Sabrina Gogna

Professor Dowd

Writing 39B 05

February 2019

Analyzations and Connections

        Octavia Butler, in her speculative fiction short story Bloodchild(1984), conveys the recurring message that interdependence of two species is a crucial element of survival. She accomplishes this first by inserting symbolism to portray trust, partnership, and a prolonged life between the human-like creatures and the insect-like aliens, then by incorporating a frustrated tone to describe family dynamics. She does this in order to offer a different perspective to put out into the world and to also challenge the thoughts and ideas of the younger generation. Butler not only writes this short story for young adults, but for all science fiction readers.

        Although Bloodchild does not contain many symbols, one of the two symbols that are present in this text are relatively important to the overarching message. The eggs signify a lengthened lifespan for the Terrans and a larger population for the Tlics: “‘You should take more,” T’Gatoi said. “Why are you in such a hurry to be old?’”(Butler 2). The human-like creatures are encouraged to consume the egg, so they can help reproduce the other species thus making both species become interdependent of one another. Such a simple food can help the growth of two communities that coincide with another. Additionally, in the science fiction genre as a whole, human and alien interactions are common; Aliens, though, interact with humans due to self-interest. Bloodchild is a clear representation of this overall conclusion because some Terrans are highly encouraged to eat the eggs--“Unwillingly obedient, my mother took it from Gogna 2 me and put it to her mouth”(Butler 2). Tlics gain a greater benefit due to them obtaining many more human-like creatures to increase their fertility rates thus causing a larger population for them. This to compels the readers to ponder upon reality: how is the ecosystem or the environment dependant on humans and vice versa? In the article Ecosystem services or services to ecosystems? Valuing cultivation and reciprocal relationships between humans and ecosystems by Comberti, Thorntona,Wyllie de Echeverria, and Patterson, the authors discuss how humans and ecosystems around the world assist one another to grow and prosper. Many people think humans are only consumers of what the environment provides for individuals, but unfortunately populous amounts of people fail to see that humans “also contribute to their development, maintenance, and flows”(Comberti et al. 248). Individuals, in this circumstance, evaluate the societal beliefs or stereotypes about how humans remain inconsiderate to nature and ecosystems around us. However, Octavia Butler embeds the egg in the story as a means of a connection between the two species similarly to how humans hold ecosystems accountable for oxygen and how ecosystems hold humans accountable for providing habitats or things as simple as food and water (explained in the article). From Bloodchild to the article, the readers are mandated to consider how simple items hold a community strong together. With animals to nature and nature to humans, each community needs another community to withstand: interdependence.

        Butler adopts a frustrated tone throughout her short story to describe the family dynamics that occur. As gender roles are swapped in this story--males being impregnated, men sacrificing their bodies, and no official father figure being present--Octavia Butler develops interesting relationships within the fictional characters. Qui refusing to become a host places Gan as the only other option from that family to birth a Tlic: “‘Go out and slaughter an animal that is at least Gogna 3 half your size’”(Butler 6). T’Gatoi demands this action from Gan when Lomas was being birthed. This causes Gan to become frustrated and conflicted because he had never been put in this type of situation to create such a sacrifice. Throughout this story, the readers begin to visualize how the relationships actually function. With observations from the story, T’Gatoi and Lein are the parent figures of the family: both are women and both overlook the family and make decisions for them. This leaves one person out of the family: the “father.” Lein is the obvious mother since she birthed the kids, but T’Gatoi enters their life and begins to project her voice and actions upon the family making her play the father figure of the family or the second mother. This forces the readers to ponder their personal beliefs and emotions regarding this topic: does each family need a man and a woman to be considered a complete family? When Bloodchild was published, the second wave feminist women's movement was descending and the third was rising. Many women, especially younger women who are reaching their years of pregnancy, encountered plentiful issues. In the article Multiracial Feminism: Recasting the Chronology of Second Wave Feminism by Becky Thompson, it is explained that many women of color and white women as well came together (at time different times among various women) to discuss how feminists react to certain events and to see if they actually are feminists or not. Upon discussing many factors, the adults in this movement practically belied “the sex roles that had traditionally defined domestic, economic, and political relations [to the young adults]”(Thompson 338). Many women in the world believe they have the power to raise their own family without the male being present. In modern day, individuals witness single mothers raising their children to become independent, self-reliant, adn strong characters. They know the stereotype that goes around: women cannot do as much without the male being present in the Gogna 4 family. Butler purposely doesn’t include the father in this short story to compel her audience to consider their beliefs and understandings of this certain concept.

        Moreover, the idea of not having a father figure present relates to the new wave or soft science fiction. In the article The politics of morphing: Michael Jackson as science fiction border text by Victoria Johnson, she conveys how hard science fiction differs from soft science fiction. Hard science fiction includes factors such as “men and machines [colonizing] the galaxies” and soft science being the opposite: more femininity, more emotions, more validity(Johnson). With reading this article, Bloodchild falls under the softer side of science fiction due to the reversal of gender roles and having females be the “head of the household” of the family. During the time of the original publication of the short story(1984), the second wave feminist movement was also occurring which influenced Butler to write in the more feminine aspect of science fiction. This correlates with the genre because Butler “connotes femininity and an alliance with both [Gan’s] natural mother and with notions of self-birthing or rebirthing through the reconstruction of visual markers of past identity”(Johnson). Not only does this new wave of science fiction point to the feminine aspect of the genre, it also includes reproduction. Both of these details are present within the story. With soft science fiction allowing Butler to include two mothers instead of a mother and a father, conveys that the masculinity aspect of the family is not a necessity in order for the survival of families. This relates to modern-day society and the story itself. In the everyday world, individuals are able to visualize many families who lack the presence of a father for various reason. It only goes on to illustrate that women are capable enough to uphold the responsibilities that are originally aimed for men. Additionally, hard and soft science fiction also cover the technological aspect of the genre. Hard science fiction “focuses on technology” Gogna 5 whereas soft science fiction not so much. Contrary to hard science fiction, soft science fiction “[focuses] upon social and cultural changes”(Johnson). Throughout the entirety of Bloodchild, it is seen that technology was not heavily discussed, but social and cultural differences were. Butler had many opportunities to discuss the technological aspects: how the egg was formed, how the Terrans got stranded on the planet with the Tlics, etc. However she passed those comments and went onto the social and cultural aspect which is gender roles.

        Through the use of symbolism and a frustrated tone, Butler conveys the important message of interdependence to young adults whose social and cultural ideas are being questioned. She does this in order to compel her audience to ponder how the future of science could significantly advance causing the societal norms to change--males becoming pregnant and switching the roles of the family members. She writes her short story on the soft side of science fiction to be able to discuss the gender roles, social norms, cultural differences.