In contrast to the modern western world that prizes individual autonomy, Butler places her characters in a choice-limiting society, forcing them to depend upon each other and accept the needs of others in their lives. The Terrans, being physically inferior to the Tlic, offer a member of each human family as a host to the Tlic’s parasitic offspring. The Tlic offer to protect the Terrans in exchange for being able to dependably and safely birth their young. Although for the Terrans the arrangement is less than ideal, it is the cost of survival on an unforgiving planet, and some Terrans are even able to see the beauty of their mutual benefit. Butler uses this relationship between two starkly different groups to show the value of different parties being willing to forego their independence to preserve societal harmony, juxtaposing that against the selfishness of individuals who refuse to contribute to society or appreciate the contributions of others.
The Terrans and the Tlic form a social contract that allows both races to survive. Butler asserts that there is a shared social responsibility between the two groups. Although the present situation is imperfect, both Terrans and Tlic have achieved stability in the face of death: Tlic, being parasites, need hosts for their eggs to gestate. Prior to the Terrans’ arrival, the animals they previously used as hosts were becoming unable to keep Tlic young alive, and the Tlic were in danger of dying out as a species. Likewise, the Terrans fled from their homeworld, where they were being killed and enslaved by other humans. After the Terrans arrived but before the Preserve was established by T’Gatoi’s political faction, the Tlic had been caging and breeding Terrans like livestock. The integration of Terran and Tlic families now maintains peace on the Preserve. Where once Terrans and Tlic had been killing each other, now everyone has a vested interest in preventing violence; any collateral damage would hurt both Terrans and Tlic. The two groups thus share the responsibility of supporting each other’s wellbeing and are forced to set aside their own anger, aggression, and fear of that which is “other” within their society. In doing this, they also offer each other better odds of survival and a better, though definitely not perfect, life.
The nature of life on the Preserve means that an individual can thrive when they are willing to live within the interdependent system, submitting to the greater needs of society along with accepting its offerings. This is clearly demonstrated by the members of Gan’s family. Gan and Xuan Hoa both show affection for T’Gatoi and acceptance of their situation in the Preserve. Although Gan’s affection threatens to turn into hatred and cynicism on the night of Bram Lomas’s birthing, by leaning into his social responsibility and looking beyond himself, Gan is ultimately able to see the beauty in the relationship between Tlic and Terrans. He comes to appreciate the mutual benefit and the fact that the arrangement is able to exist at all.
Qui and Lien, by contrast, refuse to submit to the needs of their society and thus cannot see anything positive in their interdependent relationship with the Tlic. They both choose to suffer rather than embrace their situation. Qui, though he hates and fears the Tlic, is greedy for their sterile eggs as a means to escape his situation, enjoying the fruits of others’ societal contributions. Lien, unable to accept that she must let Gan belong to T’Gatoi for the benefit of everyone, rejects even the eggs and chooses to suffer as much as possible; she will neither give nor take, refusing to contribute or to accept the gifts of others. Rather than appreciating the union of two families, Lien hurts herself and the people around her, becoming a cold and distant mother to her children.
Butler seems to portray Gan’s father as the ideal responder to an interdependent reality and a role model for Gan to live up to. He is the successful bearer of three clutches of Tlic eggs as well the father of four Terran children, making him incredibly fruitful in a world that strongly values reproduction. This fruitfulness is due to the fact that Gan’s father accepted every egg offered to him by the Tlic, prolonging his life to twice its natural length. This suggests that the key to thriving in an interdependent world is to contribute to and make sacrifices for the good of the community, and to accept what is given by others in return. By embracing this economy, a harmonious society can be created and new life formed.
Butler has created a complicated reality between the Terrans and the Tlic, one that is both touching and frightening. Rather than elevating independence and personal autonomy as many science fiction writers do, Butler recognizes the complex interdependence of relationships. “Bloodchild” praises the capacity of individuals to accept life on its own terms and lean into the reality that all lives are interconnected. When individuals sacrifice for others and accept sacrifices in return, they are able to create unions that once seemed impossible.
Related Themes from Other Texts
Interdependence ThemeTracker
Interdependence Quotes in Bloodchild
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.
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?”
T’Gatoi was hounded on the outside. Her people wanted more of us made available. Only she and her political faction stood between us and the hordes who did not understand why there was a Preserve—why any Terran could not be courted, paid, drafted, in some way made available to them. Or they did understand, but in their desperation, they did not care. She parceled us out to the desperate and sold us to the rich and powerful for their political support. Thus, we were necessities, status symbols, and an independent people.
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.
I had been told all my life that this was a good and necessary thing the Tlic and Terran did together—a kind of birth. I had believed it until now. I knew birth was painful and bloody, no matter what. But this was something else, something worse. And I wasn’t ready to see it. Maybe I never would be.
“I saw them eat a man.” He paused. “It was when I was little. I had been to the Hartmund house and I was on my way home. Halfway here, I saw a man and a Tlic, and the man was N’Tlic. The ground was hilly. I was able to hide from them and watch. The Tlic wouldn’t open the man because she had nothing to feed the grubs. The man couldn’t go any further and there were no houses around. He was in so much pain, he told her to kill him. He begged her to kill him. Finally, she did. She cut his throat. One swipe of one claw. I saw the grubs eat their way out, then burrow in again, still eating.”
I shook my head. “Don’t do it to her, Gatoi.” I was not Qui. It seemed I could become him, though, with no effort at all. I could make Xuan Hoa my shield. Would it be easier to know that red worms were growing in her flesh instead of mine?
