Monday, January 23, 2017
Wave 1 Genly Ai's Perspective
The Left Hand of Darkness is a novel which intelligently demonstrates how hard it can be to accept people for who they are. This novel reveals many struggles us humans face in real life; the struggle of fitting in. Ursula K. Le Guin uses her protagonist Genly Ai, to give us an idea of how hard it is to accept others who aren't like us, and who at the same time see him as the outcast for being an alien. Genly comes from a patriarchal society that has genders and gender roles while Gethen, a genderless society, does not. Ai can not accept the fact that these Gethenians do not have a gender, and has a hard time trying to understand their nature. Genly clearly demonstrates his discomfort towards these people when he is near Estraven or Faxe, because he feels confused and can not accept that they have a different genetic background. Not only can Genly not accept them, but he also deals with the struggle of feeling like an outcast. Everyone in that planet sees him as a pervert, and/or judges him for being a person with a permanent gender, "'They're all like that-like you?'[...] 'So all of them, out of these planets, are in permanent kemmer? A society of perverts?'" (36) This proves that even though Genly sees the Gethenians as the odd ones, the odd one here is really him. Not only is Genly an outcast for having a permanent gender, but also because of the knowledge he poses. He has very advanced technology that many Gethenians do not understand; For example, when he tries to teach the King of Karhide how to send messages to other planets (38) or when he tried to have mind speech with Faxe (68). This clearly demonstrates that Genly's world is extremely advanced and still a very gender influenced Earth. He clearly shows how he wants to implant some of his Earths gender rolled ideas into this world. He does this by putting "Feminine" traits into these Gethenians like, "I thought of him as my landlady, for he had fat buttocks that wagged as he walked, and a soft fat face, and a prying, spying, ignoble, kindly nature." (48) which demonstrates his Earthly implanted ideas of what a woman would look like in Gethen according to Genly. Over all, Genly's struggle to see Gethenians as they are will not change any time soon, but he is learning to become accustomed to them slowly.
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Yes, I agree that Leguin tries to explain the everyday struggles that some people face trying to fit in with a certain group of people just like Genley is doing with the Gethenians. I've had a similar experience when I switched elementary schools in fifth grade. At first, I tried to learn the ways of these people I didn't know, similar to Genley. Eventually I got comfortable with the people in this new school and there wasn't a problem. I think it's funny how Genley sees the Gethenians as the weird ones, but the Gethenians see Henley as the weird one. Genley is only trying to help the Gethenians advance their technology, but the unknown intimidates the Gethenians. It will be interesting to see how this unravels.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like being an outcast like how Genley is we've all at one point dealt with that. As Genley is getting used to them it seems like it is like that on Earth too. If you don't fit into a group it seems like they become the norm and you're just the different one. Being an outcast seems to show more of your "flaws" , Genley probably feels fine around people like him but around these new people he feels like there's something wrong with him. And they don't try to understand him they just cast him out and try not to understand him so in a way it shows how closed minded people really are because it mirrors many experiences on earth. It should be interesting to see how it works out . -Vivian Shepherd
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response that Genly is trying so hard to place the Gethenians in genders, but doing so only confuses and frustrates him more. He must feel quite out of place, because of he fact that he is. He is completely alone in what he is, doing, and trying to accomplish. The fact that Genly is trying so hard to conform to a society that isn't his does really reveal how influential and controlling it can be for all of us. It not only affects how we think and how we act but, controls how he see the world and other things that may differ from the beliefs that are drilled into us. Most of us today are pushing hard to not end up falling into gender roles that society has created and people are being and becoming who they want to be. Women are filling positions that are supposed to be a "man's job" and males are becoming females because it makes them happy. They aren't conforming to what society wants. What ultimately matters is that everyone deserves to be happy and that's how it should always be.
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