At the same time, Lauren’s hyperempathy is a strength-it makes her understand, at the most visceral level, the need for a community to work together in order to thrive in a world that seems to be dying. This affliction is a devastating weakness in a predatory, violent (non)society: for Lauren, self-defense entails self-harm. Simply put, when Lauren witnesses another person’s injury, she feels their pain. The second source of Lauren’s drive comes from a condition she suffers called hyperempathy or “sharing,” a mutation that’s the result of her birth-mother’s drug addiction during pregnancy. The post-WW2 dream of NASA and the futurity of exploration-a Manifest Destiny of the stars-glows in the background of Sower, and often points to a more interesting conclusion than the novel finally musters. Lauren’s long-term vision is that humanity might seed a new planet. The first strand is the religion she is creating, an idea she calls “Earthseed.” The basic premise of Earthseed (one that the novel repeats ad nauseum) is that “God is Change.” Another tenet is that people are the seeds of the earth (like, uh, Earthseed-get it?). Lauren’s leadership capability derives from two strands. She offers her followers the prospect of belonging to a We-an interracial, inter-generational collective.

She offers her followers an alternative to the predation around them, a predation most strongly figured in the roving bands of arsonists that prey on travelers and communities alike. Lauren’s leadership drives the novel and inspires those around her. Lauren and two other survivors of the compound head north along the California freeways, slowly gathering followers. She even has the presence of mind to grab her bug-out bag.Īfter this initial staging of events, Parable of the Sower turns into a road novel. When the community finally fragments under an attack it can’t endure, Lauren is the only one of her family to survive. He is the central role model for Lauren, who takes his lessons to heart. Lauren’s father is the ersatz leader of this community, He leads the neighborhood’s shooting practices, trains them in survival skills, and organizes a perimeter watch against the thieves and arsonists that constantly threaten their survival. Lauren lives in a gated community in a sort of compound with her brothers, stepmother, and father, an academic/preacher. When we first meet our narrator Lauren Olamina, she is one of the lucky few who has a life of moderate comfort, stability, and security. Hyperinflation abounds, infrastructure is falling apart, water is scarce, environmental collapse is imminent, and the social institutions that bind the nation have all but frayed. Octavia Butler’s 1993 novel Parable of the Sower imagines what a radical affirmation of life might look like set against a backdrop of impending extinction. Set between 20, Parable of the Sower conjures a crumbling America. Cover art for Parable of the Sower by John Jude Palencar

Parable of the sower novel