Initial Thoughts on Parable of the Sower
Although we are only a few chapters into Parable of the
Sower, I think there are already a few aspects of the book which
distinguish it from the previous societies we have read in this class. For one,
most of the societies in our previous books involve a huge apocalypse or a
group of people seizing power and suddenly changing everything. However, Parable
of the Sower feels different because there doesn't seem to be any kind
of major turning point in their society, where things were good before and they
are not anymore. There is no Big Brother or World State, just the typical
presidential elections that take place regularly in our own world; but Lauren's
life is still so different from ours. Like how Offred in The Handmaid's
Tale can remember a time when things were different and she was
happier, but she can also vividly remember when everything changed and she was
forced into being a handmaid. While Lauren's father can also remember earlier times,
he does not seem to be able to pinpoint the moment when everything changed. It
seems that their society had a more gradual deterioration, where things slowly
got worse and worse over a longer period of time.
I agree with you, I think that Parable of the Sower will be very different from other dystopias we've read. One thing that I'm excited about is that this book is from an African-American perspective. In every other novel we've read for this class, we haven't gotten this perspective before; these people's experiences were mostly shoved aside. I'm also interested to learn more about what happened to cause the society Lauren is living in and its differences from our world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you I think that Lauren's perspective as an African-American is really interesting in this context, especially because she lives in a quite racially diverse neighborhood and they all depend on each other for survival. Also interesting though is that it seems though race matters less inside the actual neighborhood, she mentions that it is really important outside the walls, as people want to stick to people like them.
DeleteI agree that the society in The Parable of the Sower is the most similar one to ours today out of all the books we have read in this class. The biggest difference between our worlds is the level of danger. When we first started reading this book, I found myself thinking about it as I was walking outside. In the book, Lauren isn't able to walk outside the neighborhood walls without being armed and in a group. I can't imagine how scary that would be and I hope that our society never undergoes a radical transformation that creates this constant fear of being killed, raped, and other terrible acts that we see occurring in The Parable of the Sower.
ReplyDeleteThe whole book (so far) feels much more grounded. The first thing that struck me is that the book uses the First Personal very informally (unlike in Handmaids Tale where is seemed purposefully scattered). However, since it feels so grounded it just makes it that much jarring when something more intense happens. Personally I don't understand the "hyper-empathy" that's described. I think it was mentioned that it's somehow connected to a drug her mother took. Overall the book does have a much more grounded and informal tone.
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I agree. The reason Parable of the Sower is so relatable is because it is eerily reminiscent of our own society. Imagine we were to run out of resoruces like water, certain foods, oil, etc. Compnaies would fall apart and people would lose their jobs. It would be like the depreassion all over again, except this time, there would be no going back. Our society would slowly fall apart. I feel like this perfectly possible future is what has actually happened in Parable of the Sower.
ReplyDeleteI think parable of the sower is exactly what would happen to our society if we were to start running out of resources like water. At least in some parts of the world. However, I think that there are already societies where water is scarce now and I don't think they act like this so maybe we would adjust to a more normal society eventually.
ReplyDeleteI agree with comment above, the resource water is very important for the survival of life itself. And it is something we all fear for the future but, for some it is their present. And that is a problem. Good post!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Parable of the Sower seems the most realistic to us. While I have also wondered if our society will become one similar to that of Lauren's in the next five years or so, I do think the constant presence of danger and fear of being hurt is something that I hope we won't experience in the future. That said, I think there is already some element of that fear in our society with all the stories we hear about people, especially women, getting hurt when going out alone.
ReplyDeleteI've really liked Parable of the Sower so far, and part of that has definitely had to do with how much closer it has felt to our reality. Maybe not in 2024, but it certainly seems like a deeply plausible future, assuming only negligence, and without malice. The other novels all essentially require malice to form their societies, whereas Parable does not, which makes it seem closer to us, as it requires no action to create.
ReplyDelete-Sasha
Parable of the sower is indeed the dystopia most similar to our modern day world relative to our other books, but I think it is a far cry from our potential realities in 2024 and onwards. From what I can tell, the book is a result of catastrophic climate change and drug abuse, both of which are not huge issues in American life. However as you said, there wasn't a huge turning point that suddenly changed everything, so maybe we are on that path, but we just haven't realized it yet.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you about Parable of the Sower. The fact that it seems less far-fetched compared to our present day and age makes it a more interesting (and scary) novel. I am personally excited about this novel because Octavia Butler is such an amazing author, and her novels are representative of contemporary issues.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the society in the Parable of the Sower does not seem as foreign as the other societies. Compared to the other societies, it has much less structure and it seems as though it is the only society that isn't a failed attempt at a utopia, but rather just a complete nightmare. I think it's a refreshing take on the typical dystopian novel and I'm looking forward to what Lauren is going to do.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you - part of what makes the Parable of the Sower scarier to me than the other societies we've read about is how familiar everything is. The society Lauren is living in honestly doesn't seem like a far leap from the one we are in now . Like you said, many of the things Lauren talks about are things we do everyday, and many of the problems society is facing -drugs, crime, rape, global warming - are ones that are present right now. That's why it's so terrifying for me.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I definitely got a different vibe from this book compared to the other Dystopias. I guess from all the ones we've read so far, this one seems the most realistic. Not just because its set at such a close time, but the society itself seems very much like ours. The familiarity is scary but I'm really liking it so far and I wonder what Lauren will do next!
ReplyDeleteI agree the strange similarities between our worlds makes the book so much more impactful. I would really like to believe that there would be some powerful person or other government that would help us. However, this may be too optimistic of an outlook. Unfortunately, we here about the limited amount of years we have before climate change is irreversible and we are in deep trouble so who knows! :)
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't think our society could fall apart in the next 5 years, I think it is plausible that our society could experience a decline that eventually leads to a society like Lauren's in the next 50 years. There are problems in the world that are being exacerbated such as deforestation and pollution and over time these issues can undermine stable and good government as people race to grab whatever resources are left. I just hope we will be able to change our current trajectory because future generations will have to suffer the consequences.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I agree that Parable of the Sower is different, because it is more relatable than the other books we've read. The characters are a lot more developed, its more personal and informal, and the society is one we can see in ourselves a little bit. Its taking problems we have now, like climate change, drug addiction, violence, the wealth gap, etc. and exaggerating them into bigger issues that fundamentally change America.
ReplyDeleteParable of the Sower is definitely the most relatable book we've read in class. Our society could fall apart like it did in the book. Every problem in the book exaggerates the flaws we see in today's society. One particular example is the finite state of resources. Parable of the Sower demonstrates that no resource is infinite, and sooner or later, all resources will run out.
ReplyDeleteI think that Parable of the Sower is the closest dystopia to our world today, and I think that makes in more captivating to us(along with actually interesting characters), and I think that certain aspects of it reflect our present or future, but I think the book is largely a n exaggeration of what would happen in reality, at least within 5 years.
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