Hierarchization and Anthropocene in Dawn, by Octavia E. Butler

Abstract

This research aims to analyze Octavia Butler's work, Dawn (1988), assuming that structural views of a society influence its relationship with its own environment. Therefore, we will present the social criticisms that the author weaves in the novel and the relationships of these criticisms with human action on the planet. The work provokes reflection on the hierarchies that we establish between human beings, other species and our world, in addition to portraying different ecologies of humanity. The author problematizes specific social hierarchies as a way of strengthening her critique of hierarchy, through the protagonist and her partner. Butler also provides us with two polarized representations of the humanity-nature relationship: the first is represented by the humans who self-destructed along with their habitat, and the second is presented through the extraterrestrials who live in a symbiotic relationship with their world ship. Based on authors such as Andrew Plisner (2009), Alexandre Meireles (2012), Cátia Castro (2021) and Bill McKibben (1989), we carried out this investigation of the work and found that our society is founded on an irregular foundation of constant hierarchy with the efficiency of ruining and collapsing its own structure and also our planet.