Bloodchild, Butler

 Very rarely have I read pieces which evokes such simultaneous discomfort and intrigue as with Butler's short work Bloodchild. The thematic lengths to which Butler stretches the thought experiment of a symbiotic relationship between two species is staggering and impressive. A young boy has been chosen by a member of a race of insects called Tlic, to bear her eggs until they are removed by caesarean section. The young boy witnesses this procedure first hand, a neighbor who's Tlic abandoned him is left writhing in agony as the plump red maggots are plucked from his veins by Gan's Tlic, Gatoi, and Gan is ordered to slaughter an animal to provide a new source of food for the freshly plucked eggs. Witnessing this event leaves the boy, Gan, understandably scarred and for the first time is confronted with the reality of what comes from this interspecies partnership. Eventually Gan chooses to end his own life with the rifle used to slaughter the animal at the beginning, but not before asking his Tlic why they do it, what they are, and what she sees him as. Gatoi explains how the symbiotic nature of the partnership, how the Tlic care for their human carriers and merge their respective species' families together. Gatoi offers to impregnate Gan's sister to alleviate his anxiety about the pregnancy, but Gan's experience with the birthing process prompts him to volunteer himself for impregnation.

The relationship between Gan and Gatoi is mired in complex feelings that make for very interesting reflection. Taking the symbiotic and caring nature to heart, and Gatoi's willingness to accept the risk of violence on the part of the humans, the question of whether or not true emotional connection can be made between these creatures and humans runs through my mind. Butler brilliantly crafted a short story that is simultaneously a male pregnancy thought experiment, an examination of the anxiety that comes with the prospect of giving birth, and one's autonomy over their body.

Does Gan love Gatoi and vice versa, or is it a more complex relationship than that?