The year is 2025 and the world has been thrown into chaos. Rich communities are being destroyed by thugs and drug dealers, people raped and murdered and houses looted and burnt down to cinders. Amidst all of the chaos, Lauren Olamina dreams of a society of her own and calls it Earthseed (Biblical reference). As she is forced to flee her walled community (the same wall that is supposed to keep evil out of their doorstep) with a handful of people, Lauren realizes that the world is more than people using their mind and resources on petty crimes. Parable of the Sower is essentially a survival story. Lauren's hyperempathy makes it difficult to harm another soul but in order to survive, she has to pick up that gun and shoot. Lauren looses her brother to mindless violence and then her family to a tragic incident. Being from a Black, Hispanic family and travelling with both white and black people, Lauren tries to decide what kind of work each of them are suitable for, if they decide to join this community of hers, built from personal experiences and empathy. Butler exclaims how as a Black person, the only job available is that of a slave, no matter the year. This story was written way back when Dystopia wasn't even a genre, but what Butler builds through this story is plausible and extremely scary. Butler questions the laws around worker's safety, religious preachings and dirty politics, considering them to be a major reason for the degradation in societal norms to the extent where no one is safe. Parable of the Sower is an apocalyptic novel that highlights a government that has failed it's people. There is a lack of basic amenities and the loss of life seems to be a casual affair. Lauren, however, stands strong with her idea of a world where there's harmony, safety and happiness.
