beloved

Novel Analysis – Fledgling by Octavia Butler
Introduction.
The novel follows the story of Shori Matthews, a 53-year-old vampire with a special ability to last longer in the sun than her relative vampires due to her darker skin. Shortly after awakening, Shori meets a construction worker by the name of Wright Hamlin who helps her along the way. A human woman named Brook became another important helper and source for Shori, who in turn helped her and another young woman named Celia—a darker skinned individual like Shori, but fully human. There was also another character who had little physical presence, but still impacted throughout the story. She was middle aged woman named Theodora Harden, and she was also adored by Shori.
This story takes place in modern day Washington state. There is a sense of connection despite the fantastical elements incorporated into the story. The story takes us through the different small cities of Washington for the majority of the book, and it even shifts down southward into a small town in California. The book doesn't fail to incorporate familiar things such as the mentioning of Seattle or Los Angeles, building a fictional community nearby non-fictional areas. Octavia Butler does a good job at maintaining enough realism to make the story seem not as far-fetched as tales of magic kingdoms and beings, but creatures that could potentially exist and live among us.
The main conflict associated in the story of “Fledgling” is the young vampire Shori Matthews consistent struggle to regain the memories she lost in an accident taking place at her home in a fairly big community that was in the process of reaching newer insights. Shori goes along with broken remnants of her memory with Wright, Brook, and Celia i...

... middle of paper ...

...subtly for Shori. The novel is written in the first person perspective from Shori's viewpoint. She gathers most her information from her male family members and other male Ina communities and even references she has little contact with female Ina throughout the story until closer towards the end of the book. Finally, there is the shadow, which in Shori's case is her unconscious, primal state. When she is in great pain and in need of intense healing, she loses control of her self and attacks and consumes the nearest living creature near her as a means to help her recuperate. This is shown in the beginning of the novel when it is learned she had eaten a human while faced with weakness, and a sense of remorse is felt by the conscious self. Shori Matthews is a dynamic character who displays the different archetypes in one manner or another, strongly or weakly.