trust Estraven for the majority of the story. Ai believes Estraven to be deceptive and expects the alien to betray him. Ai's distrust is rooted in his Human upbringing, in which there are understoof to be two sexes (male and female). Estraven's people, the Gethenians, are neither male or female. (In the novel, Ai refers to them as "ambisexual.") Therefore, Estraven's gender rubs against Ai's socialized mentality surrounding gender and causes Ai's distrust. Ai must overcome his internalized, and socialized, prejudice against those who aren't male or female in order to overcome his conflict with Estraven. This occurs when the two travel across the frozen expanse of the Gorbin Ice. They depend on one another to survive, and as Ai gets to know Estraven better, he finds himself able to overcome his prejudice.

The second is the conflict between the nations of Karhide and Orgoreyn. The cultural differences between these nations cause external and political conflicts between the two, leading to bloodshed and distrust. This conflict is made clear when Ai arrives on Gethen. Ai hopes that the entire planet of Gethen will join the intergalactic alliance known as the Ekumen, but he recognizes that the separate nations of Gethen don't agree. (He refers to it at first as "old-fashioned" political intrigue.) His work begins in Karhide but eventually leads him to Orgoreyn. While in these nations, Ai notices the cultural differences between the two and the prejudices that the Gethenians of one nation hold against those of another. He knows that in order for the entire planet to join the Ekumen, they must overcome these prejudices.

The main conflicts of The Left Hand of Darkness are all more or less connected to differences and the hardships of trying to overcome them. It is not just the question of being unwilling—although that plays a major role in the book. Additionally, there is the problem of incapability.

Many theoreticians of culture have emphasized the importance of some sort of a base to build from. That is to say that when two cultures are too far apart, comprehending each other becomes increasingly difficult to the point where it becomes impossible. In the novel, the case is not that dire, but Genly Ai certainly struggles a lot to come to any sort of understanding with Gethen.

The two main conflicts have to do with sex and gender, and shifgrethor—a unique Gethenian concept.

The first has been discussed widely and is still an important topic in feminist criticism. The people of Gethen are ambisexual (they have no fixed sex), which makes it hard for Genly Ai to interact with them. As someone who comes from a gendered society, he finds it puzzling. Inner instinct tells Ai to pin a person down as more of a man or more of a woman, meaning he fails to fully comprehend (or accept) the complete lack of gender on Gethen. For a long time, he tries to solve the problem by trying to assign a sex/gender according to how he first meets the person, but that is ultimately a doomed solution.

What comes from that inability to think outside his own culture is that he becomes distrustful of everyone he meets—and they, in turn, become suspicious of him, since he is as much a puzzle to Gethenians as they are to him.

To add to that, Genly Ai has trouble determining all the subtle nuances of shifgrethor, a code of honor, behavior, and social standing. Once again, since his own society is so far removed from Gethen's, Ai can't bring himself to close the gap. Le Guin does a great job of portraying a world where people behave "oddly" both in Ai's mind and in the reader's. We as humans have some expectations we don't always acknowledge. For example, we know that people have different values than we do—if someone votes for another party or lives a very different lifestyle from our own, it's something we can understand and accept. But there is a deeper level where we expect others to behave the same way. If someone talks a lot about honesty and then lies blatantly, we'd be surprised and confused. It would be extremely difficult to try and think of a meaning to "honesty" that allows outright lying. That is the kind of cultural shift that Ai is faced with.

So, to conclude, on the ambisexual world with values he fails to understand, Genly Ai feels like he's out of his depth. It's not only his problem, of course. Gethen, in turn, refuses to bend his way—they don't make much of an effort to understand his culture either, except for Estraven.

The main conflict of The Left Hand of Darkness is understanding, on all levels—not just how something works, but why it works the way it does. When it comes down to the line, sometimes it's necessary to just accept what you can't comprehend. Genly Ai comes to a similar conclusion—being able to relate is not a requirement of co-existing.

The main conflict in this novel is man vs. society.  Genly Ai must adapt to the unfamiliar society on Winter.  The people of Winter are very different from the people of Earth.  They have no gender and no sexual desire except for once a month.  Because gender roles are not a part of their society, the rules are very different than Earth rules. 

Genly Ai's attempt to adapt cause his problems.  For example, he does not understand Estraven's need to be exiled.  He wants to follow Estraven into exile, and struggles because of that.  He has trouble understanding the customs and even the language of the people because the lack of gender causes contradictions. 

By focusing on a man vs. society conflict, Le Guin is able to point out elements of our own society.  She raises the question of nature vs. nurture - are the traits of men and women learned or genetic?  Do we put people into boxes because of their gender, thus limiting them?  She also brings up the idea of duality - everything that is good can also be bad and vice versa.  There are no absolutes - not even gender in this book.

Numerous conflicts come to mind in Ursula LeGuin’s The Left Hand of Darkness, but the one in particular that dominates the novel centers on cultural proficiency. Cultural proficiency goes beyond cultural awareness and the “allowances” we make for those different from ourselves. One who is culturally proficient is one who not only recognizes but also embraces the worldview that each culture brings to the community on a personal level and at large.

In applying this concept to the novel, frame your thoughts on these key questions:

• How does Genly Ai respond to the androgynous residents of Gethen when he arrives?
• How does Ai’s relationship with Estraven change over the course of novel?

To bring the concept of cultural proficiency into context, think about how it might feel to change schools midterm. At your old school, you have friends, acquaintances, teachers, classes, coaches, even physical elements such as lockers, bathrooms, and hallways with which you’re familiar. You may be an athlete, a musician, a club member, a member of ROTC, an editor for the school newspaper, or any number of other individuals who comprise the “culture” of the school. But what are you to your new school? First and foremost, you are a stranger in a strange land, the proverbial fish out of water. There’s nothing about the people, activities, or physical appearance of this setting with which you’ve had any experience. Ideally, in time, the situation changes as you adapt to your new environment. How proficient you become depends on how well you’re able to blend your individual culture with that of others to broaden the proficiency of the school’s community.

Good luck with your assignment!