WEEK TEN: Left Hand of Darkness

Week Ten: The Fiction of Ideas through Left Hand of Darkness

This week, I read Urusulla K. Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness. The theme for this week revolved around the ways in which science fiction/fantasy writing can address problems in the modern world. In this sense, the authors of this genre are writing with metaphors to indirectly emphasize topics that would otherwise be sensitive subjects to deal with.

Reading the story, as it would seem so many other readers felt, my biggest takeaway was Le Guin’s addressing of gender identity. The topic of gender recognition is something that becomes more and more relevant in today’s world, as binary gender roles are questioned and seen as being absurd (at least among the liberal crowd that Ringling seems to attract). 

Le Guin took a risk in writing this book. Published in 1969, the novel would have been even more controversial than it is now. I think the way that she was able to provide such forward thinking at such a time of intense scrutiny is admirable. I also think this was made possible thanks to the use of metaphor. In similar ways to Haruki Murakami, Le Guin used metaphor to her advantage. In being able to tackle deep issues, one must first realize that it can be dangerous and unheard of to speak so directly. By placing the characters in a world unlike our own, the reader can disconnect from the logistics of the story and place themselves into the philosophy of the writer. Le Guin elegantly does this, in my opinion. 

I have not had the chance to finish reading the novel, but from what I have read so far, and based on my own opinions, Genley represents a type of person that does not understand non binary gender roles. This type of person is common place in our modern society. Le Guin created a world in which people are people despite the changing paths of the world or people’s individual opinions. She proves that life is meaningful and real no matter your representation or lifestyle.