Pattern: Lilith is treated as an Oankali by her fellow humans. When the Awakened humans and Lilith are living together, they gradually with more hostility because of her status in the Oankali society.

Hypothesis: The fear of the unknown is so great among the humans that they cannot even accept a fellow human who embraces this ambiguity. The Awakened humans are still in awe of everything they have discovered and are still wary to accept it. It seems to them that Lilith has fully embraced the alien society without a second glance and that makes them uncomfortable and ultimately hostile.

Example 1:

“‘You didn’t fight! You chose to stand with the Oankali!’ ‘Agaisnt you?’ Angry silence.” -Gabe and Lilith, page 239

Gabe is accusing Lilith of siding with the Oankali during the fight that ended with Curt murdering Joseph. When Lilith asks if this implies she is against the humans, Gabe has no reply. The “angry silence” means that certain people are suspecting that Lilith is a traitor, though no one cares to admit it yet.

Example 2:

“People avoided Lilith. She suspected they saw her either as a traitor or as a ticking bomb.” -page 241

Example 3:

“Tate avoided her…Tate had been a friend. Lilith missed her…There was no other close friend to  take Tate’s place. Even the people who came to her with questions did not trust her. There was only Nikanj.” -page 242

Return to the Text:

After re-reading the text, I think my hypothesis is valid. I think there is a lot more behind the human’s reasoning for not trusting Lilith, but the examples I have given definitely show their distrust. I think the humans perception of Lilith as well as Lilith’s acceptance of the Oankali says a lot about human nature. There are two ways of dealing with new situations. One can either embrace them or fight them.