Wave 2

Its constantly cold out In Gethen and I feel that the isolation and loneliness is referring to Gendy Ai. Genly must go over obstacles for the fact that he has come from a different world. He has seen as an alien because he has a gender and only one gender which is a male. He has seen as this because in this new world no one has one specific gender. People also have no idea where Gendy comes from, so I feel that no one can really relate to him and have a conversation with him. Another thing is that the king scared the country, which may be hard for anyone to trust Gendy and become a friend of his.  Estraven has also been banished from that country and he is the only person that gets him and that Genly can communicate with. Furthermore the weather has affected the way he has acted because out there on earth it is warmer than Gethen. Genly has been plaved on an planet  that is completely  opposite than what he is usually used to.

Wave Two

The constant cold of the planet Gethen contributes to the theme of isolation and loneliness by showing that the weather can make it hard for Gethenians to become close to another. The cold and dreary weather can cause lonliness and bouts of depression in many people, so that is why I think it adds to the era of lonliness the novel displays. I think that by them always wearing snowsuits and being bundled up could represent being isolated and closed off from others. Genly is alone on Gethen and the unfamiliar weather adds to his separation as he is not as adapted for the weather as the rest of the world is. The Gethenians see Genly as a pervert and an alien because his body is different from everyone elses. Genly feels alone because nobody wants to trust him. The cold makes people hide away for warmth and not really be free and expressive. He must feel very alone as he has nobody to really confide in and has been on Gethen for two years now. As we see Genly develop throughout the story, we see he becomes more open, most likely from his growing bond with Estraven. Although the Gethenians are used to the cold, they still wear heavy jackets and snow gear. With everyone swallowed in giant jackets and gloves, trying to get from place to place and stay warm, it seems like real human connection is scarce. The cold Gethenian world does not really exhume happiness and radiance, but rather a distant and quiet murmur.

Wave 3

The myths help us understand Gethenian culture by giving us a look into what ancient Gethenians thought were important. For example, the myth about the two brothers who separated and remet in the Place Inside the Blizzard gives insight as to some small aspects of Gethenian culture. We learn that incest rules are different there in that siblings can have a child together but not more than one. We also learn that suicide is incredible shameful. Another important aspect is that the cold often has some presence in the myths. The cold is everywhere in Gethen, and so it shapes many of the ancient myths. The mysterious place where the brothers had remet could have been a different place in different climates such as a desert oasis, behind a waterfall, deep in a cave, or any other geological feature that could be significant to a people. The Gethenians live in a cold environment, and this part of the myth takes place inside of a blizzard. I’m not sure what could be in the middle of a blizzard, but since blizzards are so hard to see through, it would make sense for ancient Gethenian storytellers to set mysterious things inside of one.

Jacob Zollinger

Wave 2 :)

How does the constant cold of Gethen contribute to the theme of isolation and loneliness?

A person who could be considered cold, may actually be isolated and lonely. I feel like the character, Estraven, could be considered cold. Just like the entire planet. In chapter 6, Estraven was banished and was trying to get as far away as fast as possible. On page 75 his old kemmering, Ashe, finds him and tries to offer him money which he will not take. "As I spoke my anger and bitterness turned from Ashe against myself  and my own life, which lay behind me like a broken promise. . . I went on, and he did not follow me. But my brother's shadow followed me. I had done ill to speak of him. I had done ill in all things." To me, I feel as though Estraven has felt so isolated because of his struggles with his past kemmerings. Throughout the novel we catch glimpses of the idea that he had vowed kemmer to his brother, which isn't accepted. So when he had to leave his brother, he might have felt really lonely. He obviously had a very deep affection for his brother but losing the one you love might make you want to isolate yourself to stay away from anyone. I also assume that because of this he continued to feel lonely and tried to force himself into this new relationship and he may not have been ready for. He even says "'It was a false vow, a second vow. You know it; you knew it then. The only true vow of faithfulness I ever swore was not spoken, nor could it be spoken, and the man I swore it to is dead and the promise broken, long ago(pg 75)'". This coldness of the planet really shows the isolation and loneliness of this character. The feeling he felt for his brother might have once kept him feeling warm inside, now he has nothing to feel to combat the actual cold of the world.

Wave Two

A person who is inwardly bitter and isolated can be described as cold.  The endless cold of Gethen correlates with the theme of loneliness and isolation because Gethen is significantly a lonely and cold planet.  Genly was sent to Gethen with no other people of earth, leaving him to be all alone among a planet of unfamiliar people with extremely different traditions and behaviors.  He has made a few allies along the way, but they are still very different when it comes to comparing characteristics.  For instance, Genly is taller and darker than the Gethenians; furthermore, he does not understand their process of kemmering.  As it says on page 96, "the weather of Winter is so relentless, so near the limit of tolerability even to them with all their cold-adaptions, that perhaps they use up their fighting spirit fighting the cold." On Gethen, the cold leads people to misery; for example, in chapter 2, it talks about two brothers in kemmer, who were forced to separate, leading one to commit suicide.  The cold on Gethen leads to harsh decisions, forcing people to isolate and restrict themselves from the outside world.  As for Genly, the cold represents how distanced he is from the Gethenians, his intolerance for their traditions, and his feelings of loneliness on this strange planet.  For the Gethenians, the cold represents their isolation from each other, and the harsh feelings that are shared between them. 

Wave Two

The theme of isolation and loneliness is supported by the constant cold in Gethen because 
of the way that it makes Genly feel. Genly Ai is not used to the cold weather and temperature
like everyone else in Gethen. Genly already struggles to fit in because of his appearance and they 
way he is formed. The fact that everyone else can tolerate this cold except him is another factor 
that makes Genly feel alienated in Gethen. The cold only limits his interactions with the 
Gethenians.
To me, when someone is cold they are unemotional and lacking affection. In Gethen it is cold year
round. The people are cold year round. Another way that the constant cold contributes to the 
theme of isolation is because harsh cold conditions often restrict people. Whether it's restricting 
them from interacting with other people or from simply going outside. In Genly’s case, his lack 
of tolerance for cold forces him to become isolated from everyone else. In other words, the cold 
isolates Genly from the people of Gethen forcing him into loneliness, and since the cold is 
year round, Genly will forever be distanced from everyone else. The cold not only represents 
the physical conditions that separates the Gethenians and Genly, but it represents the feeling 
shared between them as well.

Wave 2: Isolation and Loneliness

       The constant cold of Gethen contributes to the theme of isolation and loneliness because emotionally, Gethen is a cold and lonely place. One of the major examples that I have picked up on is their whole gender and sexual situation. To me, being cold means being lonely, upset, and depressed. Gethenians are constantly alone unless they are in kemmering. Therefore, a majority of their lives, they are alone, cold, and isolated until they enter kemmer. The Gethenians lack emotion, sometimes they don't stay with their kemmering partner, and the children aren't taken care of individually by their parents, they are scattered and being taken care of by a bunch of Gethenians, which can become lonely.
        Genley Ai feels the most isolated and the most lonely, for one he was sent to Gethen all alone, no other human beings came along with him, so as far as he is concerned, he is completely alone. Sure he has met others on Gethen and has somewhat made friends, but over all he is alone. Genley comes from Earth where there are four different seasons, and he was placed onto a planet where it is freezing cold all the time. A change that drastic can cause someone to have a change in their actions and how they feel, which I think is a major contribution to the loneliness and isolation.   
      Gethen is a cold place. The feeling is lonely and dark. The color of the actual novel is blue which is a color related to sadness. The Gethenians feel lonely, for example, in chapter two the tale about the brothers who could not be together, Hode killed himself because he could not be with who he wanted to be with. If that is not cold and lonely then I don't know what is.