Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler takes place in California from the year 2024 to 2027. The post-apocalyptic type book gives you a glimpse into the near future by exaggerating trends in American life that were present in the 80s and 90s, such as crime, gated communities, illiteracy, drug addiction, and the growing gap between the rich and the poor. Climate change caused by global warming was also a central topic in the novel. The protagonist is an African American girl who is fifteen years old. She lives outside of Los Angeles in a gated community, which protects their community from the crime and poverty outside of the walls. When the community is destroyed by thieves and arsonists, Lauren is one of the only survivors. She followed her…show more content… Cities are huge polluters, less economically efficient than they could be, and are not necessarily centres for cultural development. The book offers a sense of urban transformation through the use of Earthseed and the space program. Lauren forms her own religion called “Earthseed,” which is based on the idea that everything in the universe changes. In order for her to better her standard of living and her happiness, she must accept change and work with it. The earth will only be sustainable for a certain period of time, and Lauren believes that is the “Destiny of Earthseed to take root among the stars,” in order to spread human life to other planets and galaxies. The problem with her community is that no one wants to accept change and they are concerned with what is going on outside their walls. Lauren said that “space exploration and colonization are among the few things left over from the last century that can help us more than they hurt us. It’s hard to get anyone to see that, though, when there’s so much suffering going on just outside our walls.” Lauren is able to look at the big picture and see what is best for the world and her community instead of looking at what is going on in the present. In order to transform their society all must be willing to change and work
