Editing Earthsea (section)

=== Daoist philosophy ===

{{further|Le Guin and Taoism}}

[[File:Yin and Yang symbol.svg|thumb|upright|[[Yin-Yang]] symbol of [[Taoism|balanced opposites]]. In Le Guin's words, "Light is [[The Left Hand of Darkness|the left hand of darkness]]; darkness is the right hand of light."<ref>{{cite book |last=Le Guin |first=Ursula K. |title=The Left Hand of Darkness |chapter=Epigraph |year=1969 |publisher=Ace Books}}</ref>{{sfn|Erlich|2010|p=122}}]]

Erlich writes that the ''Earthsea'' books embody [[Taoism|Taoist]] philosophy, with ''Tehanu'' counterbalancing the initial trilogy.{{sfn|Erlich|2010|pp=94–98}} In ''Tehanu'', Ged returns to Gont, completing the cycle of his quest: Erlich comments that this movement back to his roots is Daoist.{{sfn|Erlich|2010|pp=94–98}} The balancing of "polarities" such as light and dark, male and female, doing and being is central to the philosophy and to the novels. The [[Yin-Yang]] symbol reflects this, and Erlich analyses multiple occurrences of Yin-Yang in the series, commenting that "Yin-Yang, indeed, is a unifying symbol in the trilogy".{{sfn|Erlich|2010|pp=94–98}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Richard Erlich's analysis of [[Taoism|Taoist]]-style balancing of [[Yin-Yang]] opposites in ''Earthsea''{{sfn|Erlich|2010|pp=94–98}}
|-
! Instance 
! colspan=2 | Opposites 
! Location
|-
| "Only in silence the word" || silence || word 
| rowspan=3 | [[Epigraph (literature)|Epigraph]] at start of<br/>''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]''<br/>and of ''[[Tehanu]]''
|-
| "Only in dark the light" || dark || light <!--|rowspan-->
|-
| "Only in dying life" || death || life     <!--|rowspan-->
|-
| White scars on Ged's dark face || dark skin || white scars || ''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]''
|-
| Ged merges with his shadow || shadow || hero || ''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]''
|-
| (Initially hostile) Tenar bonds with Ged || dark-skinned Ged || white-skinned Tenar || ''[[Tombs of Atuan]]''
|-
| scarred Therru is a dragon || burned Therru || dragon-person Tehanu || ''[[Tehanu]]''
|}

Erlich writes that the three books of the initial trilogy each embody a Taoist balance that needs restoring, a needed integration, and a doorway that must be closed.{{sfn|Erlich|2010|pp=102–110}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Richard Erlich's analysis of Taoist processes in the ''Earthsea'' trilogy{{sfn|Erlich|2010|pp=102–110}}

|-
! style="width: 70px;" | Necessary process 
! style="width: 250px;" | Ged in ''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]'' 
! style="width: 250px;" | Tenar in ''[[Tombs of Atuan]]'' 
! style="width: 250px;" | Ged in ''[[The Farthest Shore]]''
|-
! Balance<br/>to restore  
| "[[Yin and yang|Yang]]ish over-action, over-assertion, over-intellectuality, too much desire for life and power: in [[Taoist]] (and traditional patriarchal) symbolism, too much light" 
| "Too much stasis, darkness, 'cyclical' reincarnation"; Ged brings light to the Undertomb; Tenar accepts her true name from Ged
| Magic has been lost in remote parts of Earthsea; joy is draining from the world
 
|-
! Integration<br/>to make 
| Ged and his shadow 
| Male-controlled life of Atuan's priestesses, without sex; Ged unites his half of the Ring of Erreth-Akbe with the half in the Tombs
| Acceptance of mortality

|-
! Doorway<br/>to close 
| Doorway to the Dry Land [of death] 
| The Place of the Tombs of Atuan, "where the powers of darkness have irrupted into the light"
| Cob has opened "a door between the realms of life and death"
|}