Parable of the Sower Book Review
In Parable of the Sower (referred to from this point as POS), a science-fiction novel set in the 2020s, Octavia E. Butler challenges present-day presumptions of the future of our society. Butler provides a realistic alternative to the current assumptions that our society will be heavily influenced by technological innovation and grandeur. While there is an allusion to the presence of advanced technology in the form of viewing windows, four-dimensional virtual reality programs, and headphone sized radio transmitters, her conception of our world is much bleaker than our modern predictions. Butler’s new world is plagued with widespread famine and poverty, illiteracy, governmental and corporate corruption, prevalent ecological disasters, rampant drug-use. Butler illustrates the generational battle between traditional and innovative knowledge systems with the main character, Lauren Olamina, and her determination to discover and create a society better than the one she’s been born into.
A prominent theme throughout POS is the use of gender as a defining characteristic for the story’s characters. It seems that Butler’s theory of gender is that gender is a pervasive and inescapable principle which structures life. This is demonstrated through her illustrated perception of the definition of man and woman. Men, such as in the case of Reverend Olamina (Lauren’s father), have the inherent responsibility of being the protectors and providers of their families. In contrast, women operate within the confines of the home, serving as the primary caretakers of the home and children. For women, it was seen as a character flaw if they do not mother their children (such as in the case of Lauren’s mother, Tracy and Amy Dunn, Zahra Moss’ mother, and others.) Contrastingly, men are viewed as valiant if they challenge their norm by caring for their children, for example, Grayson Mora and his care of daughter Doe.
It is assumed and common practice that the children will follow these gendered traditions as women are expected to marry and have children when they are of age and men are expected to find work. These gender roles were reified by the actions of Lauren Olamina, who was a natural leader and had no desire to assume the role she was expected to. Her treatment by the community as she attempted to take charge illustrated the blatant subjugation and repression women faced if they stepped outside of their given roles. In fact, Lauren decided to pose as a man to escape the confinement and victimization that is womanhood.
Women were not the only people victimized in Butler’s new world. In fact, she reintroduced slavery as a practicality which motivated this new society. Corporations in the form of “agribusinesses” and business-run cities created capitalistic ventures that were undeniable a reincarnated formation of slavery. I use the term reincarnated because these agribusinesses and business-run cities were once common practices in North America and are still prevalent at our nation’s borders. POS reconstructs this slavery perhaps in the same way it’s been presented throughout history, as an opportunity for low-income and impoverished communities to earn a living. However, these people become indebted and forced into a life of labor in deplorable conditions for little to no compensation. Examples from the novel include the coast-town Olivar and the factory that Emory and Tori Solis escaped from. Butler’s new world reifies our country’s history and current state of corporations exploiting impoverished people and immigrants.
Butler’s Parable of the Sower offers a critique of morality in modern society within the institutions of religion, race, class, sex, capitalism, and power through her invention of Lauren’s new religion, Earthseed. Through it’s lessons (or scriptures) Earthseed redefines religion by removing the reward value associated with many modern religions. Earthseed asserts that morality is the responsibility of the individual and that our decision to do/be good should not be tied to a desire and hope of being accepted into a paradisiacal afterlife. Through the creation of Lauren’s small Earthseed community (composed of Harry, Zahra, Bankole, the Douglases, the Gilchrists, the Moras, and the Solises) after she leaves the walls of her neighborhood, Butler constructs a vision of what moral living should be. She also demonstrates the difficulty of this preserving this morality while residing in a society that personifies the saying “eat or be eaten.” Through this depiction of what our future may look like, Butler shows how our capitalistic disregard for the humanity of people for profit is toxic and will lead to our demise.
The lessons I took away from this novel align closely with my personal views of the world and morality’s place in it. Religion is a topic I struggle with, being raised in a wide range of churches from Mormon to Baptist and realizing the hypocrisy of many religions in their teachings of love all but not if they believe differently than you. A lesson that was defined for me was to accept, love, and respect all people, regardless of their creed, ethnicity, sex, or any other seemingly divisive categorizations. Lauren’s relentless pursuit of what is right served as an example for how we should aspire to be in our treatment of one another. Additionally, I identified with Lauren and her “hyperempathy syndrome” which is seen as a negative attribute in her world and in ours. We are taught to get others before they have the chance to get us, as if humanity and kindness are weaknesses that can be exploited if you’re not careful. Unfortunately, this is true in some cases. However, I sincerely believe our tendency toward compassion should always prevail, just as Lauren’s God will.
Citation: Butler, Octavia E. Parable of the Sower. Open Road Integrated Media, 2017.