Lien Character Analysis in Bloodchild

Lien is Gan’s mother, a Terran. Though Lien was once happy and close friends with T’Gatoi, she now bitterly resents the Tlic leader for taking Gan from her. Lien chooses to defy T’Gatoi and all that she represents by rejecting the pleasant narcotic and life-prolonging effect of the sterile eggs, and instead choosing to suffer and let old age set in rapidly. This suffering is a point of pride for her and has stunted her ability to emotionally support or even show love to Gan, instead keeping her emotionally distant and cold.

Lien Quotes in Bloodchild

The Bloodchild quotes below are all either spoken by Lien or refer to Lien. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

I lay against T’Gatoi’s long, velvet underside, sipping from my egg now and then, wondering why my mother denied herself such a harmless pleasure. Less of her hair would be gray if she indulged now and then. The eggs prolonged life, prolonged vigor. My father, who had never refused one in his life, had lived more than twice as long as he should have. And toward the end of his life, when he should have been slowing down, he had married my mother and fathered four children.

Related Characters: Gan (speaker), Lien, Gan’s Father, T’Gatoi

Related Symbols: The Sterile Eggs

Page Number and Citation: 3

Explanation and Analysis:

Gan makes this observation at the beginning of the story, as he is lying with T’Gatoi and wondering why his mother will not drink the eggs with the rest of the family. This brief exposition sets up the function of the eggs in this society. They are both a narcotic substance, providing pleasure and relief, and a life-prolonging medicine. Butler interestingly ties both escapism and the fostering of life to the same symbol; not only do the eggs prolong life, but they restore vigor. This complicates the notion that the Tlic oppress the Terrans by drugging them, instead asserting that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut

Unwillingly obedient, my mother took it from me and put it to her mouth. There were only a few drops left in the now-shrunken, elastic shell, but she squeezed them out, swallowed, them, and after a few moments some of the lines of tension began to smooth from her face.

“It’s good,” she whispered. “Sometimes I forget how good it is.”

“You should take more,” T’Gatoi said. “Why are you in such a hurry to be old?”

Related Characters: Lien (speaker), T’Gatoi (speaker), Gan (speaker)

Related Symbols: The Sterile Eggs

Page Number and Citation: 4-5

Explanation and Analysis:

When T’Gatoi pressures Lien to drink some egg, she eventually capitulates. Her reaction reveals that Lien has not always been a self-inflicted sufferer. She was once like Gan’s father: living within the arrangement of the Terrans and Tlics and reaping what benefits were available to her. T’Gatoi wishes that Lien would not suffer, not only because it is unnecessary and pains T’Gatoi to see it, but also because she will die earlier than is necessary and remove herself from the lives of her family. It is worth noting that T’Gatoi already has Gan, meaning that she already has received her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati

She lay down now against T’Gatoi, and the whole left row of T’Gatoi’s limbs closed around her, holding her loosely, but securely. I had always found it comfortable to lie that way, but except for my older sister, no one else in the family liked it. They said it made them feel caged.

T’Gatoi meant to cage my mother.

Related Characters: Gan (speaker), T’Gatoi, Lien, Xuan Hoa

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 6

Explanation and Analysis:

T’Gatoi often lays down with members of the family, who never try to resist her, to absorb some of their body heat for herself, a markedly utilitarian use of cuddling. Gan, who was raised from birth with T’Gatoi and in the knowledge that he belonged to her, finds security in the cage of T’Gatoi’s legs. Her embrace, for him, is a shelter that provides for his needs and protects him. However, for most of the family, it is a prison, a gentle but firm reminder that the Terrans are not the ones in power in the Preserve. In their relationship Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae vo

“I could not watch you sitting and suffering any longer.”

My mother managed to move her shoulders in a small shrug. “Tomorrow,” she said.

“Yes. Tomorrow you will resume your suffering—if you must. But just now, just for now, lie here and warm me and let me ease your way a little.”

Related Characters: T’Gatoi (speaker), Gan, Lien

Page Number and Citation: 6

Explanation and Analysis:

T’Gatoi has forced Lien to lie with her, although Lien clearly does want to. As she does, T’Gatoi also stings Lien with narcotic venom, putting Lien into a drowsy, drugged state. It is important to once again recognize that T’Gatoi forces the narcotic pacification on Lien, who would have refused it if given the chance, choosing instead to keep a clear mind and to suffer as much as possible. The fact that T’Gatoi would rather take away Lien’s suffering, and by extension Lien’s personal agency and willpower, rather than respect her choice to suffer—even if doing so causes T’Gatoi discomfort—reinforces Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam

I would like to have touched my mother, shared that moment with her. She would take my hand if I touched her now. Freed by the egg and the sting, she would smile and perhaps say things long held in. But tomorrow, she would remember all this as a humiliation. I did not want to be part of a remembered humiliation. Best just be still and know she loved me under all the duty and pride and pain.

Related Characters: Gan (speaker), Lien

Related Symbols: The Sterile Eggs

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 7

Explanation and Analysis:

Gan, seeing his mother in her loosened state induced by T’Gatoi, fantasizes about showing her affection, knowing that with her guard dropped, she would return his affection. This scene is the primary indicator of Lien’s pride as the motive behind her willful suffering. Lien’s ego has become so entwined with her defiance through suffering towards T’Gatoi that she is unable to show any loving care to the members of her family. Her own pride has apparently become more important to her than showing love to her son. This further explains Gan’s affection for T’Gatoi. Gan, whose father is deceased, is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia.

Years passed. T’Gatoi traveled and increased her influence. The Preserve was hers by the time she came back to my mother to collect what she probably saw as her just reward for her hard work.

Related Characters: Gan (speaker), Lien, T’Gatoi

Page Number and Citation: 8

Explanation and Analysis:

Gan’s narration is providing the context of how the Preserve came to exist and how he came to belong to T’Gatoi. Although Gan and T’Gatoi’s relationship does develop into one of affection, and by the end of the story is nearly a relationship between equals, it starts out as a clear case of ownership. T’Gatoi protects the Terrans and the Preserve, but she also effectively owns them, as Gan notes while describing her authority: “The Preserve was hers…” T’Gatoi’s authority over the Preserve at large works as a parallel to her ownership of Gan, which T’Gatoi initially sees essentially as Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omni

Lien Character Timeline in Bloodchild

The timeline below shows where the character Lien appears in Bloodchild. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...Gan’s siblings share one and Gan drinks the other whole egg himself, at T’Gatoi’s direction. Lien abstains from the egg. (full context)

Gan’s mother shows discomfort whenever T’Gatoi pulls Gan closer. Gan continues to wonder why Lien seems to disdain T’Gatoi now, even though she will never say it outright. Lien and... (full context)

...Gan with her legs to see his body fat, she begins to caress him instead. Lien is embittered by this and interjects that Gan is still too thin, rather abruptly. (full context)

T’Gatoi tells Lien that she wants her to drink what is left of Gan’s egg. Lien resists at... (full context)

T’Gatoi pushes Gan away from her and tells Lien to come lie with her. Lien does not want to, but eventually relents. T’Gatoi wraps... (full context)

Under the effect of egg and sting, Lien protests that T’Gatoi will never take Gan from her, and could never buy him with... (full context)

T’Gatoi tells Xuan Hoa to take off Lien’s shoes, saying that she will sting her again soon and let her sleep until the... (full context)

T’Gatoi had played a significant role in Lien’s early life, even introducing her to her husband. T’Gatoi left, however, to become a politician,... (full context)

With Lien falling asleep against her, T’Gatoi senses something is wrong and gets up and runs out... (full context)

Lien raises livestock for their fur, but Gan has no experience in killing them since he,... (full context)

Lien returns and offers to help Gan hold Lomas down, but Gan convinces her to leave... (full context)

...Gan goes to the kitchen and sits at the table that his father made for Lien. It makes him miss his father and wish that he was there to give him... (full context)

Lien Character Analysis

Lien Quotes in Bloodchild

Bloodchild Quotes

Lien Character Timeline in Bloodchild