Wintertime Sadness

The constant coldness and isolation helps contribute to the Left Hand of Darkness theme in the light of the fact many of the characters in the novel are extremely dull. Throughout the book, there are not many, or if any characters, that are described as electric, fascinating, and out of the ordinary. Each person as Genly Ai comes across, since he is the Envoy, seems ordinary and or  plain. This can relate to the weather since many times a new person one encounters can be said to have different personalities that can be used metaphorically with the weather. If someone is happy and amicable, they can be described as "the sun" for their shiny personality. Not only does the coldness and isolation help the theme in for the people of Gethen, but it can help readers understand the point of views of Genly and Estraven. Because Genly is away from home on an alien planet where he feels he has no place or friends and how Estraven, despite on his home planet, is declared for exile to want to secretly help his planet be apart of something bigger than themselves can be viewed as cold and isolated from the people around them.