Nusifa Bahingire

Professor Batty

English 102

12 December 2018

Gender identities and Sexuality

In both novels, the Left hand of darkness by Ursula and M. Butterfly by David Henry

Hwang, they link between sexism, racism and gender. In Hwang’s play, which is based on a

scandal that involves a French diplomat and his lover, a male Chinese opera singer, utilizes

postcolonial ideas in order to imply a connection between sex, race and gender. This is illustrated

through the parallel that the play makes between its plot and the story of Madam butterfly. And,

in the novel, Left Hand of Darkness involves so many ideas about gender and culture. The two

books, all have some ideas on how gender is challenged by the traditional notions and how it can

be sometimes confusing.

There is both post-colonial and queer theories used in the novels. Postcolonial which

addresses the problems and effects of the decolonization of a country, in terms of political and

cultural independence. Queer theory addresses so many critical and cultural contexts that include

feminism, gay and lesbian movements and so many sexual subcultural practices. When you read

the two books, The Left Hand of Darkness and M Butterfly, all two theories were applied and

used.

Post colonialism plays some of its part in M. Butterfly, when eastern Asia meets western

European culture and social norms. When you consider two main characters, Rene and Song,

they had gone through many and very big obstacles that involved in politics and social norms.
For Example, during the 1960s where the West subordinated their influenced to the most

traditional and also the East did a part in influencing the ancient traditions with the West.

Because, both Rene and Song were learning each other’s cultures and norms. So, this contributed

much to show post colonialism in the play hence showing how gender and culture can be

challenging.

Furthermore, Hwang suggests that gender identity is a great power struggle that

constitutes the sense of place and self, male or female category that is used to. In addition,

throughout the play, Song undergoes a series of gender transformations, leaving the reader or the

one watching unable to conclude whether Hwang believes Song to be a man or women.

Therefore, this brings too much confusion in terms of Gender.

Queer theory is also used in these novels, for example, in the Left Hand of Darkness, one

of the aspects you can see in the society is queering, Karhide is described more feminine than

Orgoreyn, more masculine which confuses in terms of gender identities. Additionally, sexuality

is only shown during Kemmering. And, Genly is able to celebrate his queerness after accepting

what all Estraven is. In the article by the Purdue Owl, gender/queer theory says that, “Gender

studies and queer theory explore issues of sexuality, power and marginalized population (woman

as other) in literature and culture.”. It says that, Hwang focuses on this idea of exploring the

issues of sexuality throughout the play. For example, when you observe Gallimard who is in

power, is facing so many difficult problems related to sexuality, for him to solve.

Furthermore, in Le Guin’s novel, the undermining of femininity was seen through her

choice of using masculine pronouns, and in the conflicting masculine and feminine connotations

attached to society roles. Additionally, the novel is dominated by male human character, for

example, their characters, actions, and behaviors that are seen throughout the novel. Femininity
is more marginalized in Le Guin’s book because it is more focused on genderless. For Example,

when you read the article titled, Revisioning Gender: Investing women in Ursula K. Le Guin’s

Nonfiction, by Rashley and Lisa Hammond, shows that, “Ai’s tendency to see androgynous

characters as primarily male and his use of masculine pronouns to represent them in the

narrative, tends to affect the reader’s interpretation of those characters as well, out weighing one

of the most truly revolutionary aspects of the novel.” So, this makes a very big in lowering

femininity in the novel, The Left Hand of that links on how gender is challenging.

In M. Butterfly, Hwang views feminism from a variety of different types of view by

looking at both genders and serving to draw attention to the traits and qualities of both using

dialogue, character study, and very clever dramatic techniques. The discussion of feminism in M.

Butterfly is chronological order and show the development of the characters over time; therefore,

this allows the reader and audience to mark the character study of the selves over time of the

drama. For Example, in the opening act, the reader is introduced to a very feminine Song Liling,

the character who looks like female, and makes the reader assume that she is the real, Song

dances in female garb in the stage directions of the first act to give out a strong impression of her

being a woman. In addition, Hwang has his own ideas on how sex and gender defined in terms of

being a male or female.

Additionally, when you read M Butterfly, Hwang feels the need for some sort of sexual

education and reinforces this with the statement coming from the woman that, “I thought the

French were ladies’ men.” This tries to show that French women are in the position of seducing

men. Therefore, Gallimard needs to know and learn more about sexual status in French and the

culture in general.
 When you talk about the sex life in Gethen, people are completely having no sex for the

majority of their days. So, when they are sexed, it is only for a few days and each person is either

male or female during this time hence being genderless. Le Guin has Ai’s descriptions of gender

become less and less male or female for the purpose of showing assimilation on Gethen.

Furthermore, when Genly Ai first arrives on Gethen, Le Guin has him sex everyone to show

how much of a stranger he is on the planet. They had supper at Estraven’s house and Ai thinks

about the androgynous people of Gethen and realizes and sees Gethenians first as a man, than

seeing them as a woman, forcing him into those categories so irrelevant to his nature. Also,

Pearson and Wendy Gay in their article called, Post colonialism, gender/s, sexuality/ies, and the

legacy of The Left Hand of Darkness, the say that, “Although much criticism of The Left Hand

of Darkness has focused on Le Guin’s decision to use the masculine pronoun for the Gethenians,

creating an apparent masculinization of her hermaphrodites, the Gethenians sexual/asexual

nature makes them responsive to monthly cycles, thus linking their experience of sex and gender

to human Women’s experience of menstruation.” So, this makes you believe that Le Guin’s work

although is not sexuality-centered novel but plays a major role in seeing how human beings can

be divided regarding their sex, gender and sexuality.

In Left Hand of the Darkness, gender comes up throughout the entire story. Ursula Le

Guin uses her book as a way to show the reader that a place could exist free of set sexual norms

and roles of each person; that social and political affairs can be separated from personal lives,

even to the basics of gender. Furthermore, Gethenians are ambisexual that they can be men and

women. They are sexually active in four days in the month they choose to be a man or woman,

which can be different in each month. For example, the article, Postcolonialism/s, gender/s,

sexuality/ies and the legacy of the Left Hand of Darkness, states that, “Although much criticism
of the Left Hand of Darkness has focused on Le Guin’s decision to use masculine pronoun for

the Gethenians, creating an apparent masculinization of her hermaphrodites, the Gethenians

sexual/asexual nature makes them responsive to monthly cycles, thus linking their experience of

sex and gender to human women’s experience of menstruation.” Therefore, they are neither male

or female, they got to experience what both men and women go through, like the menstrual cycle

for women.

Although some people believe that the two novels support gender, but I think gender is

being challenged and confusing in both two novels, the Left Hand of Darkness and M Butterfly.

For example, in M Butterfly, Gallimard has his own thoughts of women, like how Chinese

women are the ones to seduce men. For example, in the Left Hand of Darkness, Genly has his

sense own of women and how they are treated, for example, when you read the book, he keeps

on calling them He and also M Butterfly, Gallimard saying that French women were the ones

supposed to seduce men.

In conclusion, both postcolonialism and queer theory apply in the two novels, the Left

Hand of Darkness and M Butterfly. The books show how gender, sexuality, racism and feminism

are used. The Left of Hand of Darkness makes us to consider and think deeply about gender

can be confusing and challenging sometimes. And in M Butterfly, Hwang uses the affair, along

with power dynamics, to challenge traditional notions of gender. Though, society wants to see

people, as either male or female, for example, Song and Gallimard’s characters suggest that, it is

a forced categorization which does not align with how gender presents itself.
 Works Cited

Rashley, Lisa Hammond. “Revisioning Gender: Inventing Women in Ursula K.

Le. Guin’s Nonfiction.” Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, vol.30. No.1,

Winter 2007, pp.22-47. EBSCOhost.

Pearson, Wendy Gay. “Postcolonialism/s, gender/s, sexuality/ies and the legacy of The

Left Hand of Darkness: Gwyneth Jones’s Aleutians talk back.” Yearbook of

English studies, vol.37, no.2, 2007, P.182 +. Literature Resource Center.

Adams, Rebecca. “Narrative Voice and Unimaginability of the Utopian ‘Feminine’ in

Le Guin’s the Left Hand of Darkness and the Ones Who Walk Away from

Omelas.” Utopian Studies: Journal of the society for Utopian Studies, vol.2,

No.1-2, 1991, pp.35

David, Henry, Hwang. M. Butterfly. United States, Plume, 1989. Print.

Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness. New York, Ace Book, 1969. Print.

Keirsey, Deborah J. “Madness as Method in Ireland: Learning from Sauer and Le Guin.”

California Geographer, vol.38, Jan.1998, pp.23-40. EBSCOhost.

Brizee, Allen, et al. “Gender Studies and Queer theory(19702-Present).” Purdue OWL

Online Writing Lab, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/12/.