So, here we are. Butler has brought us to the end of her tale. As I'm sure many of you are doing, I'm pondering the way she ended the novel. It seemed sudden, abrupt, but open to much interpretation. How will Lauren and her Earthseed group survive on this patch of barren land? Do they live? Do they die in a manner similar to Bankole's family? Questions, always questions.
Messages conveyed by Butler in these closing chapters are glaring. They reference slavery more than once, and the horrors of the so-called "debt slavery". Something that really caught my eye was closer to the end of the book. Emery suggested to Harry that he become a "driver". She tells him that companies love to hire white men to do it. In this bleak future, the white man is still seen as the master and people of all other creeds and colors, the slaves. History repeating itself, as they say. I sensed a tone of contempt from Butler in her writing these words. However, Harry's response to her suggestion is fast and sure. He says that he'd never want to do that. Racism exists in our world today regardless of the people saying it is an outdated institute. It continues to live on. Tolerance spreads, however. Harry, coming from the same childhood as Lauren, has learned tolerance. Many are not so lucky. Those with racist fathers, mothers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins? They never learn. The only way to dispel these beliefs is through knowledge and learning. It's amazing to me to see Butler conveys this in such a subtle way.
All in all, I thought Parable of the Sower was a great read and I've already recommended it to my grandmother (who is an avid book reader). I'm glad we read this book as a class, as I believe there is a lot to be taken from it. Butler teaches with this book, even to those who do not realize they are being taught.
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