In Octavia E. Butler’s short story book, “Blood Child and Other Stories”, Butler develops an overall theme of a dystopian society. Within this dystopian society, the issues of self-sacrifices, self-destructive behaviors, incest relationships, diseases/illnesses, and love arises. Butler creates these Dystopian societies due to her conflicting interest in science and the world around her.
In a Dystopic world, there are many sacrifices to be made. Characters are forced to choose between sacrificing for the better good for themselves or those they love. Examples of self-sacrifice are shown in “Blood child” and “The Evening and the morning and The Night”. Both main characters within these stories knew the consequences but stood by their choices. In “Blood child’ Gann, the main character sacrifices himself and agrees to become an animal host for the ‘Tlics’ an alien species. Gan makes this sacrifice for the sake of his sister and brother, not wanting them to experience such a gruesome alien implantation. As Butler states “it’s a coming-of-age story…a …show more content…
Although, Butler has a usual way of expressing it. Octavia E. Butler uses stories from the Bible and religious upbringing to help inspire and develop her stories. She may also infuse it with anthrozoology, an interaction with humans and other spices of animals. Butler calls it “a sympathetic story of incest”. (Butler pg.85). Through curiosity, Butler wonders whether she could write a dramatic story, that showed an act of love. Which she does in her story, ‘Near Kin”. The story of a college student who feels resentment towards her dead mother, who left her to be raised by her grandmother. As the story unravels, the young women find out that she is the procreation of an incestuous relationship between her mother and uncle. Because of this incest relationship, she begins to understand her mother’s reasons for not raising her and starts a new bond with her
In a Dystopic world, there are many sacrifices to be made. Characters are forced to choose between sacrificing for the better good for themselves or those they love. Examples of self-sacrifice are shown in “Blood child” and “The Evening and the morning and The Night”. Both main characters within these stories knew the consequences but stood by their choices. In “Blood child’ Gann, the main character sacrifices himself and agrees to become an animal host for the ‘Tlics’ an alien species. Gan makes this sacrifice for the sake of his sister and brother, not wanting them to experience such a gruesome alien implantation. As Butler states “it’s a coming-of-age story…a …show more content…
Although, Butler has a usual way of expressing it. Octavia E. Butler uses stories from the Bible and religious upbringing to help inspire and develop her stories. She may also infuse it with anthrozoology, an interaction with humans and other spices of animals. Butler calls it “a sympathetic story of incest”. (Butler pg.85). Through curiosity, Butler wonders whether she could write a dramatic story, that showed an act of love. Which she does in her story, ‘Near Kin”. The story of a college student who feels resentment towards her dead mother, who left her to be raised by her grandmother. As the story unravels, the young women find out that she is the procreation of an incestuous relationship between her mother and uncle. Because of this incest relationship, she begins to understand her mother’s reasons for not raising her and starts a new bond with her