The Gethan Language in LeGuin’s The Left Hand of Darkness

Liliek Soelistyo. Proceedings. National Conference LOOW: Language in the Online and Offline World. June 1, 2010, English Department, Petra Christian University.

Introduction

Although Le Guin has several novel published prior to 1969, The Left Hand of Darkness has made her one important figure in Science Fiction canon.The novel won both the Nebula Award (1969)and the Hugo Award (1970). The overall plot of The Left Hand ofDarkness follows a stranger visitingan alien planet. In this case, Genly Ai is an Envoy (aka Mobile) ofthe Ekumen who is on the planet Gethen or Gethan, known alternately as Winter,an environmentally harsh world of perpetual snow and ice. Genly Ai is theonly Ekumen representative on Gethen because, as he later explains, oneperson can be received by an alien culture as an oddity, a vulnerable messengerwho poses no threat to the planet’s cultures.A group of Ekumenrepresentatives, however, might be seen as an invasion. Genly Ai has the mission of inviting the Gethenian people to join the Ekumen. In his mission he has several meetings with Estraven, another important character who is a hermaphrodite.In the planet of Gethen, Genly Ai has a problem to understand their culture which is so different from his [the earth] culture. This paper is trying to reveal how Le Guin’s description of the different language used by Gethan, and the people of the earth that causes the difference in culture of the people, is connected with Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis.

Research Method

The research is a descriptive analysis.Kramsch (1998: 11) states that according to Humboldt (1762-1835) different people speak differently because their language offers them different way of expressing the world around them (hence the notion of linguistic relativity). This idea is picked up by Sapir and his student Whorf in their hypothesis claiming that the structure of the language one habitually uses influences the manner in which one thinks and behaves.The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis consists of two associated principles. These are "linguistic determinism", which states that our language determines our thinking, and "linguistic relativity", which states that people who speak different languages perceive and think about the world quite differently. While Whorf believed wholeheartedly in "linguistic determinism"; in other words, what one thinks is determined by their language and he also supported "linguistic relativity", which states that the differences in language reflect the different views of different people, Sapir believed that language shapes human perception and directs human behavior. From his view, understanding a culture is impossible without understanding the historical development of that culture’s language. Simply stated, the hypothesis proposes that language is not only a part of culture, influenced by the groups of human beings who construct it, but also an influence on culture and thought.

Human beings, Whorf believed, see the world in the ways they do because of the structure of the languages they speak.For example, the Latin language has no word for the female friend of a man (the feminine form of amicus is amica, which means mistress, not friend) because the Roman culture could not imagine a male and a female being equals, which they considered necessary for friendship.Another example of Sapir-Whorf’s beliefs can be found in George Orwell's book 1984. Here, "Newspeak" was created to alter the way people think about the government. The new vocabulary is a method of mind control, since the population could not think of things that are not included in the vocabulary. In essence, they are prisoners of their own language. The underlying theory of Newspeak is that if something can't be said, then it can't be thought, either. This is related to the Sapir-Whorfhypothesis. In Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness,the most important thing for Genly Ai, the main character, is to master shiftgrethor.Shiftgrethor is an old Gethenian word for shadow. This concept is used by Gethenians of all nations on Gethen.Shiftgrethor shapes the Gethenians’ perception about social matters such as gender and sex, and directs their behavior as what Sapir and Whorf believe.

Gethan Language, Culture, and Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Shiftgrethor is a fictional concept in Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness. According to Carrie B.McWhorter (1998) shifgrethor is a sense of honor and respect that provides the Gethenians with a way to save face in a time of crisis. However, a deep analysis of the book presents shiftgrethor as a mighty word/concept, used by the Gethenians to get rid of problem or to solve differences when it is used properly. Yet, if it is used incorrectly, it can teach the people to have fear and hatred.

In the story, the main character Genly Ai defines the shifgrethor as “prestige, face, place, the pride-relationship, the untranslatable and all-important principle of social authority” (p.17). He further realizes that he will not be able to understand the culture of the people of Gethen, if he does not understand this concept, meaning that the shiftgrethor determines what the people think and shapes their behavior.

One of the examples of the use of shifgrethor is the discussion of the main character with Estraven about the word “patriotism”. Patriotism is the noun of the word “patriotic” which means “having or expressing a great love of one’s country.” In the story, when Estraven asks Genly Ai whether he understands the meaning of patriotism, Ai answers, “ I don’t think I do. If by patriotism you don’t mean the love of one’s homeland, for that I do know” (p.21). Estraven explains that what he means patriotism is not love but “fear” (p.21) :

The fear of the other. And its expressions are political, not poetical: hate, rivalry, aggression. It grows in us, that fear. It grows in us year by year. We’ve followed our road to far. And you, who come from a world that outgrew nations centuries ago, who hardly know what I’m talking about, who show us the new road-. It is because of fear that I refuse to urge your cause with the king now. But not fear for myself, Mr.Ai. There are other nations on Gethen.

As what Sapir and Whorf states that people who speak different languages perceive and think about the world quite differently, Estraven and Genly Ai have a different perception about being patriotic. While Genly Ai perceives the word as being related to “love”, Estraven means that the word is related with the words “fear” whose expression is political since it conveys “hate”, “rivalry”, and “aggression.” Therefore, when Ai tries to understand this concept, he feels “cold, unconfident, obsessed by perfidy, and solitude, and fear” (p.21). What he feels reflects his difficulties in understanding a Gethenian because he does not understand the shiftgrethor that exists among the people. When I analyze further, I find out that the word “patriotism” which means “fear” has something to do with the political matter in Gethen. The main character, Genly Ai finds himself in the middle of political intrigue that has a crucial bearing on his mission. The fact that Estraven tries to help Ai to communicate with the king, offering an alliance with the nations of Earth, and is considered a traitor, not a patriot although what he does is for the sake of the development of Gethen, shows what Whorf believes that language, thought, and culture are interrelated.Here I think, the concept of shifgrethor, the “prestige”, and the “pride-relationship” may be associated with the words “traitor”, and “patriot”. The people of Gethen have perceived “patriotism” differently from the earth’s culture.Because of the prestige of the people of Gethen, they create the concept of “fear” to any intruder to their culture. As a consequence, Estraven is punished and exiled for treason as he is seen as conspiring to weaken the authority of Gethen and is subsequently condemned. So, the Gethanlanguage then is not merely a way to express the people’s ideas, but it determines the range of ideas they can have.

Another form of how Gethan culture is perceived differently because of the language they use is the concept of androgyny.Sapir and Whorf believe that if there is not any word or term for a concept, it is hard even to conceive it.An androgyne is a hermaphrodite who has combining characteristics of both sexes, male and female. People in Gethen do not have any biological sex. Male/masculine and female/feminine designations have no place in Gethen. The main character, Genly Ai cannot escape gendered designations since he comes from the earth that only recognizes single sex species. Therefore, his efforts to connect with Gethan culture are flawed because he cannot help but see a Gethenian “first as a man, then as a woman, forcing him [the Gethenian] into those categories so irrelevant to his nature and so essential to my own” (Le Guin, p.12).

In addition, the meaning of the word “woman” is asked by Estraven by questioning whether women are different from men. “Are they like a different species?” (p.159).Genly Ai answers : “No. Yes, No, of course not, not really. But the difference is very important. I suppose the most important thing … is whether one is born male or female.” (p.159). When Ai says that Estraven has “never seen a woman” (p.158), it implies that the vocabulary “woman” has never existed in their mind since the Gethenians could not think of things that are associated with the vocabulary. In essence, they are prisoners of their own language as Sapir says. Therefore, a woman creature is a stranger to the people of Gethen.

Further, the concept of being female has been an argument since the people of Gethen will apply the word “female” only to a person in the culminant phase of kemmer, a reproductive cycle wherein the Gethenians change into male and female partners for reproductive purposes. Therefore, when they find out that on earth, a female becomes female “permanently” (31), they do not understand. Further, due to their sexual physiology, they cannot tolerate any dealings with a woman that they label as “creature so monstrously different” (p. 32). Consequently, Genly Ai has experienced not only a cultural shock but a biological shock because he is a human male among human beings who are hermaphrodite neuters.

The most interesting use of Gethan language in sexual matters deals with the words “ abnormal” and “ normal”. The excessive prolongation of the kemmer period in which there is a hormonal imbalance toward the male or the female causes what they call “ perversion” (p.49). A Gethenian may be a physiological pervert or an abnormal person because they stay a female and a male for a long period of time while in Earth culture, this is normal. Le Guin tries to compare them with the homosexuals in bisexual society [Earth], where they are not excluded but they are tolerated with some disdains (p.50). Yet, the call them the “half-deads” (p.50). Comparing to the earth’s sex-life, the entire pattern of socio-sexual interaction is nonexistent here in Gethen. People do not see one another as men or women. Hence,the reality of the Gethan culture is created by their language; among other things their language shows what a culture thinks is important enough to name.

Another important aspect of the language they use is the pronouns “he”, “she”, and “it”. It is very interesting that the Gethenian lacks ‘human pronoun” (p.70) used for persons when they are not in kemmer condition. They use “he”, for the same reason as the people on earth use the masculine pronoun in referring to a male person. The pronoun “he” is less defined, less specific than the neuter or the feminine. They will only mention the pronoun “she” when they are in a reproductive cycle (kemmer). So, during the period of somer (the opposite of kemmer), they have a word “man” which actually to people on Earth it is “manwoman”. .Yet, when the baby is born, they do not think the baby as “it”. Le Guin emphasizes that the baby is not “neuters”, but “potential” or “integral” (p.70). She isalso forcedto repeat herself in “Is Gender Necessary?” reinforcing that “he” is thegeneric pronoun. Nevertheless, Le Guin admits that the novel is perhapsnot as convincing as is needed to depict androgynes as it may leave outtoo much: “One does not see Estraven as a mother, with his children, inany role which we automatically perceive as ‘female’: and therefore, wetend to see him as a man. This is a real flaw in the book” (168).

Furthermore, the lack of sex division between men and women is also related to the concept of shiftgrethor. It refers to the important principle of social authority. The social activities are not based on gender roles. Biological sex is temporary, so gender roles cannot be assigned. The structure of the society, the management of their industry, agriculture, and commerce are shaped to fit the system of reproduction in the community. For example, whatever a Gethenian’s position is, no one is obliged to work in kemmer.

Besides, the social authority’s control has been able to regulate the life of the Gethenian. The people’s sexual behavior is regulated by some rules that are so different from the rules on Earth. The further extreme of the practice is the custom of “vowing kemmering”, which is based on monogamous marriage. It has no legal status, but socially and ethically is an ancient institution. They do not have the word “divorce”, but they can separate. They cannot have remarriage after the separation or the partner’s death, because they can only vow kemmering once.

However, there is a resemblance between social correctness of the people of Gethen and the people of Earth about marriage. In my opinion, although they differ in their intentions: in Gethen marriage is socially instituted to enhance the power of the government because people have to stop working and they have a sexual intercourse during kemmer, while on Earth, marriage is legally, and socially instituted to bestow rights and obligations for the husband and wife, both the Gethenians and the people of Earth believe that when possible, one is obliged to have only one partner/ spouse.Referring to this issue, Le Guin states that the noveldoes nothing to challenge heterosexuality; in other words,

straightrelationships are still advocated as the normal sexual condition. Thisis clearly evident in kemmering, as Gethenians default to male/femalebinaries and pair up in that fashion; although there are incestuous partnerships,there apparently are no homosexual relations (Bernardo and Murphy, p.33).

Therefore, kemmering is considered normal as what an earthman has done in marriage. In other words, there are male and femalewho are having the intercourse during the marriage and both are instituted.

Nevertheles, since a Gethenian during kemmer may become either female or male, in my opinion, they may not associate social roles with a biological ability to reproduce and raise children. This is proven by the fact that each Gethenian is allowed to potentially have the ability. Everyone is “tied down to childbearing” (p.69), meaning that everyone has the same risk to be female who delivers a child. Therefore, nobody in Gethen is so free as a free male anywhere else [Earth]. However, they do not have the word “mother” although they admit that a child or a “descent” is reckoned from the female. They call the mother as “the parent in the flesh” or “amha” (p. 68). Here again, this is related to what Sapir and Whorf have stated that to what extent the language people speak influences what and how people think. The people of Gethen think that the role of a mother is not as important as a mother in our definition. Because they consider that a child does not have a psycho-sexual relationship with his mother and father, the child is only a “descent”.

The last aspect of the shiftgrethor that shows how they rule their life is the fact that because of the absence of gender roles, there are also the absence of war, jealousy, hatred, rape and sexual exploitation. It is mentioned in the novel that the further consequence of the absence is that

There is no division of humanity into strong and weak halves, protective/protected, dominant/submissive, owner/chattel, active/passive. In fact the whole tendency to dualism that pervades human thinking may be found to be lessened, or changed, on Winter”[Gethen] (p. 69).

In my opinion, the shifgrethor here is used to solve the problem that might occur as what happens on Earth as Genly Ai has experienced about war. War is assumed to be a “purely masculine displacement activity, a vast rape’ (p.71). Therefore the elimination of war in the story might mean Le Guin’s experiment to eliminate “the masculinity that rapes , and the feminity that is raped” (p.72). This has something to do with their being androgynous.

Conclusion

Words shape ideas about things, meaning that they shapes human perception and directs human behavior. The Gethenian culture's reality is to some degree created by their language. The perception of the people about sex, for example, happens because they do not have the word “woman”, resulting in what they call kemmer.

The analysis does not only prove that Sapir-Whorf hypothesis can be accepted, especially when it proves that Le Guin uses the Gethan words to see the difference between the culture of Gethan society and the culture of the earth (ours), but also proves that there is a strong relation between language, thought, and culture.