Gender Relations In Science Fiction

9 Pages 2126 Words

GENDER RELATIONS IN SCIENCE FICTION

In today’s world, many different mediums exist whereby ideas and beliefs can be communicated to the public; however, writing continues to be one of the most common forms. Writing can be subdivided into different categories depending on the type of message that is being conveyed. For instance, the use of science fiction creates virtually limitless boundaries, thus allowing the writer to explore various themes. This flexibility, however, does not make science fiction an effective medium for conveying certain ideas. Preconceived notions always exist based on a person’s environmental development, and these notions affect the way in which a person interprets ideas. In the stories of The Left hand of Darkness, The Women Men don’t see and A Few things I know about Whileaway, science fiction fails to become a medium that challenges the typical gender roles that all readers have instilled in their minds. Although the genre of science fiction can create any surreal form of society, it is not an effective medium through which concepts of sexual characteristics can be challenged because pre-existing notions of gender roles that are present in the minds of each reader cannot permit such understanding.
Readers can be effectively introduced to various concepts in a story through the use of a narrator. The narrator serves as a guide for the reader by offering explanations and introducing new ideas from his/her unique viewpoint. The observations from this viewpoint give a concise presentation of gender relations in each story, however, the traditional perceptions of gender remain intact and unchallenged since each perspective is derived from a character/narrator with preconceived notions. The Left Hand of Darkness is narrated almost exclusively by an envoy named Genly Ai who is sent to the planet Gethen by the Ekumen of known worlds with the mission of convincing the Gethenian leaders to join the In...