Blog #6

"When It Changed" is a rather confusing story. Based on what I think is going on, I see quite a few parallels to The Left Hand of Darkness, most notably in how there is only one gender. I first got this idea when the narrator talks about her children with Katy, one of which is Katy's and two of which are her own. I think she is implying that one was born by Katy and the other two she gave birth to herself. Also similar to The Left Hand of Darkness is how the people are human-like people who are paid a visit from a larger, more "normal" human figure from a distant planet. A difference with the world of Gethen is how the characters actually have genders, but they are all females (I think). The end of the story tells of how all the men had died. I am getting a sense that unlike The Left Hand of Darkness, this is definitely a feminist story. The male visitor seems to be antagonized in the story, especially with his chuckles at the women's responses to his questions.