Week 12: Does Giving Power Take it Away? (a variety of short stories)

This week I read several shorts: Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler, I Live with You by Carol Emshwiller, and What I Didn’t See by Karen Joy Fowler. These authors provide an interesting point of view in their stories. They write from their experiences based on their sex and ethnicity.

The first story I read this week was Bloodchild. I found it deeply disturbing. One of my greatest fears is of things getting under my skin, like parasites. So anyone that is extra squeamish about those kinds of things you’ve been warned. But it is a brilliant story. It’s worth it if you can make it through the story.

The dynamic of the relationship between humans – Terrans in the story - and Tilc, is the darkest elements of the story. There’s an element of love between T’Gatoi and Gan. But Gan is always subservient to T’Gatoi, or at least his family is. Even if Gan doesn’t carry T’Gatoi’s “grubs” one of his family members will have to.

Humans are placed in a powerless position. This is exaggerated by the fact that the story is told from a child’s perspective. In the story, we are presented with people who accept this parasitic relationship between the two species and those that fully reject it. The reader then goes through the journey of the protagonist finding for himself what he chooses to believe is right. This is used to push the reader to question how our own culture is structured.

(spoiler alert) Throughout the story, the fantasy elements are slowly unveiled. I thought the way that the author eased the reader into it was enjoyable. While reading I was constantly surprised by descriptions of the world and culture. I hadn’t realized how far things were detached from the earth until multiple moons were mentioned and it was revealed that these humans had fled earth and ended up on an alien planet that the Tilc are native to.

While this was done in an interesting way, I feel that it also had a purpose to further the message of the author. She wanted us to feel like it was earth, it could happen close to us. But by removing it from earth it universalizes it. It isn’t tied to a location or a people.

            I also read I Live with You. I think the way that the idea of what the narrator is, is introduced in a fascinating way. When I first started reading I was wondering if this was another story about a parasite. And in a way it is. But it also isn’t. The narrator is human, but she leaches off of someone else.

            There is a portion of the text that plays on the line of forgetfulness. The narrator seems metaphorical for a part of yourself. Things are just not where they’re supposed to be. But they’re just small things that people would rationalize. This made me so uncomfortable. I consider myself a forgetful person so I feel like I could account too many things being out of place as just my forgetfulness. Could I really remain ignorant of another person living with me? What would I do if/ when I realized?

            This story was so interestingly deranged. I was bothered whenever I felt like I would react the same way the house owner did. I related to a lot of her characteristics. She’s someone who wants to be small, unnoticed. She doesn’t make enough of an effort to get to know people.

She’s not confrontational. I can for sure connect to the story based on that. I’m not sure that if I realized there was an intruder living in my house I would be able to confront them. In the story, she pretended the narrator wasn’t there for as long as she could. Unfortunately, I think this could very well happen if the wrong person was put in the position of the house owner.

            While these characteristics aren’t solely a feminine trait, I think that the use of female characters was fully utilized by the author. While this might not be as true currently, there have been times that women have been made to feel that it is better for them to remain invisible and silent.

It’s also interesting that the reader really builds a better relationship with the intruder. We are given a better understanding of her character. And she’s funny “I stroke the cat. Suggestively. He purrs. (The cat, I mean.) I purr. Suggestively. I see his eyes light up. (The man's, I mean.) Now there'll be some action.” (Emshwiller)

I think my favorite story this week, although I did really enjoy the other two stories, was What I Didn’t See. I love even just the idea of the story. Not in all cases, but men have often tried to protect women from the harsher aspects of life. This is often more frustrating than anything. It says in a way to the women that they’re something that is incapable of handling life or their emotions. It takes the decision making away from the woman. Even if a man thinks he is doing the right thing by doing this, it still gives him all of the power. The woman in the situation is powerless and ends up doomed to ignorance.

            This idea of being doomed to the unknown is summed up beautifully in the title. I thought the irony in not telling the woman at dinner that their periods could attract the gorillas was hilarious. In a painful way. It’s a good thing all the period free people at the table know the danger their non-existent periods pose. And it’s even better than the owners of vaginas have been saved from this dreadful topic! I’m sure they couldn’t handle it! Could you imagine if they had to deal with this head-on, like say maybe, once a month?

            I might be getting a little carried away. I thought the story overall was very interesting. I enjoyed the moments of humor, or the moments I found humor in. It is nice they had a “sweet-natured vegetarian. Of the meat-eating variety.” (Fowler) along to keep things nice and sweet.

            The story highlighted issues based on some struggles between the sexes and different expected gender roles. I think part of what made this so successful is the fact that the story also presented a healthy relationship between a husband and wife. The story presented not only the bad but also the good bits. There was contrast. Not everything was right or wrong.