Octvais Butler

Trey Helo

Professor

English 2 Section 003

12 February 2013

Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler has many different main ideas however the main idea that popped out to me was slavery. The Tlics’, who is the alien race, need the Terrans, who are the humans, to reproduce. The protagonist Gan, who is a Terran, is the main character of the story and is chosen by T’Gatoi to be the human to reproduce for the alien race. T’Gatoi is a Tlic but has a special relationship with Gan’s family. The Terrans are basically the slaves from the Tlic because they are being used to reproduce. Slavery in this story can be compared to slavery we had in the past in the United States. African Americans were used daily for the benefit of others just like in the story Bloodchild. In the story it says that the Terrans are merely “host animals” for the Tlic. This statement can also be related to African American slaves by saying all slaves were just animals being used by the white people. Many other incidents occur throughout the story which directly relates to slaves. Just like the slaves the Terrans in the story comply with the demands of the Tlics. The human race also does not fight the Tlic which can also be compared to the many African American slaves that did not fight for their right. However, in the story T’Gatoi brings the human family some sterile Tlic eggs, which act on humans like both a drug and a medicine. The Tlic eggs prolong the life of the humans this is a contrast between the story and African American slaves because African American slaves were not given much at all to prolong their lives. People can argue even though the humans are slaves they are treated in the right way. However, using people to your advantage is still considered inhumane just like the Tlics use the Terrans to their advantage.