In the afterword to “Bloodchild,” Octavia Butler mentions that she is amazed “that some people have seen [her story] as a story of slavery” (30) and asserts that it is rather a “love story” (30). Despite this assertion, a language of entrapment and the breaching of consent pervade the text. The first sentence of the given passage claims that “T'Gatoi meant to cage my mother.” Whether one ascribes to the “love story” interpretation of the short story or not, it is undeniable that there is an implied captivity in Butler’s use of the word “cage.” The word cage implies that T’Gatoi means to restrict and provide safety for Lien. Perhaps what is most troubling is that cages are often associated with animals; this is to say, T’Gatoi is taking an ownership role over her “animal” and therefore she does not require Lien’s consent. …show more content…
Near the end of the passage, Gan elaborates that the controlling substance used on Lien enables a sense of “humiliation.” This “humiliation” rests in the fact that the Terrans have been removed of any sense of control of themselves, of their bodies, and of their futures; they have been reduced to Tlic property. Being the “child” of Gan’s father, T’Gatoi cares especially for her Terran family, but there is a disjunct in this implied bond because Lien still has to remind T’Gatoi that her son “is still mine.” The matching process associated with Gan’s coming-of-age is problematic because the text explains that T’Gatoi made her choice “long ago” (28) to mate with him, which implies that this selection process may start well before a Terran is even aware of the socio-economic state of this planet. Butler’s “Bloodchild” reduces humans to mere hosts that are meant to propagate the race of the Tlic, yet the short story grapples with the very human themes of love, consent and the in-betweens of