Cultural Values in The Left Hand of Darkness, The Fellowship of the Rin

Shaping of Cultural Values Through Environment in The Left Hand of Darkness, The Fellowship of the Ring, and dune Ursuala K. LeGuins The Left Hand of Darkness was written after J.R.R. Tolkiens The Fellowship of the Ring and Frank Herberts Dune. One of the most interesting comparisons between the three novels is how the authors treat the bonk of cross-cultural misunderstandings. All three works contain many incidents where people of one race or planet encounter people of a contrasting race or from a different planet. Tolkien treats this issue in a specisitc or physiological manner. The cultural misunderstandings and clashes that arise in The Fellowship of the Ring argon delinquent to the differing physiology of the characters. Herbert deals with cultural misunderstandings in an environmental manner. In Herberts world, cultural values depend less on which species a character belong to (because all characters reckon to be roughly human) and instead depend on environme ntal variables. In The Left Hand of Darkness, LeGuin combines both approaches. The cultural misunderstandings between Genly Ai and Gethenians are due both to difference in physiology and different cultural values imprinted by environmental factors . Tolkiens physiological approach is best seen by examining the hobbits attitude towards the outside world. The hobbits are suspicious of, and generally do not understand, non-Hobbits. This can be seen by the Shires constant suspicion of Bilbos past adventures. The miller Sandyman comments on Bilbos adventures Elves and Dragons I says to him. Cabbages and potatoes are develop for me and you. Dont go getting mixed up in the business of your betters, or youll land in trouble too... ...iologically different from the Gethenians and take places from a planet with a altogether different environment. Both of these factors lead to numerous misunderstandings in LeGuins novel. The difference in the three authors approaches may be seen in the debate between genetics and environment may be the broader issue. Tolkien seems to take the genetics side, Herbert takes the environmental side, and LeGuin, being the daughter of an anthropologist, realizes that both genetics and environment determine cultural values. These values often come into conflict, and when they do, misconceptions and misunderstandings are almost inevitable. Works Cited Herbert, Frank. Dune 1984, Chilton Book participation LeGuin, Ursula L. The Left Hand of Darkness 1969, Ace Book Company Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring 1993, Houghton Mifflin Company