Multiethnic Literatures in the U.S.

God is change. This is a phrase that comes up so often in the book Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. It seems as in the book, the only hope of the ending chaos is religion. No matter what religion they believe in, religion seems to represent hope for the characters. People seek for a religion they believe is suitable for their life and the world. A religion they believe that can fix the future.

Lauren, the creator of Earthseed, illustrates a hope of the world when she invents a new source of religion for herself. She believes that religion needs to be changed throughout time, because the world changes, as well as people. Things are not as valuable as they were before such as cars and oil, and what may have been the source of life may not be so in the future. As Lauren continues the journey up North, she starts to build a community of believers for her new religion Earthseed. I believe this new religion represents hope for each of the new believers in the book. Religion is something you commit yourself to, and is something you believe. Faith brings hope for the future, and this is what the characters are hoping to find in their lives. Though faith is key to a religion, Earthseed embraces the idea of action in order for change to occur. When more than one individual join for a cause, there is greater power especially through their actions.

If we look at our lives today, many of us may believe in a God, a creator, or maybe nothing at all. People that believe in a God mostly believe there is a greater power than the world and people. In the book, I see religion as hope because people want to believe that there is something greater than the world they live in. They hope for a new world, and that hope represents God. As much as God is feared and misinterpreted in the book with all the chaos going on, Religions such as Earthseed gives Lauren a guide in living her life. She wants to live a better life, as well as help others improve their lives, hoping she can change the world into a better livable place. When Lauren was asked what community members of Earthseed have to do by her current love, Bankole, she responds with, “The essentials… are to learn to shape God with forethought, care, and world; to educate and benefit their community, their families, and themselves; and to contribute to the fulfillment of the Destiny.” She also describes Destiny by saying “A unifying, purposeful life here on Earth, and the hope of heaven for themselves and their children. A real heaven, not mythology or philosophy. A heaven that will be theirs to shape.” (263) Though this religion may seem simple and basic for some people, like Bankole, for Lauren, Earthseed is a new beginning to her life, a life that is meaningful, and a life that seeks for hope with actions. Earthseed embraces unity and a purposeful life on earth.

When the world is in destruction and chaos, we search for a greater power to look up to. A power that we believe may be able to save our world and power that we can trust and put our faith into, in order for a better life. Though it is a bit different than Lauren’s religion Earthseed, Lauren and her community members believe that they can be the start of change in their community.

Throughout Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, Lauren (the main character) talks about the aspects of her newly discovered religion of Earthseed. The religion states that God is change and that you can shape that change. This means that you control your destiny and the destiny of others with your everyday actions.

In this particular section of the book (p. 167-268), Lauren demonstrates one of the important concepts of the religion. “Embrace diversity, Unite—Or be divided, robbed, ruled, killed By those who see you as prey. Embrace diversity Or be destroyed” (p.197). After pyro addicts and thieves take over and burn down Lauren’s community, her family is killed, and she is forced to live on her own. Lauren has to find a way to survive without a home and without the help of friends or family. She is left with nothing. But Lauren, being the strong girl that she is, does not believe that she is left with nothing. She knows that she has Earthseed. She knows that if she keeps it her mind and actions she will survive. In order to survive, Lauren knows that she has to find allies and head north. She meets two survivors named Harry and Zahra when she looks for a place to sleep. They all sleep in the same garage for a night, and become allies from there.

Their journey north becomes a struggle with savages trying to rob or kill them for their supplies, clothing, and money. As they travel through expressways they meet new and different people. They meet a mixed family of three (Travis, Natividad, and their baby Dominic), a former rich man named Bankole, two prostitute sisters named Allie and Jill and a small child named Justin. Before the family joined Lauren’s group, they were attacked by robbers and wild dogs because they were a small group, and therefore, seen as prey. Before Bankole joined the group, he was seen pushing his cart along the road by himself, and would most likely be robbed or killed like every other individual that was seen alone. Before Allie and Jill came along, they were found trapped in a house after an earthquake and would also be dead if they were not saved by Lauren’s group. After his mother was killed, Justin had no chance of surviving if they did not take him in. The way that Lauren takes these people in and allows them to travel with her as a group demonstrates her belief in Earthseed. She embraces diversity by inviting people no matter what race they are. (there are three white people, three black people, and two Hispanics) She also encourages unity because she knows that that is what it takes to survive.

As each of the individuals join the group, they gradually become a community. They take turns watching for scavengers while the others sleep, they advise each other on what supplies to buy, and they kill anyone who attacks anyone in the group. With her belief in Earthseed, Lauren was able to build this community. She starts to prove that she did not just make it up like some people believe. Surviving as a unite shows that the religion is true, and that others should believe in it as well.

This concept of embracing diversity and uniting seems to be Butler’s way of sending a message to readers. She is trying to show today’s society that the only way to survive and prevent the formation of Robledo’s 2027 society is to unite and accept others no matter what race they are.

As we watch Lauren begin to start her community of Earthseed, we also see her develop as a character watching her interact with different individuals in the book. As Harry, Zahra, and Lauren move north they meet a couple who Lauren calls their “natural allies”. She takes no time to enlighten them about Earthseed and her plans for the future. However, even though Lauren knows she must not trust anyone soon their group turns into ten people due of her kind heart. People quickly begin to realize the power of their group and tend to stand clear because of their unusual size.
One member of the group, Bankole, has a very interesting relationship with Lauren. Not only does he play her father figure, but he also becomes her lover. They first met after an earthquake hit California as Lauren and the group headed north. Lauren acknowledges that he is an older man but she finds herself immediately attracted to him despite their age difference. They strangely have gone through many of the same misfortunes; both of their communities were attacked by thieves and arson and both had very different religious beliefs with important people in their lives.
He brings a lot of wisdom to the group since he is the oldest and was once a doctor. One afternoon, while Lauren and Bankole were getting to know each other they talk about her religion of Earthseed. He questions her beliefs and ideas. The conversation they have reminds me much of the conversation she had with her father before he disappeared. She got in trouble for loaning a book to Joanne about survival and scaring her with the reality of being educated on how to survive beyond the comfort of their neighborhood walls. Just as Bankole pushes for answers about Earthseed, her father pushed for answers.
Bankole tells Lauren he doesn’t know where he is going, just north like the rest of the group. Lauren begins to question where he is truly headed; her intuition tells her that he isn’t just heading north, but that he has a definite destination. He confesses that he has 300 acres of land that he had made as an investment years earlier where his sister and her family reside. Bankole wants her to come with him but Lauren is hesitant because of her plans to spread Earthseed. He knows that Earthseed is his rival of Lauren’s heart, but asks her hand in marriage anyway. They come to a compromise that if Lauren comes with him that he will let her build the community she has always dreamed of. I predict that there will be conflict between them because of her passion to not only make an Earthseed community but because of her commitment to it. Will her relationship with Bankole get in the way or will he support her dreams of the future?