I know if I were to wake up tomorrow morning to snow, however bad I want to jump up and down and play in it, something wouldn't feel right, and I would feel that the snow was somehow somewhere else, for someone else. It wouldn't really belong to me.
Genly has to feel something, even if unsaid, when he bundles up for the forever winter. Back in chapter 10 Genly has a moment where he's reminded of his home Borland on earth, and he suddenly thinks of "...earth, warm earth, where trees bear flowers in spring. All at once I was utterly downcast and homesick. Two years I had spent on this damn planet... Unrelenting cold, sleet, ice wind, rain, snow..." (133). The melting snow triggered his flashback, and suddenly he was reminded of a key difference between his homeland and where he is now, stranded in snow. It's sort of like a vibe for him. Weather is one thing he certainly can't be distracted by, it's in the air that's all around him, like the gender-less humanoids, and the distorted governments. The weather really is key in reminding him of where he is, no where near home.
I agree with this! The climate of Gethen reminds him that he is not from there, but there are also physical features that distinguish Genly from the people of Gethen. First, Genly is a male permanently and is unable to undergo Kemmer. This contributes to his loneliness because he isn't able to have a physical relationship with someone else. Also, Genly is a lot taller than those around him which probably draws unwanted attention. All of the attributes don't allow Genly to blend in with his peers and instead isolate him.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Genly’s isolation and loneliness is contributed by the climate of the planet and his physical appearance. But he is also isolated from the people of Gethen by their culture and customs. Unlike the people of Gethen, Genly is constantly cold and bundled up due to the low temperatures and sticks out because he is darker and taller than the others. He is unable to have an intimate or physical relationship because he is unable to go through kemmer, contributing more to his isolation. There are also customs and beliefs that he had to learn since there was no such thing from where he is from, such as shifgrethor. He was unable to understand that Estraven was using shifgrethor so that he would be safe and to complete his mission, but he mistook it and ends up alone in the labor camp and isolated from the rest of the planet with Estraven as they travel through the ice.
ReplyDelete