Fledgling

I'm just going to make a critical blog and the comparison in one post.

The book Fledgling was a more enjoyable book to read than last week's Twilight, although it also had some awkward moments. Fledgling tells the story of Shori, a 53 year old Ina who has the appearances of an 11 year old girl, who wakes up with amnesia. An Ina is a non-human race that has traits similar to vampires, but does not have a malevolent relationship with humans. She has been badly beaten and burned, and sets out on journey find out who she is and what happened to her. While the story plays out like a mystery, it takes on many more complicated themes than Twilight had, making for a better book. Among the themes are racism, as Shori is a hybrid of black human female and an Ina, and some Ina are not accepting of her for her appearance and lack of "purity." However, Shori is able to walk in the day, unlike other Ina, making her a more advanced than other members of her species. Here, we find an allegory for the race struggle in the world, as well as an answer to it: the idea that different people living in acceptance of one another can create a better, stronger race.

Among the most interesting aspects of Fledgling for me was the symbiotic relationship shared between Ina and humans. The interactions were always very sexual, making it awkward considering the small stature of Shori. The relationship was interesting though, as not only did Shori need another being for blood, her humans would grow to need her bite in return, and would die without it. The structure was different and took on a communal familial aspect of sex rather than an intimate closed relationship, with Ina needing multiple humans while also mating with other Ina. In this way, the idea of family is seen as a more sprawling idea, with the sharing of good and bad feelings and using people as crutches of help when it is needed.

Part 2-Quotes from essay

"For giving our bodies what they want and crave, for
exploring ourselves and others, we are punished like Eve reaching for
more knowledge."
-This quote stuck out to me. I have always felt bad about the story of Eve, trying to grow and being portrayed as evil. I agree with the quote that women are all too often made to feel guilty about their bodies and image and sexuality.

"If sex is about communicating, let us think about what we want to say and how will we
say it. We need more words, images, ideas."
-I agree with the idea of liberating sex, of informing all people, especially any confused youth. If sex is continually treated as evil or negative, people will always be fucked up.

I liked this article a lot. I feel it shared some ideas or even responds to questions in Fledgling.
It is important for Shori to gain knowledge, to learn who she is and she learns a lot about humanity. In the same sense, sex is sometimes ambiguous in the novel, and it reflects the importance of learning about your body and who you are.