Cold

The cold that is constantly brought up throughout the novel plays an essential role and contributes to the theme of loneliness and seclusion. The cold is always brought up in a tone of sadness and desperation. When the cold is talked about it's never in a time when things are on the up and up, it is usually when Estraven and Genly are in a tough time. Throughout the novel we are constantly reminded of how alone Genly feels and then soon after about Estraven once he is banished. During this time we often hear about the cold, cold is always associated with loneliness. The cold is used to emphasize how different Genly is from everyone and his desire to fit in.

Gethen is cold constantly, from which the indigenous species (people of Winter) has adapted to the cold temperatures to have a higher survival rate, Genly on the other hand is not made to withstand the harsh temperatures of Winter. He therefore must go through obstacles to stay warm which in part is a major separation between him and everyone else on the planet, thus making him feel alone and isolated. While not only is the planet's temperature cold the people are as well. Gethenians are themselves a very reserved and poker face type of people. They are hard to read and understand unless you know how they speak. They are often referred to in the novel as cold from here we can see again that cold is used as a feeling. The cold is used as if an emotion in this book, almost as if the characters are feeling emotionally cold. Obviously the characters can’t feel an emotion of cold but that is what the author has taught us to associate it with.