February Finale: Parable of the Sower - Octavia E. Butler (1993)

Hi there!

Welcome to our February 2026 Finale for Octavia E. Butler's 1993 novel Parable of the Sower.

Content Warning: Murder, Rape, Child-Endangerment, Gun-Violence, Economic Collapse, 2.5 Sexiness Rating 🌶️ (Romance.IO), Cannibalism, Gore, Animal Violence, Robbery, Religious Trauma, Drug Abuse, Arson

Overall

We really liked this book - it wasn't as politically relevant as we thought it was going to be, but it was still somewhat relevant. Apparently, the second book, Parable of the Talents (1998), is much more contemporarily relevant than the first. For Octavia E. Butler to be so talented that she can speculate nearly perfectly about 2026 is rather insane. She must be a time traveller. BUT this may also be a good thing - it means we CAN learn from the past and make progress.

Lauren Olamina

Lauren's growth from follower to Leader gradually over time. When the group brings in other members over time, people begin to look to her to make more concrete decisions. Eventually, she takes it upon herself to tell the rules of the group to each new member, and shows herself to be the Leader she would become with Earthseed's first congregation, Acorn. Lauren is different in the sense that she's empathetic and open to bridging the fear gap. Her father also helped - he made sure Lauren was educated and supported. She was taught to make connections instead of instilling fear in others.

Lauren's authority also changes over time in the book because, at first, she is disguising herself as a man, so she had authority because she "was a man," and then, much later, she had Harry, who is a white man, as a peer. In that case, people assumed she had authority because she was associated with Harry and his status as a white man.

Lauren is an interesting leader - she's empathetic, confident, and incredibly brave and tactful. She's also a great communicator, so that helps too.

The Long Walk

The world that Lauren and the group walk through - namely, the state of California post-economic collapse - has changed immensely. There are no laws, and the only law is survival of the fittest. Some local rules still apply, but even then, risks abound. The police and the fire department are still active, and most of the time, they don't do much either way, even if they are paid services for that city.

All we know is what is on the road in front of them. Outside of any community is a lawless wasteland. (Being inside the communities isn't much better.) When walking in the giant masses of travellers, everyone is relatively easy-going because everyone is walking towards the same thing - to get out and find somewhere safer to be.

Earthseed

This philosophy becomes more political over time in the book simply because it has gained followers. More people can turn an individual philosophy into a movement - and something with movement is activism.

Earthseed is definitely more about who it attracts and less about converting others. The group itself is inclusive - but if you don't come to it yourself, you won't find or see the truths in it. Acorn, as a group, is selective due to a life-or-death risk with whomever they include.

The "Machine(s)" that Butler is critiquing throughout the book are the systems that have already failed in these communities. We are specifically referring to Capitalism, Religious Fundamentalism, Community Services becoming privatized, Inflation, etc. The critique is that these issues have gone too far without any fail-safes to protect individuals, not so much that they are inherently bad.

Read Against the Machine!

Ceraya & Brieanna