Dawn

One of the novel’s themes is the precarity of women of color in leadership roles and the expectation that they will be mothers rather than leaders. Throughout the novel, the Awakened humans distrust Lilith as a leader. She was chosen by the Oankali, and they therefore suspect she is in league with their captors. Her enhanced memory and physical strength alienate her from others. Rather than seeing her as a more capable leader because of these qualities, the other humans see her as a kind of mutant: She “should not” be stronger than the human men, nor should she have the mental capabilities of a more advanced species. Neither intellect nor physical strength are qualities associated with motherhood, which is the role others associate with Lilith.

Kahguyaht wanted a man to be chosen as the first human to Awaken the others, thinking that that person would be in a naturally stronger position. The Oankali have studied humans and expect them to be sexist and racist. Kahguyaht correctly assumed that humans would want to follow a man rather than a woman. They also know that, generally, humans prefer other humans who are like them, which is why they set Lilith up with Paul, a Black man. Nikanj tells Lilith that the other Oankali were surprised that she chose Joseph, an Asian man, as her mate, thinking that she would naturally gravitate toward the African American men. The Oankali’s predictions prove true, as other humans distrust Lilith for her independence, abilities, and non-conformity, which they do not naturally associate with Black women. The physically strong men in the group, such as Curt and Peter, think themselves more naturally qualified to lead and resent the Oankali’s choice of an African American woman for this role.

Women of color in leadership roles are often expected to take on maternal characteristics, whether they want to or not, and this is true of Lilith in her role as leader. Though Lilith rejects the idea of being the group’s “mother” when speaking to Kahguyaht, this is essentially what she becomes when she chooses which humans to Awaken, teaches them necessary survival skills, and helps them adapt to their new environment. The “mammy” archetype of the Black enslaved woman who raises the master’s white children applies here as well. The Oankali expect Lilith to teach and groom the newly Awakened humans, but they do not accept her as one of their own. In the end, they discard her, preferring to see her as a servant rather than a leader.

However, Lilith’s role as a Black woman in a maternal leadership role has empowering connotations as well. The fate of humanity is in the hands of a woman, one who seeks group consensus rather than the male-dominated power dynamics that almost led to the destruction of the human race. Lilith being a Black woman is significant because humanity’s common maternal ancestor is Mitochondrial Eve, an African woman who lived 200,000 years ago. All living humans carry her DNA, just as all humans originated in Africa, the cradle of humanity. This is analogous to Lilith’s role as the “first Eve,” who will give birth to the first human-Oankali hybrid. As a leader, she cannot escape the role of motherhood, and in the end, she is forced to maintain her maternal role on the ship and awaken a new group. Though this disappoints her at first, the remaining novels in the trilogy show that she successfully gives birth to a new race of evolved humans.