Why Sci-Fi?

When one thinks about African American literature, it is rare that science fiction would be part of the equation. But, if you look at Octavia Butler's Fledgling, it becomes more and more apparent why this genre can be very telling of the African American experience in America. More than anything, the conditions in which Shori's story unfolds can be paralleled with some experiences for the African American community as well as all humans. Using the classic sci-fi elements of utopia/dystopia, as well as the idea of the unknown, many parts of Shori's situation can be seen in America as well. We in this country yearn for a place where we can be surrounded by those that understand us like the Ina understand Shori, and when we see that community as one of acceptance readers want that life to be reflected somehow in this world. But, just like the Ina most of our existence is controlled by fear of someone in greater power taking our livelihood away, just as Shori's family has be systematically destroyed by outsiders. Outsiders come in and destroy many parts of us in all facets of life, as seen in the African American diasporic experience. But, the way in which all humans survive is on one another- through relationships with those that understand you most.
One of the most enticing elements of Butler's story is the idea of "mutualism," the way in which Shori survives, and in many ways the way in which all humans survive. Having a symbiotic relationship between a human at the start, like Wright, eventually changes his aging process so much that he will live forever. One of Iosef's symbiants, Brook, has been changed so much by her relationship with him that she will soon not be able to go back to her real family because she doesn't age at the same rate as humans do. Like Shori, she will eventually live to be hundreds of years old and still look young. This seems like a perk for many women in this age, who are always looking for a cure to aging, but to these symbiants "feedings" are not something that they choose to do on a whim- they have to have the venom of their Ina in order to survive. A chilling reminder to humans to be wary of those feelings and emotions that seem too good to be true. While being in relationship with others is an obvious necessary part of life, these relationships can sometimes turn out to be toxic and addictive, which is what these symbiants feel right now.
These symbiants are representative of many humans because while they enjoy the feedings at first, they are eventually broken down so much that they can't imagine their life without their Ina. They yearn for them like many "adrenaline junkies" of the real world yearn for the next rush. These humans at first like Wright want to continue over and over to have these feedings, not knowing or caring about the harm that it might be doing to themselves. The human symbiants have crossed over to the other side, and will never regain their human physical system again in the same way. In the African American community, this good relationship turned bad is one that is seen in many other novels in different fashions such as this. The black man feels the exhiliration of acceptance in the white world in a business community and wants to keep pleasing his white job, "the man" by doing what he is supposed to. Eventually the man gets sucked into the system so much that he denies the essence of his "blackness" in this relationship that ultimately began with someone outside of himself choosing how he should act. Shori never asked Wright whether he wanted to be bitten by her, nor does the white man in power ask if the black man wants to be changed into a more degraded,whiter version of himself. Eventually these two consciousnesses collide and turn into a self-deprecating feeling- something that possibly these characters might feel. The relationships do have a symbiotic motive for both human and Ina, but it seems more like the Ina simply need these humans to survive, and their emotions get tacked on at a later date.
From this aspect of Fledgling in particular, the genre and theme of a symbiotic relationship can relate to the African American experience and the human experience overall. Just because the "white man" in this scenario might be a quasi-vampire doesn't meant the actions are not applicable to the experiences of humans. By examining in greater detail this relationship, it is both a celebration of a relationship that both parties want to be in, but it is also a warning against those relationships that will change people into "junkies" of any sort. The sci-fi element of different species is another tool for audiences to see that these themes can be taken into many different arenas. Yes, there are vampires; and yes, there are new species of beings. But, there is a greater message in the novel about who to trust, the enemies that always surround us, and the relationships that govern our existence. Even if some people might be addicted to vampire venom.