Genly is the misfit on Gethen, and he is quick to naturally assign genders to Gethenians. He often refers to them as “he”, but is sometimes confused by his own interpretation of male and female characteristics. Where he is from everyone is considered a “pervert” which is the Gethen word for one who keeps their male or female sex permanently, but on Gethen everyone is androgynous and does not develop their gender roles until kemmer. In fact Genly says, “Cultural shock was nothing compared to the biological shock I suffered as a human male among human beings who were, five-sixths of the time, hermaphroditic neuters” (Le Guin 48). Genly expected to be unfamiliar with how the Gethenians lived, but he did not imagine meeting people who did not keep their gender permanently. Being a male human among Gethenians automatically made Genly an alien and set him apart from everyone. Which was worse than being foreign in his opinion. Furthermore, when Genly talking to the king about Gethen becoming part of the Ekumen he states, “None of [it] caught the king’s curiosity or gave him any reassurance. I went on a bit, trying to suggest that his shifgrethor, or Karhide’s, would be enhanced,...but it was no good” (Le Guin 35). Genly is not sure why joining the league does not impress the King, he only sees it as beneficial, but the idea only makes the king fearful. Illustrating that he has a hard time seeing through the point of view of Gethenians. Genly is also puzzled by the fact that the king does not go to the foretellers to seek answers, and how he is often questioned about where he is from/ how he arrived instead of being questioned about his gender. Genly has a difficult time learning how to adapt to how Gethenians think because he has many questions about why they think a certain way and why they do certain things.
Wow that was very in depth! I like the clarification Celesten. I am commenting on the part of your analysis where you talked about how Genly is referred to as a "Pervert" only because he has a gender assigned to that is not interchangable. But to begin with, he is already an elephant in the room with his dark color and his slightly taller height. He is already a foreigner, and for him to be referred to as a pervert makes him feel that extra sense of isolation. As we mentioned in class, the whole, weather vibe with the Winter planet being freezing is already a foreign concept to Genly. I feel the people from Karhide are a bit cold when it comes to making him feel welcome. Well maybe except for Estraven before Genly knew his real intentions.
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