The Place Inside the Blizzard³

   In chapter 2, Le Guin tells a story about two Gethenians, Getheren and Hode. The two fall in love during kemmering. However, they are split up by the Lord Sath and Hode kills himself. Getheren is blamed for the death of his love and is chased out into the snow where he treads through a blizzard.  After a long dreadful journey through the snow, his left hand is the only thing that is injured.  “Light is the left hand of darkness and darkness the right hand of light. Two are one, life and death, lying together like lovers in kemmer, like hands joined together, like the end and the way. “(p. 233) Getheren’s left hand being injured after he parts from his lover Hode shows that unity is very important to the Gethenian culture. Once they seperate his hand being hurt shows that the people need to be unified as one and not separated. When the populaces are joined together unification is at hand.