Within The Left Hand of Darkness, the setting takes place on the cold planet of Gethen, also known as "Winter". One of the major themes of the novel is isolation and loneliness and the setting in itself is a big contributor to the theme. When someone thinks of cold, words such as dark or a feeling of uneasiness comes to mind. For the main protagonist Genly Ai, it serves as a reminder just how much of an outcast he truly is. He is used to the warmth of his home planet and when he looks around, he seems to be the only one affected by the cold. Then the chapter two The Place Inside the Blizzard, the blizzard is referenced as a place where the wandering souls of the ones who committed suicide rest. The reference shows the loneliness of those who felt that things were so bad they needed to take their own life. It makes the air around the subject very dark and heavy. Not only that but within a blizzard, typically you can not see or hear anything but the sound of the snow and wind. The idea of a blizzard enforces the theme of isolation and loneliness.
Aside from the physical cold, the emotional aspect of feeling cold also comes into play. When one begins to feel “cold”, it brings about a negative connotation with it. Normally it means being ignored or left out such as being given a “cold shoulder”. Genly has a tendency to get distrusted by the Karhidish since he is an envoy and in Orgoreyn, they try to manipulate him as well as think of him as someone who is trying to ruin their pride and make a mockery of them. This leads to Genly’s distrust in everyone around him. This enforces the theme of isolation.
I completely agree with you; the cold is already associated with the feeling of isolation. Chapter two discusses the blizzard and we later find out in chapter fifteen that Estraven and Genly Ai are forced to deal with the blizzard. I think chapter two foreshadows their suffering in the cold and isolation considering Estraven has been exiled and Genly Ai is an outsider. Although they are both isolated in their own ways, we learn that they have each other and that is important for both of their survival. In chapter sixteen Estraven thinks that they "must compromise as to the heating of the tent. He would keep it hot, I cold, and either's comfort is the other's pneumonia"(223). This reminds us that Genly Ai is different from the rest of the gethinians and is often isolated, but it also tells us that Estraven is willing to sacrifice his own comfort for him.
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