42 pages 1 hour read

Ursula K. Le Guin

The Left Hand of Darkness

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1969

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Essay Topics

1.

How does the nature of Gethen’s climate affect Genly’s mission? How does it shape the attitudes and limitations of the Gethen themselves?

2.

What attitudes and norms does Genly admire about the Gethen from the beginning of the book, and which alienate him? How does he connect these prejudices to gender?

3.

What does King Argaven say is the key to running a country? In what way is this like the politics of LeGuin’s world, particularly of America in the 1960s? Support your answer with historical research and evidence from the text.