Cold and Alone

On the winter planet Gethen, lives the main character, Genly Ali. Gethen's perception of winter is completely different from planet Earth. Gethen is constantly cold and does not receive any heat unlike Earth. On Earth there are a total of four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Genly has been on Earth before and knows how different Earth’s climate is compared to the unbearingly freezing weather in Gethen. In Chapter 3, Genly talks about how cold he is feeling, “Cold one way outdoors and cold another way indoors, ceaselessly and more or less thoroughly cold.” I believe that Genly is also talking about the coldness he feels inside of him. This has to do with the lack of relationships in their society. Without relationships, there aren’t any connections and the people are not able to experience emotions. Kemmering has a huge part in this and the people act as if it is not important. Also,  Genly leaves all his friends and family to travel far away to locations that he does not recognize traditions. He is confused about the appearances of others (because they do not have a gender and Genly does). He cannot relate to anyone because he does not share the same beliefs as the others. Genly therefore, has to adjust not only to the climate of the planet but also, the people and accepting their ideals, customs, beliefs, and traditions.