The Left Hand of Darkness - Essay Example

Essay, English Literature ic and Modern) Topic: Essay on The Left Hand of Darkness Sexualityand gender is the substantive theme in the novel The Left Hand of Darkness, and the title points out an ancillary subject matter. “Left Hand” relates to something sinister and the qualifying word is “Darkness”. The author seems to be confused in negativity while articulating the development of the characters. Whether Ursula K Le Guin is confused or whether she deliberately tries to puzzle the readers is the question for examination. In any case, the novel is not a straight reading and the author raises several questions and leaves it to the judgement of the reader to seek the suitable answers. Here is an example of such a paradoxical statement: “To learn which questions are unanswerable, and not to answer them: this skill is most needful in times of stress and darkness” (Le Guin 153). The question is whether it is the skill or the will of the author is the subject matter for further examination? The same trend of writing style and discussion continues as the author deals with sex, gender and political issues. Notwithstanding the pursuit of any political philosophy by those who ruled the society whether it is capitalists, communists, socialists, democrats or theocrats, the author argues that sex and gender has shaped and continues to impact individual views and the societal norms. Genly Ai is the key character and he equates his own sexuality, that of being a male, to the sexuality of every other being, all of whom are androgynous. He leads the intricate, richly themed story of the novel that works towards its intended objective through different levels. Turn the pages of human history, politics and sexuality have been the inseparable allies and they continue to be so even now. The issues of the female gender have always been the same. Genry Ai is the ambassador from Ekuman, which is an association exceeding eighty planets and his destination is Gethen, the planet covered with ice. The dwellers of the member worlds are identifiably human. The scientists of anthropology hazard the guess that they are from one home-world but are dispersed all over the galaxy since time immemorial, may be several eons ago. In some of the planets the occupants are inherently changed. This is true of the occupants of the Gethens and since all of them are androgynous, their sexual status is not permanent. They are neither male nor female. Thus the author introduces sexuality to build further complexities to develop this theme. Much difference exists between the sexual trends on Planet Earth and Gethens. Their complicated sexual cycle duration is for roughly one month. As such, for major part of the year they are sexually dormant. They experience what is called the kemmer phase which is for the limited period. When their bodies undergo hormonal changes, they become female or male and develop intense sexual urges. This transformation is involuntary and the change is influenced by the other partner close by. Two Gethens both undergoing the experience of kemmer together will harmonise mutually and will become female and male respectively, but this change is not with individual choice. With this explanation as for the societal structure, the author intelligently introduces the political system prevalent in the society by which it is governed. The physical aspect of the system of procreation is strange and it has the bearing of the social structure of the Gethens and also has implications on their psychology. Sexual violence and tension are the dominant features of the society to which Genly Ali belongs, but with the Gethens no sexual pressure exists, it is not a male-dominated society and the childbearing responsibility is not restricted to female alone. But the society has its own quota of tensions in other areas, incidents of murder happen and hostilities between neighbouring countries and border conflicts take place often, but there has been no major war. Highlighting this type of political relationship, Estraven reports to Genly Ali, “You know that Karhide and Orgoreyn have a dispute concerning a stretch of our border in the high North Fall near Sassinoth” (15).The political element is equivocally mentioned with the philosophy of communism in back of the mind, by the author. Even though they are all androgynous societies, even amongst them difference (of opinion and interests) exists. The metaphor of sexual identity is mentioned to highlight political differences within the practitioners of the same political philosophy. The King mentioned in the observation by Estraven in the following sentence implies the dictatorial attitude of the top leader in a communist country. He tells Genly Ali, “I forgot, being too interested myself, that he’s a King, and does not see things rationally, but as a King” (17). This means no transparency in administering the affairs of the country is practiced, and the King’s style of functioning is autocratic. The difference in identity is also highlighted in sexual terms, which means the society practices different social values. Karhide is questionably more female, more Yin. They are controlled by a complicated system of talking and decorum known as shifgrethor and Genly Ali fails to comprehend its mystic importance. He has come on an important mission but is confused to encounter the diffident attitudes of the concerned authorities about his perspectives. The attitude of Orgoreyan varies much in comparison. The leaders talk liberally, show lots of enthusiasm as for the mission of the ambassador from a different world. But he soon identifies the politics behind their dispositions. The silence of Karhide is more meaningful implied with compassion, and the apparent frankness of Orgoreyn has some hidden agenda and they lack humanity and take to deceitful ways. They wear a ‘mask’ to hide their real identity. The characters created by the author seem to go in tandem with her personal belief systems. This articulation defines her inner confusion and her desperate struggle to come to terms with her convictions. She argues, “I talk about the gods, I am an atheist. But I am an artist too, and therefore a liar. Distrust everything I say. I am telling the truth. The only truth I can understand or express is, logically defined, a lie. Psychologically defined, a symbol. Aesthetically defined, a metaphor” (Front Matter). I am not willing to put this book in the genre of science fiction. It is rather spiritual fiction and the analysis of the gender roles. This is spiritual fiction because her spiritual understanding is not perfect, and she tries to knock the portals of spirituality from the final frontiers of mind. At the superficial levels it appears like the science fiction, but actually the author tries to delve in deeper investigations. The author depicts how the political situation changes with the changes in the political hierarchy. Estraven ceases to enjoy the confidence of the King and is expelled from Karhide. The King’s new adviser has different ideas. He is not inclined to join the Ekumen and is intent upon provoking a war with the neighbouring police state of Orgoreyn. Genly Ali moves to Orgoreyn thinking that he will have more luck with its “commensals”. He has a meeting with the exiled Estraven who counsels him that no one is interested in the Ekumen. They all function with their own motivated political interests. When they fail in their objectives Ali is arrested and transported in a ship to a “Voluntary Farm”, where he is drugged and interrogated on a continual basis. About his experiences in the jail he states, “Among my fellow prisoners I had also for the first time on Winter a certain feeling of being a man among women, or among eunuchs. The prisoners had that same flabbiness and coarseness…” (p. 176). The tension related to the gender issues is thus highlighted. There is also an important discussion specifically about the gender issue between Estraven and Genly Ali. Estraven questions whether the women differ from men at mental level, if they are a different species. Genly answers, “The difference is very important. I suppose the most important thing, the heaviest single factor in one’s life, is whether one’s born male or female. In most societies it determines one’s expectations, activities, outlook, ethics, manners—almost everything,” (234). This is true of most of the cultures even today and the plight of the female gender is correctly depicted. Conclusion The entire plot of the novel is about the figurative examination of our own society, relating to gender issues, and the political tussles between countries which practice more or less the same ideology. The world with no gender can be compared to the classless society articulated in the philosophy of communism, but one cannot say with conclusive evidence whether communism alone is the accepted political system for governance in the eighty countries mentioned above. Works Cited Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness. New York: Ace Books, 1987. Print. Read More