I'm Confused About the Message in "Blood Child" by Octavia Butler
Octavia Butler's Blood Child is analogous to a video of pimple popping. Gross, yes, but is one able to look away? No. Or maybe I’m projecting my twisted sense of intrigue and have exposed myself beyond the point of redemption. Oh well. Blood Child is an interesting short story regarding the power dynamics and systemic coercion of the human-like Terrans from the alien Tlics. I believe Octavia Butler had the intention of including social commentary regarding gender roles, but it got overshadowed by the beastiality (?) aspect. Blood Child could be a story depicting gender roles in the ways they are manifest in our real world, but swapped. Here's my thought process:
T'gatoi is superior in age, physicality, and class status. She is an alien woman with the role of protecting the Terrans, and Gan's family from the dangerous Tlics roaming outside the Preserve. I believe she represents the "male" in traditional gender roles. Her hold over the Terrans within the preserve is reminscent of the long-standing patriarchal commands in the real world. She is the representation of masculinity within this analogy of gender roles (Although I don't believe masculinity is defined by said traits). Gan represents the female role in this gender dynamic. He has been chosen to bear T'gatoi's children- a relatively fatal process- which is manifest through his mother's discomfort of T'gatoi's presence around him:
"You're better," she said this time, probing me with six or seven of her limbs." You're gaining weight finally. Thinness is dangerous."The probing changed subtly, became a series of caresses. "He's still too thin," my mother said sharply." (Butler 53).
I believe Butler is depicting Gan as a female representation through his lack of power and control under T'gatoi's "patriarchal" presence. This could be a target message regarding women not having autonomy over their bodies under the ruling of men, manifest through Gan under T'gatoi's control.
The end of the story is where this analogy- and potential message- becomes unclear to me. In the end of the story, Gan asserts his power and stands up for himself by demanding T'gatoi keeps his family's rifle, in exchange for him to have her children:
"Leave it for the family. One of them might use it to save my life someday." She grasped the rifle barrel, but I wouldn't let go. I was pulled into a standing position over her. "Leave it here!"I repeated."If we're not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner"...
"Do you care?"I asked."Do you care that it's me?" She did not answer for some time. Finally,"You were the one making the choices tonight, Gan. I made mine long ago." (Butler 59).
With Gan having stood up for himself and his family's rifle, the power dynamics within his and T'gatoi's relationship seem to have mellowed. However, there are no further instances in which Gan becomes T'gatoi's equal. In fact, there is no resolution to the conflict that is the lack of power from Terrans to Tlics. I find myself confused, and unsure of what Butler is trying to convey. Is she trying to say that dominant gender roles in relationships are inevitable? Or is she trying to depict her perspective of the harmful effects of gender roles in society through the analogy of alien to human? Nevertheless, one thing that I can take away from Blood Child with clarity, is to run away if an alien tries to impregnate you.
I actually never thought of this story in terms of gender roles, so I think you do a really great job of describing instances where statements on gender roles could be identified. When I was reading it, I definitely was thinking the author was trying to say something about inappropriate grooming, seeing how Gan was in a way raised just to be used by T'gatoi. Now that I think about it in terms of gender roles, I can see how the two ideas could be combined. As I saw it, the ending could be making a point about how dangerous gender roles and grooming can be because although the events were so very obviously wrong to a reader, Gan still has a hard time seeing through the same lens as we do. Your blog is very well-written, and I like that you leave the reader asking more questions about the story!
ReplyDeleteThe topic you chose for your post is incredibly interesting, and I hadn't critically thought about this story with the idea of gender roles in mind. I share your similar confusion as to what Butler's statement about gender roles in this story is and wonder what her intentions were. I think that one way you could look at it is that Butler may have been making a statement by hiding it within so many other layers of her story to see if her audience would notice, but beyond that I am unsure of what she wanted to say through these "non-traditional" gender roles. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting take on the story. I didn't think about the comparisons to gender roles when I read the story, but they fit very well into it. I'm really not convinced that much was achieved in terms of leveling of power in the relationship as the story came to a close, in my eyes it was all part of manipulation by T'gatoi, then again it could go many different ways. While much of the story is presented as gruesome and wrong to us it seems inevitable.
ReplyDeleteI like how you compare the story to pimple popping videos, I think that is a great comparison. I also noticed the significance of gender roles and I am glad you choose to discuss it. Octavia's choice to instead depict the female character taking away male autonomy rather then our societal norms gives the story an extra layer, hopefully which leads people to reflect on the way women's autonomy has been treated by men for centuries. I agree though the bestiality really threw me off and I was also a little concerned by Octavia's description of this as a coming of age love story. Great job!
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