Wave 2

Throughout the novel The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Leguin the cold of Gethen contributes to the theme of isolation and loneliness by showing us how the people living in that society are very different from Genly Ai the new face on the planet. The cold really connects the readers to the setting and lifestyle on Gethen, allowing us to see how the harsh weather doesn’t affect the characters living on Gethen already but it shows us how judgemental they become to Genly, who is having a hard time adjusting. They simply try to ignore him due to the way he presents himself and due tot the fact that he does not change genders like the rest of society on Gethen. This shows how isolation plays a key role because of Genly feeling unnoticed and left out from the rest. He shows his loneliness throughout the novel by not being able to hide his gender which makes him feel more isolated. Because of this the Gethenians see him as a pervert and are very skeptical of his actions causing him to not be as social as others. The coldness makes him feel mentally and physically left out to the Gethinans, he almost feels lost. He doesn’t feel like he can trust anyone on the planet and tries to find ways to socialize with them but it just doesn't feel right. The only one that eventually starts to become close to is Estraven, and that is only because Estraven is excluded from society as well due to his behavior.