The Left Hand of Darkness: Chapter 14 Summary & Analysis

Obsle, Yegey, and Slose have left town or shut their doors to Estraven, and he realizes something bad has happened. He blackmails Shusgis into telling him what has happened to Ai. He then goes to the Karhidish Embassy and sends a message to Argaven informing him that Ai is imprisoned. Estraven’s visits to Shusgis and the Embassy have put him in danger.

Winter is coming, and Estraven worries that Ai will not survive on the Voluntary Farm. Estraven boards a caravan that travels northwest from Mishnory to the city of Ethwen, not far from Ai’s prison camp. Estraven begins to formulate an escape plan for Ai.

Estraven joins with a hunting party led by a man named Mavriva. Estraven travels with him, learning about the region, breaking off from the party at a town called Turuf, where he pretends to be sick and leaves the group. Estraven spends a few days in the foothills outside of the town, memorizing the area, and storing his skis, snowshoes, and provisions in a valley. He then loops back to Turuf, where he buys a second pair of skis, snowshoes, and winter clothes, as well as a tent and a sledge.

A month has passed since he first left Mishnory, and winter has begun—the river is frozen and snow is falling. He feels that his luck is changing for the better.

Estraven hides his sledge between his cache and the Farm, which he now marches towards. He has disguised himself as a paroled convict, who is now employed as a prison guard and is accepted into the prison with little suspicion. Once inside, he tours the jail, steals a non-lethal gun from the cook, and identifies Ai’s sleeping body in the dormitory. He feels lucky, like he understands exactly how to act to achieve his goal. In Erhenrang he lost his foresight, but it has now returned. He is happy to have it back. 

Estraven is put on the midnight guard shift. Some time before dawn he activates his dothe-strength and seeks out Ai. He stuns him using his gun, and then begins to carry him out. Two guards stop Estraven, but he pretends Ai has died in the night. Estraven stops in the Inspection Office to turn off the fences. He then carries Ai outside, where it is snowing heavily. He escapes the farm and hides Ai in a valley with the sledge. He waits until a pair of guards has passed by, and then pulls Ai on his sledge until the pair reaches his cache.

Ai, who should be awake by now, remains unconscious. Estraven worries that by calling Ai dead to the prison guards he has abused his luck and has killed the Envoy. Estraven’s dothe-strength has persisted for hours, and now he must rest. He feeds himself and Ai, cleans Ai’s bedsores, and then is overtaken by thangen. He and Ai sleep for days. 

For a day and a half, Estraven is in catatonic thangen-sleep, and for some time after that he is in a milder recovery period. In this second phase he sleeps and wakes, feeding Ai broth when he can. By the third night, Ai begins to speak, but does not fully wake up. He speaks in his native language, and also a mixture of Orgota and Karhidish. Estraven worries he has been permanently changed by the Farm, and regrets saving him. Luckily, the next time Estraven wakes, Ai is fully conscious and coherent. He recognizes Estraven, and speaks his name. Estraven is relived.

The next day, Ai is able to have a conversation. He tells Estraven about the drugs he was injected with. Estraven hypothesizes they were trying to get him addicted to a hormone derivative, or else trying to mindchange him. Ai wonders if there are secret Farms in Karhide, but Estraven asserts that Karhide is not sophisticated enough for this kind of prison system.

Ai wonders how Estraven managed to break him out of prison, and is slightly suspicious. Estraven explains he used his dothe-strength, revealing that he is of the Handdara, a fact Ai had not known. Ai doesn’t understand why Estraven has helped him, which deeply offends Estraven. He takes a moment to compose himself, finally explaining that he feels he is partially responsible for drawing Ai to Orgoreyn, which led to his imprisonment.

Ai denies that Estraven motivated his trip to Orgoreyn. Estraven, who now realizes Ai has “seen the same events with different eyes” explains his perspective: back in the spring, fearful of Tibe’s ascendancy, Estraven began to encourage Argaven not to meet with Ai. He hoped that by delaying the meeting he could protect Ai from Argaven’s fear and wrath.  

Estraven’s plotting led to his own political exile, at which point he was afraid to talk to Ai and “contaminate” him, putting him in more danger. Once in Orgoreyn he encouraged the Thirty-Three to let Ai travel into the country, hoping they would accept Ai and his story. Estraven hoped the Thirty-Three would see the Envoy as a way to become superior to Karhide and break free from the Sarf’s control.  Instead, Estraven’s contacts were too timid, and his plan backfired.

Ai still doesn’t understand Estraven’s motivation. Estraven explains he wants the alliance of his world with Ai’s. He doesn’t care which country is the first to make contact, as “what does it matter which country wakens first, so long as we waken?”

Ai is upset that Estraven didn’t explain himself earlier. Estraven admits his “biggest error” was not being clearer. Ai says he doesn’t mean to be unjust, but Estraven angrily points out “I am the only man in all Gethen that has trusted you entirely, and I am the only man in Gethen that you have refused to trust.” Ai apologizes, and Estraven asks to learn mindspeech.