Reflections 3/13/09

Chapter Fourteen in The Left Hand of Darkness was amazing! It is undoubtedly my favorite chapter in the book so far. Estraven went through a lot of adventure and a lot of risks for Genly. I enjoyed reading about Estraven's plots and schemes, his fast thinking and reaction, and his willingness to sacrifice himself for Genly. While reading his actions, I was able to get a feeling of his strong friendship with Genly. I found it saddening and ironic, however, reading the part where Estraven tells Genly that he is the only person on Gethen who believed Genly, yet he was also the only person Genly completely distrusted. I was glad to see this distrust and misunderstanding slowly melt away in Genly; otherwise, all that Estraven did for him would have been pointless. In fact, I was so affected by this part of the chapter because I felt that this connected to myself a bit. Personally, I feel that sometimes I too take some risks for the benefit of my friends. Yet I have come to realize that sometimes no matter what I do for others, I could never gain their trust. Not only that, it seems the more I do for my friends, the more distant they become. For this, I have to say that I feel dumb and stupid. Yet when I ask myself if the risks I take for my friends are worth it, I tell myself "yes" every time. With this connection to my life in mind, I really hope that Genly starts to trust Estraven more and not let all that Estraven has done for him go to waste.