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Book 2, Chapter 5
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Dawn, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Humanity, Evolution, and Genetics
Motherhood and Leadership
Consent and Autonomy
Sexuality and Gender
Summary
Analysis
Lilith thinks back to the day her husband, Sam, and son, Ayre, died. They were coming back from a carnival when their car got hit. Ayre died immediately, and Sam died after three months of serious brain damage. Lilith had the terrible thought that Sam was lucky to have died quickly, rather than as slowly as some forms of brain damage take. She fears that if the Oankali try to improve her memory, they might give her brain damage. At last, however, she reluctantly tells Nikanj that she’ll undergo whatever procedure she has to. Nikanj offers her a choice between Kahguyaht and Nikanj to perform the procedure, and Lilith chooses Nikanj. She feels a pressure on the back of her neck and drifts off into sleep.
This passage explores how human identity, which can seem like a nebulous concept, is related to physical, tangible things like brain function. The example of Sam shows how it is possible for a traumatic incident to entirely change a person’s essence and leave the body behind but not the person they used to be. Lilith fears that, in spite of the Oankali’s reassurances, whatever procedure she undergoes with Nikanj might also fundamentally change her as a person due to the effects that it could have on her brain. By contrast, Nikanj and the Oankali don’t seem to share this concern.
Themes
