Dawn

Tate reacts strongly to being Awakened but calms down quickly and gets dressed. Lilith assures Tate that she is also a prisoner; Tate quietly says she is more like a trustee. Lilith lets Tate know that she is the first that Lilith chose to Awaken and Tate asks why. Lilith replies, “You seemed least likely to try to kill me, least likely to fall apart, and most likely to be able to help with the others when they Awaken” (129). Tate asks questions about where they are and what is going on; Lilith feels relieved that Tate is taking everything so evenly.

Tate eats the food Lilith had set out for her and asks more questions. Lilith tells Tate that she has been in solitary confinement for over two years. Lilith is troubled that Tate has not asked what should be the most important question of all—who their captors are—so she finally tells her. When Lilith says that the Oankali are aliens and describes them, Tate does not react. It’s clear to Lilith that Tate does not really believe her, so she just says that Tate will see the Oankali soon enough. Before that, Lilith will try and help prepare her. Lilith tells Tate to remember that the Oankali will not hurt them, despite their appearance.

Lilith and Tate get to know each other a bit and Lilith finds that Tate becomes more relaxed talking about her life before the war. Lilith, on the other hand, does not like talking about her former life, as it’s painful for her to talk about her family, so she tells Tate about returning to college. Tate disparages Lilith’s study of anthropology, asking why she would want to snoop into other cultures. Lilith says that she thought American culture was headed in the wrong direction and wanted to seek out saner ways of life. Ultimately, Lilith thinks it wouldn’t have mattered, since it was the cultures of the superpowers that destroyed the world.

Tate disagrees, saying that human beings are more alike than different, and any two cultures probably would have wiped out the world. Lilith remarks that the Oankali think a lot like Tate. Mention of the Oankali makes Tate agitated; she says, “I don’t understand. None of this makes any sense!” (133). Lilith says that it was easier for her to accept their situation since she had been held in a room with an Oankali and it was impossible to doubt that they are alien. Tate still refuses to accept that the Oankali are truly aliens.

Lilith shrugs and asks for Tate’s help in Awakening two new people: Leah Bede and Celene Iver. Tate wants Lilith to Awaken a man named Curt Loehr next, whose dossier said that he was found by the Oankali protecting a group of children. Lilith says that is too risky since Loehr is a former policeman and used to ordering people around.

Lilith finds Celene in the wall and makes her plant emerge. Then she lifts Celene out and tells Tate to help her dress when she wakes up. Lilith finds Leah’s plant in the wall, draws Leah out, then dresses her. Lilith starts to sit down, prepared to answer the new women’s questions, when Leah leaps onto Lilith’s back and tries to strangle her. Leah is weak from her Awakening so it’s easy to remove her hands. Lilith shouts at her that she is a prisoner as well and not Leah’s enemy. Leah angrily gets up and Lilith tells her that killing her will only prove that she is unfit to join in the rebuilding of the Earth. Leah asks who will decide if she is fit; Lilith replies that it will be their jailers.

Celene comes up to them and tearfully asks who the jailers are. Lilith tells Celene and Leah to come over and eat. Once they have eaten, Leah and Celene are easier to talk to, but they refuse to believe that they are being held by aliens. Leah laughs out loud when Lilith tells this to them and says that Lilith is either lying or “crazy.” Lilith urges them all to endure their time on the ship so that they can return to Earth. Leah remains hostile to Lilith, while Celene begins to cry again. Celene asks if Lilith had children and Lilith tells her she did, though every human that will be Awakened has lost their families.

After they finish eating, Lilith cautions Leah and Celene that they are all being watched, and if the humans start trying to murder each other, the Oankali will intervene and the attackers will be kept on the ship for the rest of their lives.

Lilith Awakens Curt Loehr and Joseph Shing at the same time. Lilith dresses Joseph and Tate and Celene dress Curt; Celene will not touch a man while he is naked.

Curt demands to know who is in charge. Lilith says that while they are all prisoners, it is her job to Awaken the group. Joseph asks who she is working for. Lilith introduces everyone and Celene cozies up to Curt. Lilith sees that she was right in her assessment of Celene: that she would seek to put herself under Curt’s protection.

Lilith offers the men food, but Curt first demands to know “which side” she is working for. Lilith replies that on Earth, there are no more sides, and no government left: “No human government, anyway” (141). Curt understands the implication and asks if they’ve been captured by something not human. Joseph asks if Lilith has seen them and Lilith nods. Joseph asks if Lilith believes they are on a spaceship and when Lilith says she does, Joseph asks what proof she can show them.

Lilith explains the changes that were made to her body chemistry that allow her to grow walls, which she demonstrates. The group goes to the next room to eat, but Joseph will not eat until Lilith has explained to him everything she knows about how the ship works. Joseph says that regardless of what is true, they should all behave as if they are being held on a ship from which there is no easy escape. Lilith gratefully nods and says that no matter what they each think, if they act as if they are on a ship, then they can survive long enough to be sent back to Earth. Lilith then tells the men about the Oankali and about their plan to build new communities together on Earth. She also explains the genetic trading the Oankali intend to make with them, so they won’t think later that she betrayed them by waiting to reveal this.

Tate and Leah laugh at Lilith, refusing to believe this gene manipulation would be possible, or that they would make half-alien babies. Lilith says that she has no reason to believe it’s not true, based on what she has seen them do to change her genes. Curt says that he will not believe anything until he has seen it for himself, and Tate says that she’s not sure she’d believe it even if she did see it.

Joseph maintains that genetic tampering was done on Earth by humans, so it is not hard to believe it will be done to them. He says that their best course of action is to observe all they can and get as much information as possible. Lilith is delighted that Joseph comprehends their situation so well.