Set on a foreign planet inhabited by insect-like beings, “Bloodchild” is a coming-of-age story, raising provocative questions about sex roles, self-sacrifice, colonization, and species- interdependence.

Set on a foreign planet inhabited by insect-like beings, “Bloodchild” is a coming-of-age story, raising provocative questions about sex roles, self-sacrifice, colonization, and species- interdependence. How does this theme of the coming-of-age story function throughout the short story?