So it's pretty clear that Genly still doesn't really understand the Gethenian way of life. He may be able to read about them and see their rituals, but Genly will never be able to truly empathize with Gethenians because he is an alien. I mean it makes sense, being that he is from a completely different planet, but I think that some of Genly's misunderstanding comes from his ignorance as well.
So far we've seen a lot of his thought process involve offensive ideas towards women, especially when he meets a new character and tries to categorize them into genders. But one part that really struck me was in Chapter 8 when he was discussing parental instinct on Gethen. He says "I never saw a Karhider hit a child... Their tenderness toward their children struck me as being profound, effective, and almost wholly unpossessive. Only in that unpossessiveness does it perhaps differ from what we call the 'maternal' instinct." (99-100)
From this quote, we can see that Genly is actually very surprised that Karhiders treat their kids so nicely and respectfully and not as possessions. This shocked reaction gives commentary that Earth is the exact opposite. Genly is used to humans who are very controlling of their offspring to a point where it is actually ineffective, but humans don't think it's ineffective because they don't know any different.
He also later makes a comment comparing the words "maternal" and "paternal," saying that "the parental instinct, the wish to protect, to further, is not a sex-linked character" (100). This goes along with the book's theme that gender is not something that really changes people but it is just a way of perceiving people. It does not matter whether one is a mom or a dad because either one can equally give good care to a developing child; an ideal that is not understood on Earth.
I can see how Genly feels weird that he's seeing and feeling all these different types of "vibes" or new interactions with characters but can't categorize them with genders. Im sure everyone would feel uncomfortable at first, but even know in our country we have friends, and family we have the same questions at time. But what we have that helps us is love for one another and an abundance of acceptance no matter the gender or race in our world. Genly at the start of the book had many sexist comments on how Estraven talked or spoke which wasn't correct at all. Even for Faxe he calls "it" or "she" a she because her physique which we all know is incorrect. But who know we haven't finished it yet. Genly's world sounds closer to the author's time on Earth when she wrote it. -Myles Purnell
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that as well. Genly would in a way make fun of Estraven for portraying some feminine characteristics making it hard for him to understand the Gethenian gender roles. To him everyone is male when in fact they have no gender at all. Which is why he's confused by the way Gethenians parent. Because they aren't mom and dad all the time they are able to have both maternal and paternal instincts. Until, Genly can fully understand that genderless anatomy of Gethenians he will continue to categorize then as male and female. He doesn't truly know why they are that way, because he comes from a planet with genders. I understand his confusion, because I am also struggling with understanding Gethenians and how they look. It's difficult to picture them and what they would look like. Genly is often times misleading with descriptions, for example Face looks like a female to him, yet he calls him "he". Although Face has no gender Genly categorizes him.
ReplyDeleteI honestly would be just as confused as Genly if I traveled to a world where everything that I know and was accustomed to wasn't what the people on this world knew. I'm especially confused with how the people on this planet have no genders! What do they even look like? And more personally, how do they go #1? Questions like these arise as I read further into the book and I'm starting to lose focus because I get so confused. My brain doesn't want to try and comprehend what's happening anymore. These genderless people are confusing me too. If they don't have genders, why are some of them constantly referred to as "he"?
ReplyDeleteI totally understand on why Genly feels this way being that he is from a totally different planet. I would feel super lost and misplaced as well knowing that the Gethenians live a totally different lifestyle. Its totally confusing on how they are completely genderless and only gain a gender through "kemmer". Some questions that come to my mind are do they ever age like humans or do they look similar to humans. This novel only covers so much on the gethenians lifestyle, which creates confusion due to their language and characters throughout the book.Eventually it will all come together but for now Genly still seems lost and confused.
ReplyDeleteI understand why Genly is confused. Everything he is accustomed to, is different on this planet; for example, the anatomy of the people there or their beliefs and ideas. He looks different and acts differently then the people on "Winter", this cause him to feel misplaced and even more confused. I find it extremely unusual that the people on this planet don't have genders and can only obtain a gender while in "kemmer". I am frequently confused about their lifestyle and how they go about life.
ReplyDeleteAt times I try and put myself in the mind of Genly and imagine how it must feel to be in his situation and I can't really say that I would know exactly how to react if I were him. People do not like to feel uncomfortable and when they are they might not tackle situations to the best of their ability, Genly is more than just a stranger to this planet and it is very clear. Genly's culture is way different than that of the Gethenians and trying to live in a completely different world must not be easy on him. It is obvious that Genly needs to come to learn the ways of the Gethenians and how they are as a people and not stay stuck on his own ways.
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