An Analysis Of Dawn By Octavia Butler

Dawn by Octavia Butler is a feminist take on an origin story. Due to its feminist foundations Dawn interrogates how gender, individuals, and social constructions shape people 's as well as society 's creation. The story follows the "rebirth" of Lilith Iyapo in an alien world after they 'saved ' her from the nuclear apocalypse on earth. Lilith 's journey is both mental and physical. She becomes more than human physically due to Okanali enhancements and mentally beyond the constraints of human beliefs, such as that of gender and time, due to her acceptance of the Ooloi and the Oankali way of life. Throughout the novel Lilith struggles with the idea that her children, and all future human children will no longer be completely biologically

Butler effectively places the Oankali biology, culture, and way of life as the norm, through Lilith 's need, as well as the other 's, to accept them in order to survive, in turn constructing the humans as the marginal demographic. Butler 's decision to make humans abnormal helps the reader call into question what we deem as human characteristics and human nature, because we begin to see how we both align and separate ourselves from each other based upon biology and

Linking back to the theory that women are innately more connected to nature, that we discussed previously. However, I believe that Dawn reframes this narrative to state that women are not more connected but rather more willing to connect. At the risk of making sweeping, and possibly unfounded generalizations, I believe it is true in the narrative that Butler created. The Oankali decide on a woman parent figure over a male, but more importantly a woman with a strong desire to live. Lilith 's desire to live forces her to adapt her thinking based upon her reality and environment. This necessity to adapt for survival is a shared feminine experience, at least one I share with other women in my life. We constantly adjust our behavior, dress, words, and desires to survive in a male dominated world; and while this is not generally based on the natural environment of a setting, the social environment is a main factor. Women who accept that men cannot control their sexual urges and therefore should not be tempted, regulate their behavior to survive. People, who believe that capitalistic endeavors gouge natural resources, modify their spending patterns to lessen the environmental burden. However, neither of these actions challenges the root issue, neither action forces the