Genly’s Reformation of His Self through Intersubjective Encounter in The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to display the transformation in the self and identity of the protagonist Genly Ai in The Left Hand of Darkness (1969). Having spent two years on what he calls as a “damned planet”, Genly (master) has a chance to recognize the other (the slave), namely Estraven closely, thus experiences intersubjective encounter. In the framework of the Hegelian dialectic, Genly comes outside of his own self on Gethen and recognizes the other as a self consciousness that is other than himself. This process makes him transform as a person, develop an attachment to Gethen, and feel at home there. Hence, this study claims that Genly, an alien on another planet, reconstitutes his own self in three stages: journey, intersubjective encounter, and feeling at home on Gethen.