Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower (1995) is as creative just like it is ironical if the current contemporary efforts around the globe are put into context. The Dystopian perception that dominates the novel makes it attractive to present and future readers. Several themes emerge from the story through prominent characters such as Lauren and Mrs. Sims. This essay offers analysis of various topics in the novel while laying emphasis on how the lack of effective community guidance and poor leadership can break or make a state. The essay delves into how poor leadership can erode past gains in investments of skills, infrastructures, institutions and democratic principles. The analysis also focuses on the evil aspects of the humanity in the face of catastrophes and diminishing opportunities.
In the novel, Robledo is just twenty miles from Los Angeles in California in the year 2024. Lauren who is fifteen at the time, relives her memories seven years ago as she talked with her stepmother in the brightness of the night stars (Phillips 301). In the conversation, her stepmother talks about the issue of city lights that seem to reduce in numbers. She reminisced about the past when the street and neighborhood were well lit. The stepmother's memories are a pointer to the disintegrating infrastructures in the future American society as perceived by the author. The dilapidated infrastructures depict poor leadership in all spheres of the American society. The author's position is an extrapolation of the current circumstances, where the populations are increasing without proportionate expansion of the basic infrastructures such as the road network, schools, and hospitals. The situation presented by the author is a product of deliberate predictions of the future in the face of the current trends in modern America. The reducing number of city lights is a depiction of a future society that will only delight in the nostalgia as most of the current gains will have been eroded. It is clear that the author is keen on instilling sanity so that there is prudent investments and management of the present facilities to shield the future generations from a myriad of challenges.
As Lauren, her brother Keith and friends ride bicycles on the way to church on a Sunday, they are in the company of adults who all have concealed weapons (Phillips 302). The security situation is dire which compels citizens to arm themselves in anticipation of attacks. The state of affairs alludes to the fact that the people no longer have confidence in the government to protect them. The security decadence results from the government that is corrupt and therefore out to enrich the political leaders at the expense of the masses. The author is keen to foresee the dire situation if the current administrations do not invest in stable democratic institutions that will stand the test of time. Apparently a government that is rotten to the core has no resources or the capability to offer security solutions to its citizens. Lauren's family lives in a high-walled area as a security measure to cope with the deteriorating security situation in the city. It is apparent that no one feels secure anymore and hence more reason for concern when the individuals venture outside the walled neighborhoods. The author depicts the uncertainty and the unpredictable nature of the current challenges.
The current leadership is characterized by impotence and no longer handles the crisis, compelling the citizens to undertake state roles such as security. As a way of demonstrating the urgent security challenge in the city, Lauren's father once owned a church but which has since been wrecked through burning. Several corpses litter the sidewalk of the streets, and no one seems to notice the worrying phenomenon probably because it is the order of the day. Homelessness is also dominant as people wander the city streets with no apparent destination or a sense of purpose. No one cares for the other as people hate each as a result of frustrations. "People were expected to fear and hate everyone but their own kind" (31).The phrase illustrates the Levels of stratification in the society in terms races and social-economic status. For example, mixed couples are rare, and people only marry from their races as Lauren insinuate in "mixed couples catch hell" (153) .The deteriorating moral standard is explicit, even as the author points out the erosion of human dignity as murder with impunity is the norm. In spite of the state of affairs, Lauren is empathetic and treats the pain of the suffering as her own. She understands the pain that the destitute, the hungry and the poor experience and as stated she has "hyper empathy syndrome" (93).
The role of religion is prominent in the novel. Families pay particular attention to prayers and hence why they attend services on Sunday in spite of the high level insecurities in the city. However, several people no longer have faith in God as Lauren demonstrates. She no longer believes in the same God that her father does. Lately, she has given the concept of God a lot of thought and is questioning the existence of the Supreme Being in the midst of the myriad of evils in the society. She perceives the notion of God as the ability of people to change and hence move from the current quagmire. The author wants to depict a situation where the people question the role of God in their lives. The current circumstances have played a huge part in the questioning of God, not knowing that the events experienced are man–made and that it is only human efforts that could alleviate the suffering. Life is unbearable as the cost of basic commodities increase by the day. The price of water is more than that of gasoline, never mind that fewer people purchase gasoline in the context of the economic situation. People are being killed in large numbers and the situation was exemplified by the murder of an astronaut to the Mars mission, and several water vendors (Phillips 305). Household items that were once basic are luxuries that few can afford. Few people possess TV sets in the neighborhood as seen when Yanni's family occasionally invites Lauren to watch.
The levels of desperation is very high and despite the fact that America is still a democracy, in theory, few people vote. The collapse of America is evident when Lauren's father opts to vote for the candidate who has promised a cancellation of the space program as is apparently a misappropriation of resources. The desperation is a grave issue as seen when Mrs. Sims shoots herself, as she sees no hope or a future under the current circumstances. She had been left alone after a deliberate fire wiped out her entire family in the previous week. The argument presented by the author is a reflection of moral decadence and increased selfishness among the people. For instance, the issue of the environment has continually been neglected and currently numerous Americans are already suffering from conditions related to environmental pollution.
The story in the novel is also about the determination to alter the status quo. Lauren's doubts about the role of God in the lives of the people lead her into a thought exploration. Her understanding is that the current circumstances are not permanent. She escapes from the walled neighborhood in the city to settle in a farming village along the north coast. She is accompanied by her husband and several other people, who are, keen to escape the current hardships in the city. The efforts in the village are fruitful, as they produce enough to sustain themselves, unlike the harshness that earlier characterized the city life. The hardship seem to make people doubt in God because as God’s children they think he should not make them suffer.
However, life takes a dramatic twist when Lauren coins a philosophy of escaping the world full of misfortunes to other planets. She acquires a lot of followers who share her beliefs of a better word without sorrows. Lauren is transformed and sees the need for her group to defend themselves from the administration's Christian fundamentalists. Her resolve to empower her followers is captured in "the world is full of crazy, dangerous people, which has been the experience of the city every day. If we don't watch out that for ourselves, they will rob us, kill us and maybe eat us. It is a world gone to hell and we've only got each other to keep it from us" (257) .The previous lawless regime is taken over by Christian fundamentalists whose mission is to convert the country into a Christian state.
Her philosophy is rejected and labeled as witches who have no place in the new administrative set setup. The author is keen to highlight a government regime that gives no room for the freedom of speech and expression .It is an oppressive regime which is bent on the crackdown of any divergent views as the initial steps in the dictatorial process (Miller 341). Eventually, Lauren's village is captured by the fundamentalists, with the villagers becoming slaves. The Christian Fundamentalists reflect the religious societies that focus more on religion rather than teaching of spirituality. The ideologies presented by the new regime does not provide a solution to the society, rather the society seems to suffer more under the regime, which is a burden on top of the current conditions.
The historical experiences of the slavery era could have a place in the future America. The ills that afflict the society in the novel could be attributed to history. The racism, for example, could fuel the battle for supremacy between the whites and blacks at some point in the future. The author probably endeavors to prepare the people psychologically that if the injustices of the past are not addressed, then the future of America would be bleak. A future slavery in the USA would probably be worse that the past slavery experiences. As the author articulates, it would be characterized by dehumanizing conditions where human dignity will erode. It would be an acceptable way of life as the novel articulates in "slavery has been universalized to include all ethnic and racial groups in all regions of the country. All America has become massive plantation, a gigantic ghetto" (136).The author perceives a level of slavery that would be worse than the past, as all the racial groups will gang up against each other (Miller 350). Despite the failure of the government to improve the lives of the people, the individuals are not any better. Rather, they have turned against each other instead of alleviating the suffering. In "human beings are good at creating hells for themselves" (234), it is clear that people don't shy away from afflicting pain on themselves and others.
The unfolding events are a prediction of a future America where slavery will be reinstated if nothing is done to alter the direction that the country is headed. Currently, there is perceived modern slavery that is reflected in terms of low wage rate that has led to increased gap between the rich and the poor. Further, there has been increased cases of violence and political decadence, which is a major contributing factor towards the deterioration of the society. The current political situation where stereotyping and racism are still prevalent could be a pointer that the author has enough intuitions for her predictions. For example, the recent spate of killings of the African Americans and the resulting murder of white police officers has high relevance to the notions expressed by Octavia Butler. The violence against police and the public and increased brutality is what the author perceives as among the factors leading to the deterioration of the society.
The theme of community and leadership is also paramount throughout the novel. The genesis from anarchy to fundamentalism shows that government and administration changes do not necessarily lead to improvements in the social, economic and political structures. After the elections, the country plunges into religious fundamentalism where the freedom of worship is a mirage. Positive changes can only occur if people are ready to sacrifice as Lauren does. The struggle for recognition is achieved through fearless leaders who acknowledge the fact that no government or administration ensures social liberty on a silver platter. Rather it's through sheer determination that social, economic and political changes are achieved.
As a conclusion, the current endeavors to create a utopia could be the undoing of the American society. The isolated incidents of racism, terrorism, and hatred among the American people could trigger a future where moral decay; corruption and poor governance take center stage. The novel challenges the next generation to lay the foundation for education, health, governance institutions, transport and the entire social, economic systems in anticipation of future challenges. For instance, there has been several violent incidences, especially during the campaigns and increased political temperatures that have continually dividend the American society. During the period violent incidences by police, especially on minority community have increased significantly and the public has also vented their anger towards police as a way of rebellion.
Works Cited
Miller, Jim. "Post-Apocalyptic Hoping: Octavia Butler's Dystopian/Utopian Vision." Science Fiction Studies (1998): 336-360.
Phillips, Jerry. "The Intuition of the Future: Utopia and Catastrophe in Octavia Butler's" Parable of the Sower"." Novel: A Forum on Fiction. Vol. 35. No. 2/3. Duke University Press, 2002.
