Bloodchild

     Bloodchild was a strange but interesting way to cover feminism, female pregnancy and childbirth. As a process, pregnancy is pretty gruesome. I remember, when my sister was doing her clinical rotations in nursing school, when she was done delivering babies, she told me that she would only adopt. Usually people gloss over the gory details when speaking about this, however, Butler explains how it is(without the flesh eating larva). This story, although science fiction, sticks closely to reality.

     Childbirth is dangerous and can sometimes kill the mother. In order to keep their race alive, the Tlic use Terrans as incubators for their eggs. The interesting point is that Butler used a role reversal, and made the males the preferable carriers. It would be just as interesting to see how men today would react if they were suddenly told that they were the ones to bear children.

     It was refreshing to read a story that brought up such an interesting idea in such a way. Butler managed to convey all the reality of a situation that the female gender has to deal with today, in the scope of an alien race and future. I feel like I should read more short stories that, though they are indeed short, can still invoke the same amount of thought afterward.