Why does estraven steal a rowboat

He called Genly "Genry", though as they did not have the "L" sound in Karhidish. This only applies to names and such, btw, untranslatable stuff that he'd have to say the actual word for. Anyway, 81 days later with food running out actually, ran out and winter finally thawing, the two arrived in Karhide, seeking shelter as guests without giving their names.

Therem outlined his plan: he had earlier had the Embassy tell the king that the Envoy was captured, so the king, now, would inquire it of Orgoreyn, as the Envoy was technically Karhide's guest; and the Commensals of Orgoreyn would answer that he died of a sickness.

However, with Genly's reappearance, it would prove the Commensals liars At the town of Sassinoth, the closest town to where they crossed into Karhide to have a radio strong enough to signal Genly's ship, Therem found lodging with a farmer that he helped in the past. He sent Genly ahead to Sassinoth to signal his ship, and made plans to hide out in Orgoreyn until Genly could convince the king to revoke his order of exile. However, he was betrayed -- waking extra-early, he heard the farmer radio Tibe, selling him out.

He escaped, and met Genly on the way back to the farm, and the two hid out that day; Tibe's men guarded the border. They planned to wait until night, when there was less visibility, before he'd try sneaking into Orgoreyn again. That night, he headed towards Orgoreyn, right into the gunfire of Tibe's guards.

Before his death, in mindspeech, he called Genly by "Arek", his brother's name. Random note: There had been much speculation about why Therem went towards his death. One theory was that he did it to help Genly -- personally, my take on that particular one is that as long as Genly was with him, Genly was in danger; Therem was the criminal, and without him, Genly was simply the Envoy, and safe.

Another theory, supported by Genly himself, was that it was suicide -- though none of the Gethenians believed it or wanted to believe it, rather , as it was their heaviest sin. Reader suggestion was that Therem, having lost one love, could not stand to lose another. I think it was all of this and more, and the fact that with no food, no money, and everyone alerted to his presence, Therem didn't think he could survive long enough for Genly to lift his sentence, anyway.

Why do people do anything? It's never for one reason alone, though usually, I think, the "explanation" reason is simply, "It seemed the right thing to do at the time. XD; At least he's not very expressive. But as far as physical description goes, book gives that he's fairly short and stocky the Gethenians are shorter than other humans in general, and Therem short even amongst them; Genly said Therem was shorter than most women , with the brown skin and down-slanted eyes typical to his people, a broad face, and slick, dark hair.

And, uh, look androgynous, of course; though, from several people's descriptions, I'd say Therem more resembles a man than a woman. Some of the other Gethenians sound like they look downright girly. XD; Personality: Estraven 'kay, it feels weird calling him "Therem" when they refer to him as "Estraven" for practically the whole book XD; is enigmatic. At least, that's how everyone takes him. He thinks himself perfectly clear, but he is, in fact, all too subtle, to the point where people don't know what to make of him half the time, and he orchestrates great things without showing his hand.

Of course, Genly is usually the "victim" of this not the right word, as he's not victimized, but you get what I mean , especially since he's from another world and thus unused to Gethenian wordplay in general. Now, Gethenian wordplay Actually, I guess I should go over Gethenian personality as a whole. Gethenians, especially Karhiders, hinge everything on "shifgrethor" -- that is, pride and prestige, for the most part.

It's a difficult concept, but, as stated, is similar to pride; the actual word means "shadow". No matter what they do, their foremost concern is to not infringe upon someone's shifgrethor. Thus, they speak in circles, rarely telling anything straight out, and never giving advice except as Estraven did, once, as an actual insult, which Genly did not get.

They have a billion rules of etiquette based on shifgrethor, and I don't know most of them, so we're going to chalk it up to Estraven's memory loss. Speaking of necessity, he is very good at adapting, better than most other Gethenians. One reason is because of his upbringing in the Handdarata; when Genly met a Foreteller, he also had that sense of adaptability, and flexibility. Estraven has a high sense of pride, but he is willing to compromise it if he absolutely has to, and has done a few things he absolutely despises -- stealing a boat, stealing food, lying, etc.

When he is determined and set on one course, he is willing to sacrifice much in order to see it through. But at the same time, he's very human, and almost what we would think of as feminine -- well, the Gethenians are androgynous, and include femininity. Though on the surface only for political reasons, because he believes his world would benefit from an alliance with the Ekumen, he helps Genly at great risk to himself mainly because he likes Genly , not just his ideals.

He gives up everything he has -- his power, his pride, his life -- in order to further Genly's goal not only because he wishes to see his nation succeed, but because he wishes to see Genly bring about that. And Genly didn't even trust him until it was almost too late. Though cool on the outside, he makes deep connections with people once he does connect with them -- as mentioned, he helps Genly with everything he could; he still loves his dead brother even after twenty years; he trusts his farmer friend because he believed in that friendship, though he logically should have foreseen the consequences and the possibility of betrayal.

He even misses the sledge they used to cross the ice. Emotions aside, however, Estraven is highly intelligent. He is the son of a lord, even if not the one originally intended to inherit the post, and thus educated. And he becomes the prime minister, the proof of his education.

He knows every Domain, Clan, and Hearth in his nation. While driving there he listens to the radio and is surprised to not hear anything about the attacks on the Sinoth Valley he heard about while there. In Mishnory Genly drops off the car and goes to the house of Commissioner Shusgis. He provides an apartment for Genly that has heat and a hot shower. After a hot shower, Genly is taken to a dinner party consisting of the upper echelon of Orgoreyn. Obsle questions him about other planets including Earth.

Soon Estraven enters and Genly uses the chance to tell him about the message and money from Ashe. The feud has been going on for three generations and it is over land. One bright day the young heir of Estre falls into Icefoot Lake while skiing. He gets himself out of the lake but then hypothermia starts to set in. He finds a small house to seek shelter.

He is taken care of by Therem of Stok who is the enemy of the young man, Arek, but they fall in love. After a few days a group of Stok men surprise the lovers and kill Arek. When Therem finds out about their actions he banishes the men and disappears. The Lord of Estre raises him.

Although he beats them off he wanders into a cabin in the woods wounded. They broker a peace agreement between the two of them, and when Therem of Estre becomes King he spreads the peace between the lands. The next morning Genly gives the money to Estraven who warns him that Genly will be used as a tool. Later, during lunch with the Commensals Genly is introduced to more officials.

After the meal is over Genly is subjected to more questions. He tries to tell them about the Ekumen, but they become upset when he tells them he has a ship in orbit. On the drive home Gethen asks Shusgis about the more underground aspects of the government.

He also asks him what he knows about Estraven. This chapter goes back to Estraven. He is trying to help Genly from behind the scenes, but Sarf blocks any mention of him on the radio and in the papers, so they are hiding him in plain sight.

Estraven tries to warn Genly that his life may be in danger. Meshe was a Foreteller and has had two lifetimes broken up by the Seeing. He can see everything in the past of an object and the future of it. In this religion darkness is bad. That night Genly tries to find some of his contacts in the Commensals only to discover they are out for the Yomesh festival of Solemnity.

Later Genly is woken from sleep by officials arresting him. At the prison Genly learns all of the Commensals betrayed him. He is drugged and interrogated viciously. When he regains consciousness, Genly finds himself in a truck. He is naked and so are the twenty six Gethenians with him.

During the night one of the prisoners bleeds to death. After five days travel they are unloaded at a camp, fed and clothed. Genly is put to work at a sawmill. They give the prisoners a shot to stop them from going into kemmer but the shot makes Genly very ill. When he realizes some of the Commensals are not answering their doors he knows what is happening. He goes straight to Shusgis and makes him tell him what happened to Genly. Then Estraven starts a long and harrowing trip to save Genly before winter hits.

He knows Genly will not survive a winter as a prisoner. Estraven forges some papers and starts work as a guard at the prison Genly is at. While he is one guard duty Estraven stuns Genly and claims he is dead. The other guard tells him to dispose of the body. Estraven takes Genly to the cache of supplies he hid and then loads him on the sleigh. He sets up a camp and nurses Genly back to health. When Genly finally regains enough of his health to talk to Estraven he asks why the man helped him.

Estraven tells him he feels responsible for all the bad things that happened to him and he thinks the Ekumen would help to save his planet. Genly agrees to teach Estraven mindspeech. After they are both strong enough, they start walking to Karhide which seems to be the safest place they can go. They will have to travel miles in 78 days across a glacial dessert. The trip is treacherous. Blizzards, volcanic areas, steep trails, ice cliffs, etc.

And then Estraven goes into kemmer. He recites a poem,. Two are one, life and death, lying together like lovers in kemmer, like hands joined together, like the end and the way. One makes land, one makes rivers and oceans and one makes the vegetation, people and animals. After the three beings melt people drink their water and live. The first is Edondurath. He is a giant who kills one of the first beings that wakes after him, but another one gets away.

Instead, he will walk to the Gulf separating Karhide from Orgoreyn. Estraven knows that he will be safe in Orgoreyn, where his exile will have no effect. However, he worries that the widespread knowledge of his fall from grace will prevent anyone from helping him in the three days before his exile officially begins. A small act of kindness reminds Estraven that although the government may neither like nor trust him, individuals still care for him in spite of the potential legal consequences.

After three days of walking, Estraven arrives at the Gulf. At the gates is Ashe , his former kemmering , with whom he has two children. Although Ashe is now a Celibate Foreteller , the two still love one another. Once again, Estraven is moved that people in his life still care about him despite his new status as a traitor to Karhide.

He is happy that personal bonds transcend political ones. Estraven wants to protect Ashe by driving him away, so he is purposefully cruel and bitter. Estraven accuses Ashe of breaking his vow, which Ashe denies breaking. Ashe, tearful, tries to give Estraven whom he calls Therem money, but Estraven will not take it, and walks away toward the harbor.

He decides he must hurt Ashe in order to save him, believing it is the only way to protect him. Estraven is concerned to see that the fishermen recognize him and will not rent out their boats to him. He sees that Tibe plans to keep him in Karhide for three days, after which his exile will truly begin, and he can be killed for a reward. Estraven realizes his exile is truly a death sentence. Tibe hopes to turn all the people of Karhide against Estraven, who he sees as a threat that must be removed, not just from the country but from the planet itself.

Estraven sits and thinks. He will have to take a boat to Orgoreyn , and will have to commit a crime to get a ship. He steals a rowboat, and begins to paddle out into the harbor. Two agents of Tibe, still on the shore, have shot him with a sonic gun on a lethal setting, a blast which would have killed him had he been in range. Although in pain, Estraven forces himself to keep rowing, knowing the agents will come after him in a motor boat to finish him off.

Estraven must consider the strength of his moral obligation to the laws of Karhide. If he obeys them, and does not steal, he will die. He decides his own life is more valuable to him than any legal codes. After some time Estraven is pulled out of the water and onto a Karhidish patrol ship. Estraven is too weak to move or speak, but he can hear the captain arguing with someone. The captain of the ship that rescues Estraven must decide where his loyalty lies.

Estraven is dropped on the Orgota coast the next morning. He is weak but tries to walk toward the nearby town of Shelt. Then Ashe tries to get him some money, but Estraven declines even that.

Super awkward. Seems Estraven must bounce from the country by the sixth hour or else Tibe's men can legally have "justice done. Estraven decides theft won't matter in the long run, since he's already a traitor, and promptly jacks a row boat.

Rowing away from the port, he spies two figures on the pier. One of them has a sonic gun with which he promptly blasts Estraven. He's doesn't die, but the shot hurts something fierce. He rows as fast as he can toward Orgoreyn, his body going numb with each stroke. A patrol ship picks him up. Very unlucky. However, his time's not up yet, so the boat's officer can't legally kill him. Instead, he takes him to Shelt Port in Orgoreyn. So, some pretty lucky bad luck there.

Estraven regains full consciousness in a Commensal Hospital. A physician checks in on him and is promptly followed by an inspector. Apparently, that's how they do their thing in Orgoreyn. The inspector asks him for his papers and how he plans to return to Karhide. Estraven laughs, saying he'll return in a coffin. Pretty dark sense of humor you have there, Estraven. The inspector fumes a little, until the doctor pulls him aside and talks to him. Estraven is then asked if he's here for permanent residence.

Estraven works his way to Mishnory, his new home, by working as a landboat loader. It's probably just as fun as it sounds. He moves up in the world we think? Sounds delicious. Movin' on up again: Estraven is now Yegey's secretary. Are you starting to think Estraven's planned this whole thing out? Because it sure isn't sounding much like lonely exile, here.

Wow, that's a whole lot of alien words. Well, not "Naval Trade Commission. Obsle wants to know what Tibe has planned regarding the Sinoth Valley dispute. Estraven says Tibe wants to run Karhide like Orgoreyn. War, of course. Estraven confirms that Ai is indeed an alien from another world, though he's not a threatening alien.

You know, the "we come in peace" rather than the "we come with ray guns" variety of alien. Estraven tries to convince Obsle that Ai could really help out, maybe straighten out the whole Sinoth Valley dispute. Obsle seems on the fence about the whole situation and asks Estraven to tell him everything he knows. Looks like Ai's coming to Orgoreyn. Ch7 The Question of Sex Okay, chapter seven is a weird one for plot summary.

Because there is no plot. Not a scrap, iota, or pinch of it. We're talking Michael Bay's Transformers level of plotlessness. Just joking. It's not that bad. It's actually an investigator's notes on the androgynous gender and sexuality of the Gethenians.

So, we'll point out the key info for you, but don't expect any heart-pounding cliffhangers. The Investigator believes that the Gethenians were experiments.

She theorizes that they're humans made androgynous and then set loose millennia ago by the Hainish. So, think human mice in a big old planet-shaped cage. Minus running wheels. She can't understand why they picked such a planet. Her best guess is that the planet used to be much nicer less Arctic wasteland and more "California Love". Then the Hainish civilization went belly-up and the poor Gethenians were left behind to suffer the planet's ice age.

The Gethenian sexual cycle goes for 26 to 28 days, so roughly a moon cycle. Also, you know, roughly the length of a woman's menstrual cycle, not that that could possibly mean anything. Or something. During days 1 to 21, the Gethenians are in somer; i.

By day 23, they enter kemmer and get to prowling for some action. When they find a partner, their hormones wake up, giving female genitalia to one partner and male to the other. Basically, all systems go. If you really like the dude you've mated with, you can vow kemmering, which is their version of marriage. Odd though it may seem to us, incest is permitted with restrictions.

Siblings aren't allowed to vow kemmering and can't continue to pair with each other after having one child together. The investigator also notes how kemmer runs their entire civilization. Since anyone can be a mother, that means a mother can be anyone, from a guard to a baker to a politician. Downfall of civilization! Moral turpitude! You know, that sort of thing. Anyway, what this means is that sexual discrimination is not only uncool, it's downright impossible.

Of course, this makes trying to live with the Gethenians very difficult for cisgenderedhuman beings. Ai spends the summer traveling Karhide. He takes in the sights, investigates the Gethenian way of life, and wears—we imagine—one of those tacky tourist shirts with the camera constantly hanging around his neck.

You know, just doing his thing. While staying in a place called Gorinhering, he hears a radio broadcast that the King is pregnant with an heir. No, that's not a typo.

Beyond that, Tibe takes up most of the radio time as prime minister. In short, he has developed into quite the demagogue. With that thought, Ai decides it's time to head to Orgoreyn and chat with them as Envoy for the Ekumen.

Ai hears a radio broadcast about a scuffle in the Sinoth Valley. He imagines full-on war might become a reality for the first time on Gethen, as Tibe sets himself up to reap the rewards. That night, a Gethenian visits Ai. It's Ashe, and he gives Ai the money he tried to give to Estraven in the first place. Ai agrees to pass it along to Estraven if they cross paths.

Permission to enter Orgoreyn comes much sooner than Ai expects. He heads out, with a small detour to see this Sinoth Valley everyone keeps talking about. Because that sounds like a good idea, right? There, he crosses a bridge into Orgoreyn. After playing 20 questions with the inspectors, he's in.

He finds a Commensal Transient-House, has a meal, and goes to bed. While sleeping, he has a bad dream, "the kind in which you run down a strange street in the dark with a lot of people who have no faces, while houses go up in flames behind you, and children scream" 8. Can't say we've ever had one of those. Still in a dream, he ends up in an open field with his pack but without his pants and barefoot. At least he doesn't have to give a report naked in front of the whole class. And even in bad dreams, he still has his ansible and rubies.

He follows a bunch of refugees to a communal farm-center. Wait, is this still a dream or has the dream bleed into reality? Was it ever a dream in the first place? Hmm, we'll have to read on. Orgoreyn officials interrogate the group. Those without papers, including Ai, are separated and sent to another room. Seems it wasn't all a bad dream after all. Some of it was just bad reality. Ai now lives with a bunch of other refugees who ended up here after being yanked out of their beds in the middle of the night.

Ai overhears some people talking about how the city was attacked with guns and fire. No one complains. The door opens, and Ai is called out. Officials recognize him as the Envoy and give him new papers and a car. Sure, it only goes twenty-five miles per hour, but hey, better than the pants-less alternative.

Ai drives to the city of Mishnory, listening to some tunes on the radio. He notices that no one mentions the attack. Otherwise, the drive seems pleasant, and Ai reaches his destination. In Mishnory, he drops off the car and heads to Commissioner Shusgis's house by either invitation or command; he's not sure. Shusgis sets Ai up in a sweet pad in his own building.

It's warm, has electric heating, and even a hot shower. His host lays it on a tad thick, claiming that Karhide was afraid of Ai and the changes he would bring.

Not Orgoreyn, though. Orgoreyn can appreciate him. Ai knows a line when he hears one, but he plays it cool. Shusgis invites Ai to a bigwig get-together, so Ai showers, primps, and gets ready to mingle.

At the dinner party, Ai meets the who's who of Orgoreyn. Obsle remember him? The head of the Orgota Naval Trade Commission? Ai's answers blow his mind a little. What do you mean that some planets are composed entirely of deserts?

Then Estraven enters the room. Ai tells him he has a message for Estraven in the form of money. Like us, Ai starts sensing that Estraven has planned this all along. Ch9 Estraven the Traitor Confusion Warning! In Gethenian society, Estraven is a land-name. It means "one who comes from Estre," sort of like being called "da Vinci. His name is Arek although he is sometimes called Estraven because it's his birthplace. Still, the name is meant to clue us in that he connects somehow to Ai's Estraven.

If not literally, then metaphorically or perhaps both. Okay, everyone on board? Let's get this chapter rolling. So, there's this blood feud between two lands, the Domain of Stok and the Domain of Estre. One day, the young Lord of Estre is skiing over Icefoot Lake when he falls through some rotten ice. He manages to free himself from the frigid water, but he's not out of trouble, yet.

He wanders around, slowly freezing to death, until he comes to a small house. Like a pro, the house's owner quickly gets the young lord out of his wet clothes and next to a fire. If you think this sounds like the set up to a romantic comedy, you'd be right. Except about the comedy part. They immediately fall in love with each other Romeo and Juliet-style. They spend a few days together in the cabin. Then a party of Stok men comes into the cabin. Evidently, no one taught them to knock first.

They see Arek and kill him, effectively ending the honeymoon. Therem tells the men to take Arek's body to Estre for burial. The men just drop the body off somewhere, because they aren't stupid enough to take the person they killed to his powerful and presumably ticked-off father. But when Therem discovers their trickery, he has them banished. Then Therem disappears as quickly as Tom Green's career. Who's Tom Green?

In the Domain of Estre, they search for Arek's body but find nothing. One day, a man arrives with a newborn baby. It's Therem, son of Arek of Estre. The Lord of Estre agrees to raise the child and even keeps the name Therem. How they can tell it's actually Arek's son is anybody's guess. Maybe he had his father's nose or something. Years pass, and the baby grows up. He's named the heir of Estre, an idea the Lord's other children don't really cotton to. They try to ambush Therem, but the boy is apparently a Bruce-Lee-level fighter, as he kills all three of them.

Wounded and getting weaker, Therem sees, guess what, a cabin. It's abandoned, so the boy enters it and collapses on the floor. A man comes to the cabin and tends Therem's wounds. When Therem comes to, he realizes that the man is Therem of Stok, his mother, er father, uh…birth parent?

The two reach a peace agreement with each other. When Therem of Estre becomes king, he makes peace between the lands as well. The end. Ai gives him the money, more to get rid of him than anything else. Estraven suggests Ai needs information and advice. From him. The advice is simple: Ai is a tool and he needs to be careful because they will not use him well. What's with people calling this guy a tool? Then Estraven leaves before clarifying what it means, spoiling an otherwise decent morning for Ai.

Ai has lunch with many of the Commensals of Orgoreyn. He meets a bunch of people with funny names, like Mersen, a spy for Tibe but one everyone knows about; and Gaum, an agent of the Sarf. News comes from Karhide that King Argaven's child was born and died that morning. Gaum cheers and others follow with a toast. Thankfully for our opinion of the Orgoreyns, some people think it's a little distasteful to cheer that a baby died.

There is some discussion as to who will be Argaven's heir now, but the talk is interrupted by lunch. After the meal, the men question Ai. Since, after all, he's an alien.

Ai can't believe how straightforward the Orgoreynians are with their questions. Some openly don't believe Ai's story, which would never happen in the much more proper Karhide society. Ai tells them about the Ekumen and how it isn't really a government so much as a society and culture of planets. To summarize: the planets help educate one another to advance themselves and each other.

Like an intergalactic study group. When they ask why the Ekumen want to bring in Gethen, Ai answers that he is there to set up open trade. Trade in "goods, of course, knowledge, technology, ideas, philosophies, art, medicine, science, theory" and so on The choice will also be available to all the countries on Gethen, not just Oregoreyn or Karhide.

Ai mentions that he's got a ship orbiting around Gethen's sun. This causes quiet a stir. If movies have taught us anything, it's that people freak when they discover alien spaceships in orbit—what with the death rays and all. Ai thinks things are going well. He sees that some of the Commensals want to use him in a power grab, but Ai believes he can use their power hunger to his own advantage.

Of course, he's asking them to swallow a huge belief pill, so the Commensals want proof. Ai tells them he can radio his spaceship and have it land. How's that for proof? All he needs is a guarantee of the ship and crew's safety, meaning a public announcement made by the whole board of Commensals. While driving home with Shusgis, Ai asks about Sarf. Oh, good, we've been wondering. It seems it's an administration tasked with dealing with information processing and, though left unsaid by Shusgis, control.

A sci-fi Big Brother if you will. Ai finds it interesting and hilarious that the governments of Gethen are so similar to the ones of Earth's history.

Anybody want to bet on whether those words will come back to bite him later? Then they start talking about Estraven. Shusgis doesn't know much, just that he's a traitor who now works for Yegey.

Ai realizes that he hasn't felt cold since he arrived at Mishnory. He also feels the leaders of Orgoreyn are "not quite solid" In the words of the famous Han Solo and everyone else , he's got a bad feeling about this. Ch11 Soliloquies in Mishnory Another switch in perspective. This time, we're diving into Estraven's diary. Note that the entry dates are in Gethenian. You'll have to use the "Gethenian Calendar and Clock" appendix to solve the code, although it's not necessary.

Streth Susmy Estraven secretly works on Ai's behalf, colluding with Yegey and Obsle to help accomplish the Envoy's goal. Sarf, however, blocks information about Ai from the public and opposes his mission in general. Obsle and Yegey hope to win a majority of the 33 Commensals to their side. Estraven is not hopeful their plan will work. Thanks to the money Ai brought him, Estraven now lives on his own. He remembers the time Ai gave it to him.

He is amazed at the alien's ignorance although he admits it's a result of him being a total stranger to their ways. Estraven now spends his days working in a factory and practicing the "skills of stillness and fasting" Why, we don't know, but we're willing to guess it isn't about getting his figure back.

Harhahad Susmy No word on the radio about Ai. Estraven wonders if Ai realizes that he is actually being hidden in plain sight. Another scuffle at the across the river Ey. Commensal Slose sees mystical implications in Ai's message. He believes the second coming of their prophet Meshe will begin with the coming of the spacemen. So, Commensal Slose is basically the L. Ron Hubbard of this story. Guyrny Susmy Estraven considers the notion that "to oppose something is to maintain it" He writes that, if Karhide and Orgoreyn are going to stop feuding, they must move in directions not heading toward each other.

Man, Estraven is even cryptic when no one is watching. Tormenbod Susmy Still no word of Ai on the radio, and no broadcast from Erhenrang ever reaches the Orgoreyn public.

See, Sarf has complete control over all communications going in and out of Orgoreyn, and they don't like the Envoy. Not exactly a recipe for success.