Sex is arguably the most popular recreational activity for mankind. It is propagated throughout our society; one can’t walk anywhere without seeing an advertisement steeped in sex appeal. Individuals, especially males, pursue sex with reckless abandon and often come up unsuccessful for one reason or another, often a canned and trite response from the pursued. Sex, as a result, is such a confusing and polarized topic. It is sought after by all and is saturated in society through the media, but it is incredibly hard to obtain, and when one doesn’t have sex, it becomes a reason for ridicule. Relationships, can be ruined by one partner pursuing sex outside of the relationship, or bolstered as a result of the intimacy and pleasure that sex provides.
…Enter the Oankali, a race of genetic engineers with a neuter third gender, the ooloi, whose sole purpose is to aid in the creation of offspring. They cannot reproduce themselves, but mix the gametes and genes of the male and female “parents” as part of the mating process. They also provide the intense pleasure that sex is known for. Without the ooloi, there is no pleasure from mating.
I think the existence of this third neuter gender is a direct response on Butler’s part to address the complicated and contradictory nature of sex in our society. Firstly, the male and female cannot enjoy any kind of intimate touching without the ooloi. The pleasure dependency prevents the promiscuity that can drive families apart. Secondly, the presence of this third gender relegates the constant seeking of sex (that lovable male behavior) to the past tense.
Most profoundly though, I see the ooloi as the antithesis to cold war masculinity; they represent the divorce of sex and reproduction. The male in the relationship no “longer” has power over the reproduction process. The ooloi facilitates conception and the growing offspring is carried in the female. The male, while still a necessary part of progeny production, isn’t a Henry (Created He Them). He is rendered relatively impotent, stuck between the organism carrying the offspring and the one who mixes the DNA and provides sexual pleasure.
A typical male in the Oankali reproduction model
The humans who do not subscribe to this method of reproduction are made sterile. I think Butler uses the Oankali and ooloi as a commentary and critique of the overzealous sexual nature of society in modern times (1987 [when Dawn was written]-present). In order to prevent societal downfall and destruction, sex and its surrounding culture needs to become less stigmatized. Perhaps Butler is saying the sex needs to become a less individualistic endeavor. The success and progenesis of the Oankali is derived from their ability to control sex, pleasure, and reproduction. Certainly Butler is critiquing the male role and dominance in sex, as evidenced by their impotence in the Oankali model.
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