Feb 04 2008
Parable of the Sower
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?
