Son

Claire is not happy she has to wear a leather mask that prevents her from seeing childbirth. She remembers her illicit conversation with another girl, who explains the mask serves as a blindfold so there is no sight of the Product being birthed. The other girl confesses that the second time did not hurt as much as the first. A woman’s voice comes over the intercom, reminding the Vessels to have appropriate conversations, and Claire remembers their conversations are being listened to via microphones.

Claire thinks about how she has never gone hungry in the community, but when she got chosen for a Birthmother at age 12, she stopped taking rigorous academic courses and was moved into the Birthmothers’ Dorm. Since she had no personal possessions, this move was easy. Her brother “had already gone on to his own training in the Department of Law and Justice” (6), so she and her parents had a celebratory dinner alone. Claire had hoped she would be placed somewhere more intellectually rigorous, but her parents argued that Birthmothers were necessary for the continuation of the community. A few weeks later, Claire had been inseminated and awaited her certification as a Vessel.