Parasites

I like aliens and otherworldly creatures. I will readily admit it. Science fiction has no hold on me unless there are strange races and people who are not quite like us.

The moment that I started to read Bloodchild, I knew that I wish I had been able to find Dawn by Octavia Butler. The story Bloodchild was provocative and tantalizing, wrong and yet captivating at the same time. I found that though the main character seemed to have a fear of their otherworldly family member, he also loved her as did the entire family. What would it be like to have such a parasite in your family and loving, or being forced to love that creature or person? The answer is not simple. However, it is answerable. I live in my own home with a parasitic family member except that, unlike in the story, I hold no love and no longer care for the person. It's a day to day fear about what will happen next or if you will be their next victim.

So why is it in the story that they love their alien guest? I think it is because even though she has to harbor her offspring within the humans, she cares and loves them and tries to be gentle. In modern society, the most parasitic of people are that way because of choice and seem to enjoy sapping the joy from those around them. They enjoy watching and getting satisfaction in pushing those who disobey them out of their world and demonizing them. In Bloodchild, she has no want to hurt those she lives with.

It seems to be a pattern among female science fiction authors to use the parasites of people... and make them not such a threat. In C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy, the main character allows Tarrant, a dark immortal figure in the world, to feed off his fear to keep him alive to continue their quest. As the story progresses, even with his lack of want to understand why it is that Tarrant has done things, grows to care enough for him to protect him when he is weak. He knows, that in light of the events, Tarrant's power is greater than his and will protect him the rest of the time.

You see, people in our day and age don't look at things like that. Our parasites are just that. There is no logic or change to make them better people. You have to treat them the way you treat a dog for fleas- abolishing them. There is no give and receive, only take.