Croatoan (short story)

"Croatoan" is a short story by American writer Harlan Ellison published in 1975 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and anthologized in Strange Wine; an illustrated version appeared in Heavy Metal in 1978.

Gabe is forced by a hysterical girlfriend to descend into New York City's sewers, into which he has just flushed her aborted fetus.

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 that is present in much of Ellison's work.

[3] The non-linear narrative structure of "Croatoan" is typical of Ellison's style, and is a feature of many of his most famous stories.