An extended family unit, or clan. This is the most basic unit of Karhidish society.
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Hearth Term Timeline in The Left Hand of Darkness
The timeline below shows where the term Hearth appears in The Left Hand of Darkness. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...much that he kills himself, and the other brother, Getheren, is driven out of his Hearth.
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The living brother, Getheren, goes from Hearth to Hearth but can find no one to take him in. He returns to his...
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...walks to the south, where he is eventually discovered and taken in by a kind Hearth. Although they had heard of him, he denies he is Getheren, and takes the name...
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Chapter 6
Estraven briefly considers returning home to his Hearth, but decides against it. He considers the three days he has left until his exile...
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Chapter 7
...no legal meaning. Ong Tot Oppong hypothesizes the structure of society in Karhide—which consists of Clan-Hearths and Domains—is made possible through these monogamous family units.
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Chapter 20
...stone buildings cut out of the mountain itself. Ai knocks on the door of the Hearth and is admitted by a young man named Sorve, who feeds, cleans, and clothes him,...
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