Chad Renner Parable of Sower (85-125)

After reading this section I am overwhelmed by various emotions, but the most prominent is astonishment. I was not prepared for the gruesome fate of Lauren’s brother Keith. Perhaps, considering the savagery of their world, I should have foreseen death but not is this manner. Throughout the novel death seems prevalent whether it was entailed by robbery or by accident. However Keith’s death is slightly different in that its motive appears sadistic in nature. The person or people who inflicted this suffering were concerned with not merely with depriving him of material possessions and summarily executing him, which they could easily done, but instead they sought prolong his pain and agony. Moreover as Lauren was contemplating this very subject she proposed an alternative motive which is also quite plausible. That this murder was perhaps perpetrated by someone who sought vengeance for some perceived wrong committed by Keith. Regardless this murder in particular does not seem to comply with conventions of this ordinarily cruel world, but it exceeds it in its sheer brutality and vindictiveness.

Whilst reading this section what was truly striking was the moment that Lauren confessed that she would prefer if her community was eradicated suddenly and swiftly. As opposed to gradually disintegrating as each of families are either compelled to seek employment elsewhere or killed by the innumerable thieves who breach the walls of the community. I was simply fascinated by her fatalism. There was no other contingency in her mind, her community would inevitably perish the only question which remained was whether this would it be consumed by the savagery surrounding all at once or in steady increments? I am truly perplexed by what the answer shall be, but if I had to speculate I would say her community will be ravaged by some catastrophic event. This due to the fact that Keith had taken Cory’s gate key, thus I suspect that the frequency of robberies will culminated in the complete dissolution of her community. Perhaps with the destruction of her home Lauren will no choice but to traverse perilous distance to Canada.