The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler - Essay Example

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia ButlerThe Parable of the Sower is a story about the future of mankind – one that is far from what we thought it would be like where there would be flying cars and a more advance technology. Octavia Butler wrote about a future that is unsafe for everyone, where living in gated communities would not even assure us of our safety. The main character in the story is Lauren Olamina who has hyperempathy syndrome, a condition where she feels the pain of others like it is her own.

At fifteen years old, she has different beliefs than her family, including God. Living with her stepmother and brothers, she developed her own theory of a society that they live in at this time in 2024. The word is described to be in chaos, and law and order no longer prevails in this society, where even water is a scarcity. Because of this, Lauren had made herself a plan of getting out of her own community and find refuge in other places where she would be able to survive, especially when the neighborhood starts to destroy each other.

Being one of the few people in the community who knows how to read, she made herself knowledgeable of so many things by reading various books about survival in the wilderness, especially when the situation in the community gets worse. Her friend does not believe her, as well as her family. Until eventually, what she thought would happen eventually came. Robberies and deaths had increased in their community. Her brother had eventually learned how to rob and kill people, until he himself had been killed.

Lauren’s father had also gone missing and eventually found dead. Some of their neighbors fled and moved to another community where they thought they would be safe. Even Laura’s boyfriend also had plans ti flee from their community. However, even if they have the same ideas, she does not want to go with him and has her own plans of survival. Her idea of her journal about Earthseed were not accepted by her friends and thought it was ridiculous. Eventually, each of her friends started to disappear.

There was even more chaos in the community where there were lots of killing and burning of the houses by the pyro addicts, her house included. She could not even find her family, only the remains of their house that was also burned down. In order for her to survive, she took what is left of their belongings and tried to escape the community. She then met two other scavengers from her community, Zahra Moss and Harry Balter. She told them of her plans, including her plan to pretend to travel as a man.

The three survivors in their community keep watch of each other. They kill to protect each other from being hurt from other people who are also fighting for their lives to survive the chaos of the society. When they reach the ocean, the three had been thrilled for the chance to see the ocean as they never have seen one before. Here, they met other people who were also trying to escape the country. This is where she found somebody who is fascinated about her idea of the Earthseed and her plans of building this new community of change.

On their way, they met more people who joined their group, including a doctor named Taylor Franklin Bankoe who falls in love with her and convinced her to leave the group and go with him. Lauren declines his proposition and insisted on finding Earthseed. She then continues to talk about Earthseed and her plans with the others. She even taught some of the members of the group to read and learn the strategies of survival. More and more people were joining the group. Each of them has their own stories to tell.

Race is not an issue to Lauren as they come and volunteer to join them to their journey up north. However, this also puts them at greater risk for they have more responsibilities and more people to protect. Then eventually, she found that there are two others in her group who are “sharer” like her with hyperempathy syndrome. When finally the group has reached the Bankole’s land he told them was safe for everyone, they were devastated to find even his family had been burned down as well.

However, this did not prevent them from the hopes of creating and starting the new community they have found in each other. It is in this place where they decide to build their new community. Works Cited:Butler, Octavia. The Parable of the Sower. New York: Warner Books Inc., 2000. Print