At the beginning of the novel, he is an alien among aliens, isolated and forced to apply his previous knowledge of gender to interpret the actions of the Gethenians. This practice does not positively reflect Gethenian behaviors, deeming anything under a feminine label unfavorable, but it provides a basis from which Genly could (and ultimately fails) to understand. At every chance given the emissary to adjust and acknowledge the cultural differences between himself and the Gethenian people, he repeatedly uses his gender binary as a crutch to claw his way towards understanding; relying so heavily on this crutch prevents him from fully opening up to the idea of ​​genderlessness, an affliction that haunts him to the end. He delicately tries to understand, thinks he understands, but unravels at every narrative turn, governed each time by genre. The absence of gender ultimately escapes him