The Left Hand of Darkness

In a prehistoric myth from Orgota, massive outcroppings of ice gain sentience, and the water of their slow decay in the sun becomes their blood, sweat and tears. These ice shapes form mountains, seas, and soil around them to protect them from the sun. Their bodies melt into the mouths of humanity, giving them sentience as well. The first human to wake was Edondurath, who killed all but one of their siblings as they slept. One final sibling woke and ran away. Edondurath builds a house made of the bodies of his siblings, who excoriate their living sibling, wishing Edondurath to burn. When Edondurath enters kemmer, they get their wish. The single surviving sibling returns, also in kemmer, and that is the origin of the Gethen people. At the end of days, darkness and light will swallow each other.

Genly feels a strange euphoria as he and Estraven travel, in spite of their exhaustion and growing hunger. He describes the feeling not as happiness, but as ecstatic joy.

Their routine of hunger and restless sleep becomes dependable across the relatively flat, 600-mile plain of ice. It becomes colder as the winter settles in, with extreme temperatures far below freezing. Genly is more vulnerable to the cold than Estraven, and must take extra precautions to avoid frostbite. Estraven takes intimate care of Genly, as when Genly’s eyelid freezes and Estraven uses his mouth to thaw it. At his most exhausted, Genly becomes frustrated at Estraven’s meticulous survival regimen. At his most lucid, he understands that Estraven is the only one keeping them both alive.

When they are warm in the tent, they converse. Genly attempts to teach Estraven the art of Mindspeech, in spite of a Law of Cultural Embargo that makes the sharing of such important knowledge taboo before diplomatic relations have been established with an alien world. Nevertheless, Estraven’s complete vulnerability when passing through kemmer makes Genly believe that he owes him a similar intimacy. They make a few unsuccessful attempts, with Genly explaining that, though Mindspeech can be learned, it requires a certain technological literacy and luck before it can happen. When it works, Estraven is disturbed to find that he hears Genly’s voice in his mind as if it were his deceased brother Arek’s voice.

They realize they are making poor time, which will become a critical strain on their resources. When they hit a blizzard, they lose more time, necessitating the cutting of their thin rations. In a moment of rest, Estraven explains the political situation. Argaven will likely be happy to receive Genly back if for no other reason than to embarrass Orgoreyn. Estraven, still a traitor, must not be seen to be associated with Genly when they return. Discussing other matters, Genly says that he intends to call his ship when they reach the city. After 61 days of difficult travel, they finally come within sight of Estherhoth Crags, signaling a conclusion to their journey.

Closer to Karhide the footing becomes worse, with sections of rotten ice and crevasses. The wind is constant, creating whiteout conditions. When Estraven nearly falls to his death, Genly realizes that his partner is nearing the last of his strength. They take a break to reorient themselves. Talking that evening, they realize that the yin and yang symbol of Terra resembles the Gethen poem about the left hand of darkness.

With many miles to go, they take the long way around the dangerous area. Estraven follows his intuition through the whiteout conditions until their progress is halted again by a three-day blizzard. They eat little and practice Mindspeech in the tent. When the storm breaks, the sky is clear, and they continue on, with a week’s worth of food remaining. It dwindles to nearly nothing as they descend from the massive ice plateau within sight of the Bay of Guthen, which separates Orgoreyn and Karhide. They travel for several more days, delirious with hunger, before finding a small town in Karhide. There, Estraven invokes the traditional rite of hospitality for strangers and they eat for the first time in a week.

Estraven’s skill at diplomacy informs their hosts that he and Genly are the outlaws of kings and not of family or village, which suits the country folk of the small village. Nevertheless, Estraven refuses to give the villagers his name, for fear they will be punished for assisting an exile. Estraven and Genly make plans to travel the 150 miles to Sassinoth to get to a terrestrial radio transmitter. Using this limited technology, Genly will be able to communicate with his ship in orbit.

The difficulty of traveling through populated country in Karhide is not securing food or drink, but the political trouble of Estraven’s exile. Genly experiences a difficult-to-define depression that their journey has ended with no resolution for Estraven’s fate. In Sassinoth, they lodge with an old friend of Estraven’s, a farmer named Thessicher. Estraven attempts to disguise himself but is soon recognized by Thessicher, who agrees to help Estraven hide in the nearby countryside despite the risks.

The next day, Genly skis into town to sells their last possession, the stove they used across the ice to warm themselves. He purchases time on the radio transmitter from the local college. He uses it to communicate one-way with the fail-safe satellite in orbit. With a snow coming in, Genly stays at the college for the evening.

The next morning, Estraven meets Genly halfway down the road to the farm. Thessicher called the authorities on Estraven in the early morning. The two run to the border, seeing evidence of Tibe’s agents waiting for them. They wait until dark, and then Estraven attempts to quickly ski across the border, too quick for Genly to follow. Estraven is shot by border guards and dies in Genly’s arms, calling for their brother, Arek. Then, the Karhide agents take Genly to prison.

The authorities in the Karhide prison treat Genly well, feeding him regularly and seeing to his comfort. Genly falls ill from his hard travels, and is heartsick because of Estraven’s death. Estraven underestimated the effects of Genly’s escape from Pulefin. With the news of the coming Ekumen starship, the Sarf faction in Orgoreyn lose face and are quickly swept aside by a new faction. In Karhide, Argaven replaces Tibe with another new prime minister and summons Genly to court.

Genly travels at the king’s expense back to the capitol, where he stays in the palace as a guest of King Argaven. He becomes newly determined to see through his duty as a tribute to Estraven. At court, Genly discovers the friendly Foreteller Faxe, who has accepted a role in the government. Suddenly, Genly realizes that enough time has passed that the ship should be in orbit by now, awaiting instructions. He sends them instructions to touch down in an uninhabited area near the city. Though friendly, Argaven seems resigned to his fate as a diminished king among a trade delegation of dozens of planets, but he is baffled by the turn of events. Genly asserts that he and Estraven served the same master: “mankind” (293). Genly will be named Envoy Plenipotentiary of the Ekumen, and will continue to live on Gethen.

That evening, Genly, Faxe, and a few Karhide delegates travel to greet the starship. Genly’s shipmate, exiting the ship and declaring her friendship, at first does not recognize Genly as one of her own.

A few months later, Genly travels by Ekumen airship to a few of the places he had seen in his travels. He finally visits Estraven’s father, and shares tales of their time together.