On Gethen, the theme of isolation and loneliness are displayed by the cold weather. Genly is on a foreign planet with no one to help him and where he is a complete different race. The cold affects Genly more because he isn't built the same as the Gethenians and can't stand the cold like them. The author uses the cold to describe Genly's feeling of isolation when Estraven is banished and he is left alone with no one to help him complete his mission.
It also amplifies his differences with them because Genly is constantly a male, while they are gender less beings. This causes them to view him differently because he is seen as an outsider and is not accepted into their society fully.
I agree! The extreme cold of Gethen plays a really large part in Genleys isolation and on the planet as an envoy. It emphasizes how different he is from the people of Karhide, since he isn't use to the weather he gets cold a lot easier. And that is only one of the things that differentiates him from everyone else: he is also alot taller and ahs a darker skin tone than the people of karhide.
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