In the passage on pages 97 through 98 of Octavia E. Butler’s Wild Seed, Doro struggles with the idea that Anyanwu is the only entity completely outside of his control. His success as a breeder has been built upon the feeling of control that he gets from his power to track anyone who dares to disobey him. Furthermore, Anyanwu’s survival and happiness throughout her life has been dependent on the feeling of freedom she gains from her powers, even when rotating through husbands and masters who attempt to control her every move. Both Doro and Anyanwu live depending on these feelings of control and freedom. In this passage, Doro’s irrational need for control is challenged by Anyanwu’s unknown ability to break free. Because of Anyanwu’s potential
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Throughout the novel, Doro is represented as a god-like enigma. His people worship him, and “knew better than to run from him,” unlike Anyanwu who Doro believes wouldn’t hesitate to run (97). Doro has been characterized to be someone flawless. His successes in breeding are often planned generations in advance without any surprises, therefore when he comes to the realization that Anyanwu has the ability to escape, though she is not aware of it, he is unsure of how to proceed. This newfound awareness of the limitations in his powers leaves Doro feeling vulnerable, something not previously seen in his character. However, this vulnerability is contained in this single passage, it does not continue throughout his interactions with Anyanwu. While the feeling of vulnerability is contained, readers are constantly aware of the lack of total control over Anyanwu and her ability to break free of Doro’s control throughout the rest of the novel. Doro’s moment of vulnerability, in relation to the rest of the novel, serves to make Doro more human-like. The principle of narrative completeness is used here because Doro is finally shown as a person, someone fallible. This new revelation that Doro can indeed make a mistake and feel vulnerable completes the picture of a human, but does not fit with the view of Doro previously
Throughout the novel, Doro is represented as a god-like enigma. His people worship him, and “knew better than to run from him,” unlike Anyanwu who Doro believes wouldn’t hesitate to run (97). Doro has been characterized to be someone flawless. His successes in breeding are often planned generations in advance without any surprises, therefore when he comes to the realization that Anyanwu has the ability to escape, though she is not aware of it, he is unsure of how to proceed. This newfound awareness of the limitations in his powers leaves Doro feeling vulnerable, something not previously seen in his character. However, this vulnerability is contained in this single passage, it does not continue throughout his interactions with Anyanwu. While the feeling of vulnerability is contained, readers are constantly aware of the lack of total control over Anyanwu and her ability to break free of Doro’s control throughout the rest of the novel. Doro’s moment of vulnerability, in relation to the rest of the novel, serves to make Doro more human-like. The principle of narrative completeness is used here because Doro is finally shown as a person, someone fallible. This new revelation that Doro can indeed make a mistake and feel vulnerable completes the picture of a human, but does not fit with the view of Doro previously