“Bloodchild” Summary 5 Resubmission In the short-story, "Bloodchild," author Octavia Butler narrates her readers about humans whom have been oppressed by aliens detached from Earth. Notably, Butler is strikingly known for her passion in African-American literature and science fiction which promotes the dystopian imagination in “Bloodchild”. The story is told in first person point of view since Butler uses words such as "I" and "my". Ideally, the central climax of the story is the terrorizing birth of the alien worms, which are ripped from the male host. This gruesome and bloody operation executes a pathological appeal to her readers. For example, there is a sense of hesitance when the main protagonist, Gan, says, “what she probably saw, as just her reward" (Butler 235). This is central because the main character has been told that the aliens deserve a human child to bear their children, yet he is hesitant about it. Additionally, Butlers diction demonstrates that she describes the aliens as the "T'lics" and humans as the "Terrans". Overall, the primary themes that her readers can see is the reversal of gender roles. Generally speaking, in reality, it is noted biologically a female is the one that can get pregnant. In contrast, the shift in this story ultimately tells a man carrying a child. In essence, the overall takeaway is to display the dystopian community that is unpleasant and frightening. Word Count: 225