In “The Place Inside the Blizzard”, two brothers
(Hode and Getheren) vow kemmering with each other for life. However, incest is
a horrible crime and the brothers are commanded to separate and never go
through kemmer together again once their child is born. Hode could not bear
with the thought of never being with his brother again, and so decided to
commit suicide. In their world suicide is seen as a great public shame and
results in Getheren being blamed for his death and exiled. He then wanders the
Pering Ice and eventually goes into an enchanted forest where he meets his dead
brother. His brother tries to convince him to stay with him, but Getheren
refuses as he says that the vow was broken when he chose death. Once he leaves
the ice, the only injury Getheren has from his journey is his left hand being amputated.
This is just one of
the many myths that Ursula K. Le Guin includes that gives some insight on the
Gethen culture and has direct connections to the plot. Through this myth and
several other chapters you can see how kemmer is important in their society and
isn’t a thing to be taken lightly. Chapter 6: “One Way into Orgoreyn”, in
particular, directly connects the myth with Estraven. In this chapter Estraven
is also exiled and tells his kemmering “True. There was none to break. It was a
false vow, a second vow. You know it; you knew it then. The only true vow of
faithfulness I ever swore was not spoken, nor could it be spoken, and the man I
swore it to is dead and the promise broken long ago.” There is also a line that
says “But my brother’s shadow followed me.” Le Guin is implying that like Getheren
who went through kemmer with his brother in the myth, Estraven could have done
the same thing with his own brother. The part in the myth about Getheren having
his left hand being amputated can also be symbolic as the book is title The
Left Hand of Darkness and may foreshadow something important in the plot.
You made good observations, Nia. I didn't notice some of these, but I did make a connection with the broken vows part. Maybe it is a way of Le Guin showing us how history in Gethen repeats itself from time to time and even with all the concluding morals these folktales contain, Gethenians are still prone to make mistakes. However, I am curious as to whether Estraven and his kemmering are actually related just as Hode and Getheren were...
ReplyDeleteThis particular story made me realize the extent of how far one would go to want to be with their lover during kemmering. I feel like the rules concerning kemmer are quite strict in the culture. Illegal actions are quickly punished and impacts the Gethenian greatly even to the point of suicide like with what happened with Hode. In Estraven's case it feels like there could be a connection between the myth. I also felt that the left hand being amputated was not just a coincidence, but a means of foreshadowing in the main plot.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Valerie Torres, you did make some interesting observations. You gave a good analysis on the Gethen culture, in what they believe in and what fits in their society. Our society is extremely different from the mythical society and how the people in that society are anatomically made.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read Valerie's comment, I realized how true what she said is; with the whole "history repeats itself". Didn't Estraven vow kemmer with his brother as well? Way before he had met Ashe? (I'm really asking these questions because I feel as though I might've misread something).
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