Interdependence Counters Othering in Ursula K

“It’s Queer that Daylight’s not Enough”: Interdependence Counters Othering in Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness By Jamie Spallino In partial fulfillment of the degree Bachelor of Arts with Honors in English Wittenberg University 29 March 2021 Spallino 1 What defines otherness? The word implies an assumed normalcy, though that assumption often goes unacknowledged. In the face of difference from their perception of normality, people have a variety of reactions, from acceptance to curiosity to fear. A perceived difference often becomes the foundation for interpersonal and intercultural conflict because it is used to justify hierarchies and negative treatment. For example, seeing men and women as fundamentally different leads to the othering and preferential treatment that characterize sexism. Thus, othering in response to difference is an individual choice, but it has societal-level consequences that must be addressed. American author Ursula K. Le Guin explores the theme of othering through speculative fiction about encountering new civilizations, initially viewing them as hostile due to their differences, and exploring ways of reconciling their otherness. Her first three novels, published in 1966-67 as the Hainish trilogy, establish these themes: each protagonist experiences an archetypal journey combining physical travel with personal, social, and cultural development that counters their instincts to other the unfamiliar civilizations. The Left Hand of Darkness, the next novel in the Hainish Cycle, catapulted Le Guin into the spotlight in 1969. Le Guin’s first novel on themes of gender and sexuality, Left Hand is widely considered the first feminist science fiction novel, a genre that counters popular male- centric science fiction tropes and challenges their othering of women. In the novel, human protagonist Genly Ai must learn to navigate being othered by the inhabitants of Gethen—a planet of aliens with fluctuating physical sex characteristics—which leads him to question his own othering of the Gethenians. He rejects social interactions that lack the governing force of gender, a decision that undermines his mission to unite two Gethenian nations on the brink of war and convince them to join the Ekumen, or League of Known Worlds. It is only when he forms a Spallino 2 personal friendship and love with a Gethenian—which forces him to accept their differences— that he succeeds in his political endeavors. Thus, the novel proposes relationships and interdependence as counters to othering, allowing readers to imagine interpersonal connections based on relationality. Because it addresses cultural anxieties surrounding gender and proposes interdependence as a new method of interpersonal relationship, Left Hand has fascinated readers and critics alike for over half a century. Though much has changed since its publication, the novel’s commentary on gendered social structures and hierarchies also applies to modern societal backlash against third-wave feminism. Gendered themes are often addressed in the literary criticism through investigation of the literal and symbolic binary opposites present in the novel, including light/darkness, male/female, and personal/political. One such gendered lens that I utilize is the libidinal economy proposed by feminist theorist Helene Cixous, whose work is not commonly applied to Left Hand. Though critics often base their analyses on dualism, they typically find few results because they seek meaning in each individual pole. I challenge the illusion of independently functioning binary poles through post-structural linguistic theory, arguing that neither pole could exist without its partner. Instead, I build upon the small body of work by critics who study relationality between the binary poles, applying interdependence to both the binaries and the characters in the novel. Through this original application of theories, I argue that the illusion of independence causes othering in Left Hand and that the novel counters this pattern by stimulating growth toward a reflective mindset accepting of interdependence. Spallino 3 Genly’s Character Development in the Novel To analyze Le Guin’s proposal and use of interdependence in the novel, I first establish my use of Cixous’s gendered economies, which resonate throughout the novel despite removing gender as a governing force. Because Left Hand does not escape the dualistic hierarchies that characterize gendered interaction, Genly has made little progress as Ekumenical Envoy toward convincing the national governments to join the alliance. A large part of his difficulty comes from a communication barrier: all Gethenian communication is moderated by principles of prestige called shifgrethor, which Genly refuses to learn or participate in. He chooses his masculine pride, which is impaired by shifgrethor, over the efficacy of his mission, even with his strongest advocate, Karhidish Prime Minister Therem Harth rem ir Estraven. When Genly’s audience with Karhidish King Argaven sours into suspicion based on popular accusations that Estraven is a traitor, Genly uses the accusations against Estraven to reinforce his own strong negative biases against the Gethenians, and Estraven in particular, and chooses to flee the country rather than face them. My second chapter highlights a subsequent scene in which competition and the illusion of independence—reinforced by shifgrethor as well as Genly’s masculinity—are intentionally invoked, deconstructed, and balanced within their rightful binary contexts. Genly experiences it at Arikoster Fastness, a commune outside of the two polarized nations which centers around Gethen’s ancient religious tradition. Finally free of political demands, he witnesses the famous Foretelling ritual, which can answer almost any question. To understand its mechanisms, I describe this Foretelling ritual using structural linguistics, post-structural linguistics, and deconstruction. Genly suspects that the Foretelling is based on guesswork, but his psychic powers allow him insight into the group’s cultivated binary interactions, a perception which Spallino 4 sheds light on the question’s certain answer. Genly asks whether Gethen will become a member of the Ekumen in the next five years and receives the simple answer “yes.” This experience, steeped in feminine deconstructive energy and the mystical power of balance, provides a new model for Genly. His travels then take him to Orgoreyn, where he becomes a political pawn and ultimately a prisoner of the state at the Pulefen Voluntary Farm. Prime Minister Estraven, now exiled from Karhide for his supposed treason, breaks Genly out of Pulefen Farm and encourages him to return to Karhide, which he believes is now ready to join the Ekumen. This preparedness is mirrored by Genly’s own increasing potential to form a relationship with Estraven. The third chapter delineates Genly’s own developmental journey as he travels across glacial ice with Estraven. During that journey, Genly finally learns to see past Estraven’s fluctuating sex to his patient, determined, trustworthy character. As his perspective transforms from masculine othering to productive fluidity, Genly describes their relationship as a mystical love, referencing Martin Buber’s “I–Thou” relationship and the Taoist yin–yang symbol. Genly shares the Ekumen’s technique of telepathic mindspeech to reciprocate the trust Estraven places in him and his mission. These mystical and paranormal experiences characterize his newfound acceptance of interdependence, which prepare him for relationality when he encounters another individual in that mindset. At the end of the journey, Estraven cements the relationship by sacrificing himself to separate his supposed traitor status from Genly’s mission, and the novel ends with Karhide welcoming a delegation from the Ekumen. Because the novel centers around Genly’s development as demonstrated through his navigation of the gendered economies, I argue that it intends to challenge certain readers, as well. My final chapter addresses the form and style of the novel, which exaggerate Genly’s changes in perspective. He and Le Guin, the text’s fictive and real-world authors, encourage readers’ Spallino 5 participation and growth. Ultimately, I argue that the productive fluidity and mystical, if impermanent, transcendence metaphorically demonstrate the real, transformational power of acknowledging interdependence and using it to counter the destructive effects of othering. Spallino 6 Chapter I: Gendered Economies without Gender Though there is no gender binary on Gethen, Le Guin uses symbols and relationships that Genly interprets as gendered because they are metaphorically associated with genders on Earth. For this analysis, I draw from cultural connotations as well as feminist theory by Helene Cixous about gendered ways of interpersonally relating. Each of these analyses demonstrates that the familiar aspects of gendered existence presented in Left Hand are decontextualized and thus defamiliarized. For example, Le Guin famously loves to acknowledge that King Argaven is pregnant because it disrupts readers’ expectations of both monarchy and pregnancy. When readers recognize social structures typically used for othering in a new context, they are invited to question their gendered or hierarchical assumptions and how social structures could reflect community rather than difference. Feminization of Gethen As Genly and the readers are introduced to the alien planet Gethen, they first notice the drastic differences between

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