Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Sower |

English III HN |

|

Sommers Hardy |

12/9/2013 |

Prodigy is, at its essence, adaptability and persistent, positive obsession. Without persistence, what remains is an enthusiasm of the moment. Without adaptability, what remains may be channeled into destructive fanaticism. Without obsession, there is nothing at all.

(Parable of the Sower,1)

A dystopia is an earthly Hell. It is when all forces of nature work against humanity, including itself. Progress is nothing but a daydream to comfort the elderly and the rest are in denial. Humans devolve until they can no longer survive. In Parable of the Sower, Butler uses her knowledge of the past and present to create a possible future for the human race if it continues on its present course of denial and devolution.

Octavia Estelle Butler was born in Pasadena, California, in 1946. Her dad died when she was very young. Her mother was a maid who brought her along on jobs. Growing up in California in the fifties and sixties played a major part in her novel. “Fear of crime was a prominent feature of life in the United States at the time Parable of the Sower was written (Novels for Students,241).”California is the opening setting. During those years, California was not as friendly as it seems today. In the late eighties and early nineties, rising rates of illiteracy was a major public concern (Aubrey, 241). Rising crime rates marked the beginning popularity of gates being placed around communities. All of these aspects arise throughout the novel, and therefore play an essential role in the novel.

This novel is a representation of the world as Butler saw it. Bryan Aubrey explains, “Butler creates a dystopia by magnifying some disturbing social trends that occurred in the eighties and nineties (Aubrey, 240).” Everything that affected her, she includes it in this book. In the novel, there is much separation amongst the different communities. People are now frightened and defensive. “Different...