Octavia e. butler dawn11/10/2023 ![]() Gabriel pushes back against Lilith's commands and says that she was not invited along to boss everyone around. She also says that they should start building a boat. At a certain point, Lilith says that they should stop for the night and build shelter. The environment surrounding them is lifelike and complex. As they keep walking, however, Lilith feels more and more doubt. Lilith says that if this is a test, she has already passed hers. Leah asks why Lilith joined them if she is so sure she is aboard the ship, and Joseph says that she is there because he wants her there. She also re-asserts that they are all aboard a ship, though she is the only person that thinks so. Lilith says that she thinks that wandering off into the forest are the humans' "final tests" and that the Oankali actually intend for them to do so to see how well their survival skills have developed (214). Gabriel said that they are scared, and Lilith is receiving the brunt of their feelings because she is "different" (214). The atmosphere is tense, and when Lilith steps aside to relieve herself, all eyes are on her. They head upriver, away from camp, occasionally cutting their way through brush. ![]() Eventually, Gabriel, Tate, Leah, Wray, and Allison appear, and they all head off together. Lilith thinks that they are waiting to see if she is being followed by the Oankali. The next morning, Lilith and Joseph wait for a while beneath the breadnut tree and no one shows up. Lilith says that she'd stay because she knows that they are on a ship Joseph responds that he needs to find that out for himself. Joseph comes to talk to Lilith, and Lilith asks if he would leave without her. She thinks that this will give it enough time to call for Ahajas and Dichaan to help ease some of the discomfort following her and Joseph's departure. Lilith does not know how many Oankali heard her exchange with Tate, but she does know that Nikanj will know in seconds. Lilith says that if she and Joseph do decide to join them, they will meet them beneath the breadnut tree the next morning. They want to cross the river and travel south. She also tells Lilith that she, Gabriel, and a group of four others are planning on leaving the next morning. One day, Tate approaches Lilith and tells her that Curt and Celene are gone. It does not seem plausible, however, based on the Oankali plan. She begins to wonder if the suspicions are correct and they actually are on Earth. Lilith wonders how many more people will wander off into the forest on their own. The ooloi's Oankali mates arrive to help the hurting ooloi. The ooloi mate that the man and woman left behind begins showing signs of extreme discomfort. Nikanj tells Lilith and Joseph that they are being watched and will be helped if they are in danger. One day, a man and a woman disappear into the forest with weapons, and the Oankali decide not to pay any attention to their disappearance. Soon, the humans begin planting their own crops. Lilith teaches the others survival skills, such as how to build shelter. Curt, like others, is convinced that they are no longer aboard the Oankali ship and have actually been transported back to Earth. Gabriel tells Lilith that he feels the same way, but he won't "take the next step" until he knows where they are (203). ![]() Gabriel, on the other hand, thinks that Curt will react like Peter, since being with the ooloi is emasculating. Curt's ooloi, Yahjahyi, is convinced that Curt will not lash out and is under control. When the Oankali give the humans tools-including machetes-Lilith tries to persuade Curt into cooperating with everyone else. It said that each human is precious and the Oankali don't want to "give up" on any of them (201). Lilith asks Nikanj what will happen to those who do not adapt, and Nikanj responds that they will be taken back to Earth with the others. Nikanj tells Lilith that the Oankali are waiting for the humans to learn that it is not "shameful" to "be together" with their mates and the ooloi (200). The Oankali release the humans to the forest without any tools, wanting them to first get used to their surroundings. Most of the humans are acclimating to their new situation, and only two people, Curt and Gabriel, were still under the influence of Oankali drugs. They are training for when the Oankali bring them back to Earth, where they will be tasked with rebuilding civilization.īy the time "The Training Floor" begins, the humans are getting along better. Here, the humans are supposed to work together to survive and become self-sustaining. The forest looks so much like vegetation on Earth that many find it hard to believe that they are still aboard the Oankali ship. In "The Training Floor," the humans are released from the original holding room and taken to a forest on an island. ![]()
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