"Croatoan" is a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

by American writer

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of ''Psycho'', ...

, published in 1975 in ''

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiva ...

'', and both anthologized in ''

Strange Wine ''Strange Wine'' is a 1978 short story collection by American writer Harlan Ellison. Contents The book contains the following stories (as well as Ellison's own introduction for each tale): *"Introduction: Revealed at Last! What Killed the Dinosa ...

'' and released in an illustrated version in '' Heavy Metal'' in 1978. The story won a

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...

. The story is also used for a specimen of analysis by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high ...

in ''

Danse Macabre The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ) (from the French language), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification o ...

''.

Plot summary

Gabe is forced by a hysterical girlfriend to descend into

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

's sewers, into which he has just flushed her aborted fetus. Arriving there, he finds that fetuses populate the sewers, astride similarly disposed-of

crocodile Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant ...

s, and the word " Croatoan", crudely lettered on a wall near the entrance to the sewer.

Reception

"Croatoan" won the 1976 Locus Award for Best Short StoryLocus Award
at ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, contin ...

''; earliest version published November 10, 2011; retrieved August 19, 2020 and was a finalist for the 1976

Hugo Award for Best Short Story The Hugo Award for Best Short Story is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The short story award is available for works of fiction of ...

.1976 Hugo Awards
at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved August 19, 2020

Themes and structure

Although

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

figures into the plot of "Croatoan", the issues surrounding abortion are not central themes in the story. In the story's introduction, Ellison states that the story is neither for nor against abortion, but rather a promotion of personal responsibility (he goes on to say that after writing the story he had a

vasectomy Vasectomy, or vasoligation, is an elective surgical procedure for male Sterilization (medicine), sterilization or permanent contraception. During the procedure, the male vas deferens, vasa deferentia are cut and tied or sealed so as to prevent sp ...

). The story is character driven, focusing on Gabe's growth beyond the pleasures of sex and casual relationships to embracing fatherhood and maturity. The critic Joseph Patrouch comments that the theme of searching for the responsibilities and maturity of fatherhood present in this story complements the recurring theme of searching for a

father figure A father figure is usually an older man, normally one with power, authority, or strength, with whom one can identify on a deeply psychological level and who generates emotions generally felt towards one's father. Despite the literal term "father f ...

that is present in much of Ellison's work.Porter, Andrew (editor)(1978). ''The Book of Ellison''. ALGOL Press, p62-63. Patrouch also comments that the structure of the story highlights the emphasis on character over actions. Three distinct flashbacks are used at different moments in the narration in order to further develop the character of Gabe. The development of the plot is governed by Gabe's growth rather than external events. The non-linear narrative structure of "Croatoan" is typical of Ellison's style, and is a feature of many of his most famous stories.

References

External links

* 1975 short stories Abortion in fiction Short stories by Harlan Ellison Works originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction {{1970s-story-stub