Multiethnic Literatures in the U.S.

In Parable of the Talents, we see that Lauren’s town of Acorn has been invaded and Lauren’s community has been sent to Camp Christian. It is seen in this novel that Lauren’s efforts to create a better life for her community and the people of Earthseed have failed. There is a strong connection between the outcome of the Robledo community and the Acorn community. Both communities have suffered an almost identical fate. The reader sees that both communities crumble, despite strong religious leadership. It appears that Butler feels that power backed by religious reasoning is doomed to fail. This element of the novel is also revealed by the totalitarian leader, Jarrett. As we examine the character of Jarrett, the reader sees a negative relationship between power, community, and religion.

Both Robledo and Earthseed have strong religious leadership. In Robledo, the death of Lauren’s father, who embodies religious leadership, corresponds with the fall of the community. It is as if Butler is saying that communities led by religion will always ultimately fail. As soon as Lauren’s father disappears, the community is destroyed. Through this incident, a statement is made about communities that are too strongly influenced by religion. Once the foundation of the belief system is destroyed, the community will also be destroyed.

In Acorn, we see this point stressed even more. Acorn is a community founded almost entirely on the religion of Earthseed. Lauren uses the truths of Earthseed to create the structure of the community and teach all of the community’s people. Here, the reader sees one religion fail a community as another overtakes it and destroys a country. When Jarrett’s followers invade Acorn to establish Christian America, the reader sees two communities fail under the influence of religion. Lauren’s community, based on the religion of Earthseed, is overtaken with little effort by Jarrett’s followers. Acorn falls with one swift takeover by another religious movement. Here, Butler seems to say that religious movements are all the same. They are masked by different beliefs, but all cause the same outcome. Religions also fail to create successful communities and, although religions preach good ideals in the name of religion itself or perhaps in the name of God, religions are almost always controlled by people who make poor decisions in the name of religion.

Jarrett seems to be the strongest case of Butler’s argument that people have used religion as a means to obtain power over a community. He uses religion to justify his abuse of a nation’s people. He advertises religion as a means to bring back a community without poverty and crime by creating poverty and crime. By using religious reasoning, Jarrett is able to become the president of America and use his power to “convert” sinners and criminals into good Christians while he is actually creating reeducation camps that are, in true form, extremely similar concentration camps. He is also starting wars with bordering nations. Butler appears to compare Jarrett’s power to that of a totalitarian that is using religion as a means to justify his corrupt and hypocritical rule. Through Jarrett, Butler shows that religion has again failed its people.

Through the circularity of the outcomes of religion in Butler’s novels, the reader can see that Butler is commenting on the effects of religion on society. Communities led by religious rule always seem to fail. Also, once on religion is destroyed, it is replaced by a very similar religion that also fails to produce much good in a community. Butler seems to feel that the effects of religion are always the same. They create strong communities that eventually fall because of the religious leadership itself. It is also clear that Butler feels that religious leadership is directly proportional to power. In Butler’s eyes, religion has yet to find a way to resist collapsing in on itself.

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