Since Genly Ai does come from a similar planet as us, i.e. Earth, it's human nature to have a mind state in which we like to make visible distinctions between people. That is, of course, the male and female distinction in which Genly has a hard time adjusting to when it comes to Gethenian culture. As we all know, for majority of the time that Gethenians are not in the state of "kemmering", they really do not have a gender that visibly consumes their identity. Therefore, the idea of sexism, femininity, or male dominance doesn't really exist on planet Gethen because of that. So in that case, it is very easy to understand the perspective of Genly because, just like us, he's also from a planet similar to earth. Of course, on earth, the way we act when we first meet someone, stems from appearance, and those appearances stem from race, attractiveness, and obviously gender. So the idea of visiting a planet where none of that exists, I would imagine, befuddles Genly. Like the situation with Estraven, in which he exhibits some feminine and masculine characteristics, it is definitely interesting how Gethenians live as compared to us. It seems as if all of their problems when it comes to sexism, is solved and that Gethenians can experience both sides of the male and female gender during kemmering. So ultimately, Genly's struggle orginiates from the gender distinctions he has on his planet, and that is then reflected through his inability to fully understand the inhabitants of Gethen.
-LaVanton Gilmore
This is an excellent understanding of Genly Ai's struggle of seeing Gethenians as they see themselves Lavanton. I too understand the struggle of Ai's situation as well. Entering a different planet that is similar to ours with one of the differences being that genders do not technically exist, would be mind blowing. In our society today we still face the sad truth of discrimination between the two genders. Now, according to some people, there are multiple genders and not only male and female. So a world with no genders doesn't seem too bad at all. However, with the way we are raised and growing up with genders then all of a sudden enter a planet with no genders would still be a struggling concept to wrap our head around.
ReplyDeleteI understand Genly's struggle and despite that, I think he's doing a much better job of coping and trying to come to an understanding than most of us would be able to do. In our society, gender has played a large role in societal commitments and expectations. We have come to the habit of associating specific physical and behavioral traits to genders. For Genly, he struggles to break the habit of assigning genders to those that exhibit trends that he is used to seeing on his home planet. His behavior reveals that he is just mind-blown by the concept of androgynous beings and things like a "pregnant king."
ReplyDeleteGenly's struggle is an understandable one. I agree with Lavanton when he says that his struggle stems from the idea of a sexless society. As the novel continues, it's interesting to note that during Genly's and Estraven's travels on the Ice, Estraven undergoes kemmer. Genly makes it a point to say that Estraven and him don't have sex. Although Estraven is technically a women during his k emmer period, Genly would have nothing to do with Estraven. It's a strange thought for Genly and many of us, that someone could be a man and a woman, yet Genly also mentions that it's their differences that bring them together. I think this is something that we as humans should practice more often. We're all different in our own ways, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we have to separate ourselves from each other. If there's one thing we can learn from Genly's struggle, it's that our differences can bring us together.
ReplyDelete-Jaime Izabal