Genly's struggle to see Gethenians as they see themselves, genderless, originates from the planet he comes from, Terran. As in our planet, Earth, Terran has two genders, male and female. Being raised in a society where gender norms are established, he is constantly conflicted throughout the novel by the actions, personalities, and traits of the Gethenians he encounters. This can be seen within Genly's mistrust of Estraven in the beginning of the book when he states, "For it was impossible to think of him of a woman, that dark, ironic, powerful presence... yet whenever I thought of him as a man I felt a sense of falseness, of imposture: in him, or in my own attitude toward him?", in which his inability to see Gethenians as genderless is a result of his planet, like Earth, that attributes certain characteristics to genders creating certain stereotypes that link Estraven's kindness to being a woman and his power to being a man.
- Samantha Covarrubias
I think it was really good that you used a quote because it helped to develop your thought and it made it so easy to understanding.
ReplyDeleteWhen you use your quote it was vigorous, I love it. Also you show evidence on what you were talking about Great job. - christine walton
ReplyDeleteGenly obviously has a difficult task trying to understand. Gethenians. He was propped onto a planet that contradicted his basic understanding of genders, and it was a challenge for him to understand and accept the concept of kemmer and its cycle. I found it really interesting how you discussed stereotyping the Gethenians' behaviors to certain genders on Earth. It was confusing in the book, especially since Estraven seemed so masculine in the beginning; however, it became clear as the novel continued that it's very difficult to label certain Gethenian characters as a particular gender.
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