Week 12: Bloodchild

1.) Are there any prominent symbols in the story? If so, what are they and how are they used?

- One of the symbols within Octavia Butler's "Bloodchild" is the Terrans (or humans) themselves. The humans in this novel seem to have lost their humanity. They are used as animals; their only purpose is to serve the Tlic. In this story, humans are nothing more than a host for the parasites belonging to whichever Tlic they are linked to. Their job is to give birth, nothing more. This symbol comes to light during Bram Lomas's birth scene. This scene illustrates the dehumanization of the Terrans during this time. In addition to the fact that he appears to be nothing more than a larva vessel for the Tlic, Bram Lomas also seems to have lost some of his human qualities.

2.) What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the work with which you were able to connect.

- I can't say that I was necessarily able to connect personally to any of the characters. I can say though that I was able to connect on an emotional level with Gan as he watched the birth of the larva from Bram's body. Though I have no idea what it would be like to find myself in a situation where I was forced to host parasites within my body, I can definitely connect with Gan's disgust for the birth process. I guess the biggest connection I can make to this story is being forced to watch a birth in my high school anatomy class and dreading the day that I have to go through that myself. While watching the birth of the larva, Gan was kind of watching the pain he'd have to go through in the future, much like women watching births and knowing they may have to go through that pain if they decide to have children.

3.) What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?

- If I were to adapt this story into another medium, I would probably make it into some sort of video game. The imagery within this story just strikes me more as a video game rather than a film. I think it's a little too disturbing to make into a film and just sit there and watch this creature inserting eggs into someone, so I think it would have to be something more interactive where you have the ability to fight back. I feel like video games kind of give us an excuse to view disturbing or violent things because we're not just sitting there and watching it, we're fighting against it or interacting with it as well. If I were to adapt this to a video game, I would probably end the story with an open-ended question or have something go terribly wrong so that "Bloodchild" could open up and become a bigger story. Something with the larva could go horribly wrong and the premise of the game could be that Gan has to find a cure, or T'Gatoi could go crazy and try to kill people and Gan has to fight against her; the options are endless.