The World

The world can be a selfish place. Each country has its own beliefs and political system that is safeguarded. If a government feels their country, its traditions, and the general lifestyle (the way of life) is being threatened, war is declared. Furthermore, people often act to benefit themselves. From an early age, humans work to better themselves in attempts to gain something - be it wealth, items, protection, or sameness. The idea of protecting sameness fuels the monarchy in The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin.

Argaven, the monarch in the novel, is a being hell-bent on keeping his world at a slow and steady pace, where the normal speed limit is 25 MPH (Le Guin 37). He even shuns an alliance with a solar system 17 light years away; even though chances for war would be slim to none, while economic and educational growth would be bountiful.

Is there a reason Argaven chose this path? As a patriot of the country, the King naturally wants to protect his world and its way of life. But why? Is it for the love of his land and people or is there another reason? 

Estraven understands what drives Argaven. “I don’t mean love, when I say patriotism I mean fear. The fear of the other. And its expressions are political, not poetical…. It grows in us, that fear. It grows in us year by year.” (Le Guin par 13). The King has no love for his world. He doesn’t care if there’s evolution. In fact, Argaven doesn’t want it; he fears it. This terror of the unknown and what it can do to change the whole system of this world has turned him into an insane, closed-minded fool.

Humans like sameness. Change can be scary. Sometimes, it can bring the worst in people (as seen in current political and socioeconomic news). Through her book, Le Guin explored these fears. 

 Works Cited

Le Guin, U. (1969). The Left Hand of Darkness. New York: Walker and Company.