a certain "prestige, face, place, the pride-relationship"? Just as some of the characters in the novel felt uncomfortable without knowing the sex of other characters, society feels that same uncomfortable feeling if they are unsure of the sex/sexuality of a person.
I think it is hard to conclude that LeGuin out rules gender completely because the dual gender of the Gethenian society rules homosexuality obsolete. Instead, I agree with you on the point that these characters include all types of sex, they are male and female at the same time. In creating these dual sex creatures, LeGuin questions all that we know about gender. We, like Genly Ai, have no way to really ever image the type of life these people live. Instead, the fear that Genly shows about the Gethenian's sex is used to relate to the fear that many heterosexuals feel towards the LGBT population. In this way, LeGuin can bring the complex human beliefs about gender and sexuality to this alien planet!
ReplyDeleteWow, you bring up a good point. I never would have thought about homosexuality in Left Hand of Darkness. According to Wikipedia, homosexuality has been observed in almost 1500 species "from primates to gut worms". So, even though Gethenians are neuter and not human as we know, it is possible that some Gethenians, when in Kemmer, could be homosexual. I wonder, if homosexuality existed on Gethen, would a personal be homosexual each time they went into Kemmer?
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_behavior_in_animals
This is a very interesting question. I don't think that the author Le Guin ruled out homosexuality in her novel. I think she push the audience to think deeper and take us away from are comfort zone when we are thinking about sex and gender. When i was reading the novel I never thought about homosexuality taking place in the novel even though it could have tooken place in the novel.
ReplyDeleteI had never really thought about this before so you bring up an awesome point! While the LeGuin may have out ruled gender all together I think she may have not used it to have the reader think about these ideas and almost make us have our own thoughts and opinion on the subject. I had never thought of homosexuality but that could definitely been a possibility on Gethen. What an interesting topic! I wish it would have been brought up in class because I would be interested in what the rest of the class has to say.
ReplyDelete