The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

BOOK LINKS Official Ursula K. Le Guin web site Le Guin's World fan site Excerpt from the book: "A Question of Sex" Analysis of Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand Of Darkness Left Hand of Darkness on Amazon.com Left Hand of Darkness on Amazon.co.uk

The Left Hand of Darkness (1968)
by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Gethenians are divided in various nations and all are hermaphrodites. Like the Wraeththu, you'll say. Not at all! The Gethenians are in a state of sexual latency (Somer, nothing to do with "Soume") save in a period of the month called "Kemmer," when they became sexually active and randomly become sexually active male or female. Initially they had absolutely no control over it, then discovered drugs to determine the sex they would to be, which some (although most not) chose to take. They are alternate hermaphrodites, physically, their mind remaining androgynous all the time.

The book is all about the "culture encounter" between Gethenians and this man who comes from the stars. Gethenian see males and females as "perverts," in permanent sexual excitation, as for them physical sexual differentiation occurs only in the period of sexual arousal, or Kemmer.

Mostly touching is the relationship between Ai and Estraven, a Gethenian which, after initial incomprehension, Ai comes to befriend. Le Guin describes with deep insight the ways they see each other, and their fundamental difference, the fact Gethenians embody the male and female principle. My favourite moment is when Estraven asks "How are women mentally different from men?" putting poor Ai in difficulty for an answer.

The Left Hand of Darkness is a book rather somber and gloomy for the most part, but it's worth reading it for the masterful description of an alien culture and psychology, and for the representation of the friendship between Ai and Estraven: a message on tolerance and understanding between representatives of different cultures that rivals that of The Dispossessed (see review below), another masterpiece of Le Guin. Like those of Anarres, the Gethenians are peaceful and abhor war, but, unlike them, have interspecies political rivalry. Gethenians are very subtle and cunning, being a very old race, as old as Wraeththu are young.

About the Reviewer:
Angelo Ventura lives in Italy. His email is angeloventura@iol.it.

Wendy Darling

Read Left Hand of Darkness... Read Left Hand of Darkness...Read Left Hand of Darkness...

This mantra seemed to be getting poured into my head for a couple years before last year, hearing it once again I decided I had better heed the call and read The Left Hand of Darkness. Everybody said that, knowing my interests, I'd love it, and you know what? I did.

Talking with Storm, she told me that people who read Wraeththu said they were reminded of Left Hand, but I'd have to say the books don't have too much in common. Which isn't to say it's not great, because it is (and has the awards and multiple, multiple printings to prove it), but just because the two books feature hermaphrodites doesn't make them similar. As Angelo pointed out in his review, Gethenians' hermaphrodism is quite different from Wraeththu's; to them "gender" is a concept that apples only within the specific context of the few days a month one is in Kemmer. All other times, Gethenians are sexually latent and there are no societal roles set up according to gender. When Estraven asks Ai what women are like, he is asking because he really has no idea whatsoever. What's revealing is that Ai, having been on the planet for over a year, alone among non-gendered hermaphrodites, doesn't really know what women are like anymore either.

Since this book was first published in 1968, there have been probably thousands of reviews and essays written about it, probably college courses where it's discussed for days (in fact, here's a study guide for it). Because of this, rather than get bogged down in all the marvelous things that can be said about what Le Guin does in this book to truly make the reader think and feel new things, I'd like to describe my favorite moment in the book. Or actually it's two moments, since the same incident is described twice, one from the perspective of Estraven and then again by Ai.

It happens while the two of them are making an unlikely and extremely dangerous mid-Winter crossing a giant glacier. The trip takes weeks and takes everything the both of them have. They pull a sledge of supplies and sleep in a tent at night — or whenever they get snowed in. The moment takes place in the tent one night, after another hard dash of pushing through the Ice Age weather. As they get the tent set up, Ai reflects that Estraven has been acting kind of testy and sullen all day and is doing it again, keeping quiet and seemingly edgy. He asks Estraven what's wrong, if maybe he's offended him (Gethenians have an honor code which leads to them getting offended easily at times). Ai is quite surprised when it turns out Estraven isn't offended — he's in Kemmer. This in an uncomfortable situation for both of them. Estraven can't help but respond to Ai's round-the-clock-"Kemmer" (being a normal human male) but he knows he can't let anything happen. And meanwhile Ai's whole world turns upside down because for the first time he fully realizes what Estraven is; he might look basically like a man but he isn't a man or a woman, he's just Estraven. This is the turning point in the book.

In closing, all I have to say is: Read Left Hand of Darkness! 

About the Author:
Wendy Darling (nickname Wiebke Fesch) is a web designer, fanfic author, and editor of Inception. She lives in Atlanta, GA, where she is self-employed, operating her own web design business, Metro Girl. Wendy is co-author of a Wraeththu Mythos novel called Breeding Discontent, and is an editor with Immanion Press. You can reach Wendy at wdarling@abraxis.com.