Bloodchild (Assessment 2 points)

 

1. Reaction to the Text

This is the first story that I read that dealt with aliens that were not in some way humanoid. T’Gatoi and her kind felt like a very fun species to write and worldbuild from, and I am kind of astonished how much Butler conveyed to the reader in such a short story. Not only was she able to show the reader a snapshot into this world, she made it read natural, too. Writing exposition is hard to feel natural in a story without having some plot contrivance to make a character oblivious to the world they live in, therefore needing the exposition. Being a short story, I didn’t expect it to be so tight, yet it felt like it neither overstayed its welcome nor ended too abruptly. I really need to read more of Octavia Butler’s work in the future. 

2. Connections to the Story

It was kind of difficult to connect fully to anything in the text, but I definitely did feel for the main character Gan. I am also currently in a stage of my life where I’m close enough to my “coming of age” to remember it in detail as well as living in its wake. The anxiety Gan feels about filling his role in society is also something I feel on a daily basis. His questioning of if he is fit to do the sole thing he was raised to kind of mirrors my constant doubts about my schooling and future profession.

 Although I am not going to become a host for tiny bug larvae, I can draw a connection between Gan‘s compliance in his painful fate to having to participate in harmful social practices. Like any trade system, capitalism has its flaws. It is impossible to live entirely ethically under capitalism, because the exploitation of workers is so prevalent. For example, when you do the research and see how basically all chocolate is harvested by slave labor, it’s harder to eat your next candy bar. But, like Gan there are just some things that are unavoidable without large changes, and until then, you have to make do with what you can. 

3. Adaptation of the Story

I feel like the adaptation of a story like this feels pretty obvious because there have been a fair share of short story adaptations no matter what medium you look at. Either just the story will be adapted, or the script writers will add onto the story to stretch it into a tv show or movie length. In terms of visuals, there would have to be a lot of thought put into the Tilc’s design because of their relatively obscure descriptions in the book. As well, concept artists would have to work on what the setting will look like. It is mentioned in the book that humans are on a sort of preserve, but there is a lot of freedom when it comes to what technology looks like, what buildings are made of, and other big setting ideas. The adaptation of Bloodchild sounds, in concept, to be a pretty fun project to be able to develop if her estate is cooperative enough. 

4. Afro-Futurist themes

It is not hard to pick up on the afro-futurist themes in the story if you know anything about the history of black slave labor in the world. Just like in the way humans are kept in their little space, being used to carry out necessary host duties to their alien neighbors, slaves are used to do the hard work that no one else wants to. Gan’s family and them are all trapped, with literally no escape, in their “preserve”. No matter how close T'Gatoi and Gan’s mother are, the humans are still supposed to be subservient and defer to the Tilc in most situations. I know that there were instances in U.S. history where slaves and their masters were in close relationships, it still unnerves me how T'Gatoi and the family are so casual, yet objectively toxic.