The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin, centers on Genly Ai, Genry as the locals call him, on the planet Gethen as an envoy sent from the Ekumen. A special characteristic of Gethen is their concept of gender – there is none. Every citizen is essentially androgynous, neither male nor female, but somehow both.

This genderless society has seemed to make a mark on a majority of their society. There are no gender stereotypes, as there is no gender. The reader can see Genry try and apply the male-female stereotypes to the people he meets, but it never seems to stick. One can see this in the comment he makes at the beginning of chapter 5 on page 49,

“My landlady, a voluble man, arranged my journey into the East.”

One can see how he is blatantly calling the owner of where he was staying a “landlady,” essentially suggesting that he sees peoples’ jobs in terms of male v. female jobs. He also makes comments throughout the book on when someone is acting particularly male or female. For example, when Genry and Estroven are in their tent, on page 235, Genry comments on Estroven’s body shape,

“ . . . built more like a woman than a man, more fat than muscle . . .”

He is offended and uncomfortable by Estroven “ordering” him around on the ice when he physically looks female.

It is interesting that even after two years on this planet, he is still unable to assimilate to the genderless society of Gethen. This concept of the book reflects our own society’s ideas about gender and the role it plays in how we act, work, and live. In current society, one can see how some have a hard time accepting the concept of gender fluidity. If one thinks about it, gender is a product of society’s views of how one should act. Some don’t want to be judged based upon how one thinks they should, only on how they are as a person. As the investigators notes quote on page 101 about Gethen,

“One is respected and judged only as a human being. It is an appalling experience.”