Parable of the Sower 1-86 response

  

"The Parable of the Sower", by Octavia Butler is an interesting look at one of the many possible futures the world can have. Depending on the system of belief a person has they may or may not agree with her perception of the future. Her future is one that is very bleak, where science has advanced but the quality of life for everyone has decreased. People fear for their lives no matter where they are and basic necessities that we take for granted, like water, are scarce. The government still exists but charges too much for its services. Those who have enough money to sustain themselves and their families live in walled communities or well guarded establishments to stay alive. Sadly, this future looks all to possible as the economies of the world slowly decline. This situation has happened before around the world and still exists today. If this was widespread then the world could easily become a perfect copy of Butler's dystopia. Her writing instills fear in me as people are forced to kill other human beings over rabbits. The hardest part of this all is that people in societies like these will either be forced to become a survivor or die because they kept too much of their humanity. The people in Lauren's community try to keep that humanity but it is always tested when they are attacked by the people outside the wall. Lauren, only fifteen years old, is the only one who is willing to talk about what could happen.

            The other interesting part of this book is her view of religion. Her father is a Baptist minister so she is forced to be a Christian. She believes in a God, but has very different view on what he does. In her eyes the God is shaped by the universe and the universe is shaped by the God. This view and her notebook will most definitely be the start of a new religion led by her. This religion is the opposite of what her father believes in so I am very curious about how he would react if he was to find out about it. Her hyperempathy also sets her up to become a prophet of sorts. The pain that she feels from everyone helps her to understand the difficulty and desperation of everyone's situation in the current world. This book has set up a very interesting story so far and I am very interested to see how it plays out.