Yet Another Matriarch Passes - Octavia Butler

As regular readers of Uncommon Thought know, I am a science fiction reader. Not long ago I wrote of Andre Norton's passing. Now the world has lost another precious voice - that of Octavia Butler. She died on February 24, 2006 from a fall. She was 58 years old. Octavia Butler was a rarity - an African American, and a woman, who was an acknowledged master of science fiction. That is a coup in and of itself, but she was more than that. She grappled in clear ways with the hurtful realities of our past - and of our present. From the pain of racism to the struggles of women; from the demeaning treatment of the poor to the isolation of being different; Octavia Butler brought her characters to life and the reader deeply felt both their pain and their sometimes victories.

It is interesting to read commentaries that characterize her as writing of the "human" condition. Octavia Butler clearly acknowledged her own drives towards social justice. In reading her work, I don't think I ever interpreted it as about the "human" condition - at least not in that over generalized, make the real invisible meaning of "human." The hatreds and struggles were clear. Racism was racism, and oppression of women was not cloaked in "humanity." Grinding poverty collided with the cold reality of economic privilege.

I found empowerment and honesty in Butler's work, which all too easily gets lost in that erasing term meant to be inclusive - "human." She confronted the realities of many oppressions in her work, and those structured oppressions are not the "human" condition. They are the mirror image of privilege, and everything I read that Butler wrote was clear about that.

Her honesty and clear vision wove through her writing and did not pacify the reader with happy endings. Maybe that is what I liked so much about her work - she did not try to make "nice" stories out of grim realities. I think she did not see a rosy future, which matched (and matches) my own perspective that we are not going to come easily into the "light." Her characters struggled, sometimes against incalculable odds, and often that struggle did not take them to victory. Some lost themselves and their lives in those struggles to maintain their integrity in the face of hatred - or casual disregard. Those who survived, also did not generally "triumph" over the social forces fueling their oppression. However, they continued to struggle. They had a fiery belief in themselves, and girded themselves with the reality that tomorrow they would struggle again This presentation has been so true to my experience both as an individual and an activist. I often felt she was affirming my own dogged approach to the long fight to equality - a world where human really means that, and not a "blind" cloak for privilege.

Octavia Butler, was a companion in the struggle. From time to time she lost her "voice" and could not write, but ultimately she came back. Now there will be no new stories nor clear sight from her. She leaves us her stories, the trails she carved for us, and the example of unflinching honesty about the path we tread.

A Brief Autobiography

Octavia Estelle Butler: An Unofficial Web Page

Octavia Butler - Wikipedia

Snider, 2004 Interview with Octavia Butler

Posted by rowan at March 8, 2006 5:45 AM | [eMail this article!] |