Parable of the Sower Essay
Two questions run through my mind after reading Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. What would I do in Lauren’s situation and what would the world be like in 2025?
First of all, Lauren was much stronger than I am. If I grew up in a situation of a walled community, I probably would have the same curiosity as her, but I would not have the drive to pursue it. As most people in class say that they would leave, I highly doubt they used their imagination to put themselves in Lauren’s place. I would be scared so much that I would try my best not to think of the danger but keep only that silver lining in mind. Of course, I would prepare myself just as Lauren had with a bag of food, but I seriously believe I would either be one of the unfortunate people dead once the strike came or would luckily survive. However, unlike Lauren, I would not have prepared myself to such an extent as reading survival books and the such. Perhaps Lauren’s father and myself are parallel in this idea of being ‘ready’ for the inevitable.
As humans, when we have the set mind of surviving, it’s often possible to achieve if the spirit was really willing not to give up. If I had survived what Lauren had in her neighborhood, I would be able to make it on the outside. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t be any kind of a leader. And there is no way I’d be able to dress up as any kind of man. More likely than not, I would be following Zahra and learning from her. I have never been put to the real test before to survive without help, and I hope I never will. However, even I am not sure of if I’d follow or lead in Lauren’s situation. The human spirit can be a tricky thing, and it would be a safe bet to believe I would be scared, quiet, and depressed rather than strong, talkative, and have faith. I would be the average person out on the highway. That is, unless I could see the future!
When I think about the far future and what it will bring, I always think that when we reach the year 3000, I’ll never know what it’ll be like. I am so curious to know what will happen. It’s only 24 years to Lauren’s time, and a little over 18 years for Blade Runner’s, and I see no real change today that those futures will happen. But what about a thousand years from now? Will it be like The Diamond Age? Personally, I would not want that exact future that Nell lives in, even though it has many technological advantages.
I have a lot of faith in our government. Although like any nation, we go to war because of greed, yet I don’t think it will ever get so bad as that in Lauren’s world. I think the worst it could get would be like in 1929 when the stock market crashed, however because we’ve dealed with it before, it’s possible for our government to quickly reverse the problem. Maybe I’m too optimistic, but then we need more of that too.
