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Variable Otherness in Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis

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Variable Otherness in Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis Linköping University | Department of Culture & Society | English Linköpings universitet | Institutionen för kultur och samhälle | Engelska Bachelor’s Thesis 15 credits C uppsats 15 hp Spring Term 2020 Vår 2020 Variable Otherness in Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis Olika Former av ”Otherness”i Octavia Butlers Xenogenesis James Campbell Supervisor/Handledare: Lars Liljegren Examiner/Examinator: Anna Watz Linköping University Linköpings universitet SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden 013-28 10 00, www.liu.se Contents Introduction ......................................................................................... 3 Science Fiction, Xenogenesis, and a Background to Otherness ................. 4 Chapter 1—Alien Otherness ................................................................. 7 Chapter 2 – Racial Otherness/Colonialism ............................................. 8 Chapter 3 – The Otherness of Queer Theory......................................... 12 Chapter 4 – The Importance of a Shared Habitus .................................. 14 Chapter 5 – Celebrating Otherness ...................................................... 16 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 21 References......................................................................................... 22 2 Introduction In modern literary theory, one concept that is often investigated is the concept of otherness. This concept, which has incurred many different interpretations and definitions over the years, is intrinsically tied to not only to the notions of self and identity, but also to the concept of the other as a subject. Additionally, it is a concept that cannot only help us absorb and adapt to new information, but also look inwardly on ourselves and how we differ from things we consider to be other. Mary Klages defines the term other as one used “to designate the opposite of the term ‘self’ or ‘subject’ as it is understood in Western philosophy,” where self refers to an individual’s concept of “I” or “me” (255; 266). Otherness is present in a vast range of literature, as it is a theme that is essential in order for a person to be able to relate to and connect with literary settings, storylines, and especially characters. One literary work that has otherness as a central theme is the Xenogenesis science fiction trilogy by Octavia Butler, which was written between 1987 and 1989. The three books condemn, celebrate, and explore the different aspects of otherness through their characters and events. The characters of the novels each encounter different examples of otherness and both benefit and suffer from the consequences. These encounters range from interaction with beings of alien races to the small interhuman experiences which reflect everyday life. This essay will demonstrate how Octavia Butler presents otherness as a concept and depicts otherness as something to be celebrated rather than feared. I will demonstrate this notion through analyzing the different types of otherness presented in the trilogy, and which I have termed alien otherness, racial or colonial otherness, and queer otherness. Octavia Butler (1947—2006) is known as the most prominent female African American science fiction writer, science fiction being a domain regularly dominated by white male authors (Smith 385). Thus, as an author who was both black and female, she carved an impressive niche for herself not only in the world of science fiction, but in black literature as well. She was known for her writing about the relationships between race, gender, history, and science, and as stated by Gregory Hampton her goal from a young age was to write science fiction that “did not ignore issues of race and gender” (245). Additionally, Butler seemed to enjoy writing about strong female protagonists, as showcased by the protagonists of not only Dawn, but also her other novels such as Patternmaster (1979) and Wild Seed (1980). Ruth Salvaggio claims that this gave her an “exciting new voice in the traditional domain of science fiction” – which makes sense, due to it being a genre overflowing with male protagonists written by male authors (78). Through her female characters that are able to take charge of their own fate in some way or another, such as Lilith choosing to become a kind of super-human, Butler was able to present women that create their own agency in worlds they do not control. Finally, 3 as Russel Blackford states, during Butler’s rise to literary renown, the science-fiction world was rife with novels that explored race, politics, and sexuality, which, considering the nature of her novels, allowed her to better carve her own niche in the literary world (34). Due to her race and the struggles of being a woman in a male-dominated world, Butler is likely to have experienced otherness as a part of her daily life, and she would have doubtlessly met individuals who disliked her solely for being a strong black woman. These factors combined could potentially point towards the origins of the theme of otherness that occurs in the Xenogenesis trilogy. Science Fiction, Xenogenesis, and a Background to Otherness Before delving into the world constructed by the Xenogenesis trilogy, I will present a brief introduction to science fiction, which is a broad genre that typically contains concepts that involve futuristic settings, technology, and storylines. Specifically, the genre can be defined as “that branch of literature which deals with the reaction of human beings to changes in science and technology,” to quote the sci-fi author Isaac Asimov (Asimov in Blackford 8). These changes range from the momentous invention of interstellar travel and confrontation with alien races, such as in Dan Simmons’ Hyperion (1989) novels, to the simpler invention of some unforeseen household technology that reshapes society on a smaller scale, such as the virtual reality technology in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash (1992). Additionally, science fiction is frequently engaged in telling stories in futuristic or far-off settings that would be otherwise impossible in humanity’s current environment (Blackford 14). This is not limited to alien worlds, however, as it can also include stories told about a future of Earth, as is the case in the latter two books of the Xenogenesis trilogy. While science fiction is a broad genre, as previously stated, there are three elements which, according to Blackford, are usually present: novelty, rationality, and realism (9). Novelty, in Blackford’s view, is used to describe something new and different that does not exist in the author’s society or never happened in the history of the author’s world. Rationality here essentially means that whatever happens should be explicable by science to some degree. Finally, an element of realism is important, in that the reader understands that everything happening in the constructed world of the story is literally happening at the time of the writing, such as in George Orwell’s 1984 or Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 (Blackford 9-10). These elements can, to some extent, be seen in Butler’s Xenogenesis works, which places them firmly within the realm of modern science fiction. Additionally, the trilogy exhibits many of science fiction’s commonly recurring themes, such as the alteration of humanity with technology, as portrayed in William Gibson’s Neuromancer (although in Xenogenesis’ case it is direct genetic alteration through biological means), and the relationships between humans and non-human beings (Blackford 14). Moreover, the characters of the trilogy are introduced to new genetic possibilities 4 throughout the story which greatly alter the ways they are able to interact with the world around them, which is very similar to the description of the genre offered by Quentin Meillassoux (5). Finally, according to Blackford, science fiction acknowledges and explores the “deep, rapid, intra- generational change” amongst human societies, which, seeing as Xenogenesis revolves largely around a single generation of humanity and the massive societal shift it experiences, one could definitely state that this element is relevant to the trilogy (7). If one were to place Xenogenesis into one of the specific branches of science fiction offered by Raymond Williams, it would likely be a mix of the Doomsday genre, whose name is self-explanatory, and Putropia, which he defines as a kind of corrupted Utopia (357—359). The first book in the Xenogenesis trilogy, Dawn, presents us with an Earth rendered wholly unlivable after a global nuclear war. The protagonist, Lilith Iyapo, awakens in a cell-like room in which she later learns she has been sleeping for the past 250 years. Eventually she is informed that the human race nearly went extinct, and that a race of aliens, the Oankali, are responsible for saving humanity by relocating them to their ship. Lilith is initially terrified by these tentacled creatures, but later grows to accept them. She learns that the Oankali do not intend to enslave or hurt humanity in any way, as long as humanity is willing to engage in what the Oankali call “trading.” In this context, the Oankali are referring to gene trading, which is how the Oankali species survives and evolves. The Oankali can visualize genetic biochemistry, which gives them the ability to cherry pick the best features from two different species and combine them in order to create advanced beings, which is their goal with humanity. They believe that although humanity is gifted with intelligence, they also suffer
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