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Matthew Peeler

Royston

Diversity in Genre Fiction

22 March 2020

Perceiving Sexuality in The Left Hand of Darkness

Throughout literature, sexuality is perceived very fluidly in all contexts of the spectrum

of orientations, genders, and other facets. It can be entirely analyzed on the surface or even

studied further in a deeper understanding of what a writer wished to convey to their audience.

For The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuinn, she is able to do this through personal

relationships that seem very alien and misunderstood but still speak to the reality of sexuality in a

way that exhibits a sense of humanism and diversified thoughtfulness. For example, the growing

relationship between Genly Ai and Estraven seems very strange because they are completely

different in regards to anatomical structure and processes due to being from two completely

different planets but they still manage to cooperate, bond, and develop a deep, personal

relationship between each other that can be seen as symbolic for the LGBTQ+ community and

the struggle to be seen by straight, cis-gendered individuals. Because of this symbolism, their

relationship can be easily compared to real-life relationships where gender and sexuality are even

more fluid.

Genly and Estraven are not quite accustomed to one another in the beginning because

there is some mistrust on Estraven’s side since Genly is from another planet and is completely

male in his anatomy. This being quite strange and rare on Gethen, Estraven is slightly

uncomfortable but not completely reserved in interacting with Mr. Ai; the same goes for Genly
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towards Estraven because Gethenians are able to change their anatomy for the purposes of

reproduction and then revert back. Later on, their interactions become very vital in the

progression of the story when Estraven, who is exiled by the king of Karhide, must liberate

Genly from the Voluntary Farm and get him back to Karhide. Traveling together, they begin to

grow closer and understand their differences in a way that humanizes each other. They see

themselves as complete equals with no masculinity or femininity being the defining, dominant

factor in the situation; to be equal and human among themselves is to survive and accomplish the

mission they have set out to do. I feel this says a lot about relationships that try to rely on

masculine/feminine stereotypes. In Estraven and Genly’s situation, there are none because they

are focused and driven to overcome something, no matter their differences. With no pressure on

the mainstream gender/sex clichés of relationships that we have come to know within the world,

it is highly likely that there would be less ignorance, hate, and oppression towards those kinds of

relationships.

The terms ‘sexuality’ and ‘gender’ can be interpreted in many forms but, in regards to

The Left Hand of Darkness, it pretty much throws out any and all ideas behind them and replaces

it with something very original and quite interesting. While most people only focus on the idea

of bi-genderedness where there are only two genders, male and female, Ursula K. LeGuinn

wished to expand upon this idea and push the boundaries of what declares the validity of gender

and sexuality. LeGuinn begins this in a big way by having an entire planetary race possess the

same anatomical structure and they are only allowed to switch genders in order to mate during

the process they call “kemmer”. It is complex to think about how a relationship between a

Gethenian and a human of Earth would work because of their biological structures being so very
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different and it is known that it has never occurred before. It is impossible to say whether or not a

Gethenian and human of Earth are even sexually compatible or able to procreate and it is never

experienced during Estraven and Genly’s travels if they were capable of acting on their feelings

toward each other because they were unsure as to what would happen if it did occur between the

two friends. This can be shown in the reality we live in where many people are unsure how those

of same-sex or differently gendered relationships are able to sustain an emotional or physical

connection.

The emotional or physical connection that many people have between one another is a

concept that is easily seen throughout history. Should a relationship be of a romantic, emotional

nature or a physical, sexual attraction in order to sustain itself and prosper? Estraven and Genly’s

relationship is a good example of this idea. They have some sort of connection to one another

and have no idea what it means. They begin to grow as friends during their travels back to

Karhide but they consider being more yet they do not act upon it. This connection they have

symbolizes a struggle in all people between being physically attracted to a person or wanting a

romantic, intimate relationship. Although they do not blatantly seek a relationship as more than

friends, it does beg the question as to whether or not Genly and other humans who would later

come to Gethen would actually pursue relationships, romantic or sexual, with Gethenians.

Throughout the novel, the only relationships that are known to the Gethenians are that of

“kemmerings”, or those who have sworn kemmer to each other. This seems to represent a form

of marital status in their society and once they swear kemmer to each other, they can not swear

kemmer to anyone else even if the other person dies. When the Gethenians finally join the

Ekumen in the end, it is unsure if this continues on or evolves to include other combinations of
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relationships between Gethenians and those that possess a permanent biological sex or not. I

would like to think that Genly would try in convincing the Gethenians to be open to exploring

their sexuality and the idea of other genders other than what they have known all their lives. The

fact that they joined the Ekumen is a big step in the right direction to accepting other races and

genders besides their own and possibly in creating a new unified race of beings who are the

offspring of Gethenian and other planetary races.

This concept of sexuality and gender that LeGuinn uses could be in relation to that of

when the novel was written in 1969. During this time, the gay rights movement was beginning to

follow and take inspiration from the black rights to show the humanistic traits of the LGBTQ+

community. Estraven and Genly’s relationship can mirror the struggle for acceptance of the

LGBTQ+ community because they are struggling to survive on their journey back to Karhide,

struggling to come to terms with their feelings toward each other and in accepting their

differences. It is an interesting point to make that their relationship only begins to grow into

something deeper when they are put into a dangerous and pressing situation where they have to

see one another as equal humans in order to accomplish their mission rather than two completely

different individuals of completely different planets. As it is with most crisis events, it takes

cooperation and understanding of each other’s differences to overcome. A real-world comparison

to their situation is the AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s because it took thousands of people to

contract the AIDS virus and die from it so that the LGBTQ+ community would even be

recognized as human beings. Since then, the fight against HIV/AIDS has been an ongoing

struggle but people have become more accepting to help and recognize the humanity of the

LGBTQ+ community.
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Overall, The Left Hand of Darkness has shed light on the humanizing of individuals who

may be entirely different from ourselves. It embraces differences on a physical and emotional

level between Estraven and Genly and shows how two people can grow together when forced

into a precarious situation that risks many lives. The concepts of sexuality and gender were

experimented with by LeGuinn throughout the entire novel but, I feel that she wished to

showcase this on a smaller scale between Genly and Estraven to have a central focus on two

perspectives of the situation. This provides the audience with both sides of the story; allowing

each character’s emotions towards one another to portray LeGuinn’s subtext for humanism,

compassion, understanding, and, overall, love.