Parable of the Sower (novel)
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''Parable of the Sower'' is a 1993
speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...
novel by American writer
Octavia E. Butler Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction author and a multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowshi ...
. It is a
post-apocalyptic fiction Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...
novel that provides commentary on
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
and
social inequality Social inequality occurs when resources in a given society are distributed unevenly, typically through norms of allocation, that engender specific patterns along lines of socially defined categories of persons. It posses and creates gender c ...
. The novel follows Lauren Olamina, a young woman who can feel the pain of others and becomes displaced from her home. Several characters from various walks of life join her on her journey north and learn of a religion she has discovered and titled
Earthseed Earthseed is a fictitious religion based on the idea that "God is Change". It is the creation of Octavia E. Butler, as revealed by her character Lauren Oya Olamina in the books: '' Parable of the Sower'' and ''Parable of the Talents''. (A third ...
. In this religion, the destiny for believers is to inhabit other planets, alongside working with the change that the earth is undergoing to survive with the reoccurring message of “God is Change”, referring to the Earth as a god. ''Parable of the Sower'' was the winner of multiple awards, including the 1994 ''New York Times''
Notable Book of the Year ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...
, and has been adapted into a concert and a graphic novel. ''Parable of the Sower'' has influenced music and essays on social justice as well as
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
. In 2021, it was picked by readers of the ''New York Times'' as the top science fiction nomination for the best book of the last 125 years. ''Parable of the Sower'' is the first in an unfinished series of novels, followed by ''
Parable of the Talents The Parable of the Talents (also the Parable of the Minas) is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in two of the synoptic, canonical gospels of the New Testament: * * Although the basic theme of each of these parables is essentially t ...
'' in 1998.


Plot

Beginning in 2024, when society in the United States has grown unstable due to climate change, growing
wealth inequality The distribution of wealth is a comparison of the wealth of various members or groups in a society. It shows one aspect of economic inequality or economic heterogeneity. The distribution of wealth differs from the income distribution in that ...
, and corporate greed, ''Parable of the Sower'' takes the form of a journal kept by Lauren Oya Olamina, an African American teenager. Her mother abused drugs during her pregnancy and left Lauren with " hyper-empathy" or "sharing": the uncontrollable ability to feel the sensations she witnesses in others, particularly the abundant pain in her world. Lauren grows up in the remnants of a
gated community A gated community (or walled community) is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences ...
in Robledo, California, twenty miles from Los Angeles, where she and her neighbors struggle but are separate from the abject poverty of the world outside. Outside of the community are numerous homeless and mutilated individuals who resent the community members for their relative affluence. Public services such as police or firefighters are untrustworthy, exploiting their positions for profit and making little effort to help. Lauren's father, a Baptist pastor, holds the community together through Baptist religion, mutual aid, and careful use of resources, such as making bread from acorns. However, Lauren is increasingly certain that despite all efforts, society will continue to deteriorate and the community will no longer be safe; Lauren secretly prepares to travel north, as many do in search of rare paid jobs. The newly elected radical, authoritarian President Donner loosens labor protections, creating a rise in
company towns A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...
owned by foreign businesses. Lauren privately develops her own new belief system based on the belief that "God is Change" is the only lasting truth, and that humanity, dubbed Earthseed, should "shape God" in order to aid themselves. She comes to call this religion
Earthseed Earthseed is a fictitious religion based on the idea that "God is Change". It is the creation of Octavia E. Butler, as revealed by her character Lauren Oya Olamina in the books: '' Parable of the Sower'' and ''Parable of the Talents''. (A third ...
. Lauren's younger half brother, Keith, rebelliously runs away to live outside the walls of the community. For a time, he survives by joining a group of ruthless thieves who value him for his rare literacy, but he is eventually found dead after torture. Later, Lauren's father disappears while leaving the community for work and is accepted as dead. When Lauren is eighteen in 2027, the community's security is breached in an organized attack by outsiders: most of the community is destroyed, looted, and murdered, including Lauren's family. She travels north, disguised as a man, with Harry Balter and Zahra Moss, two survivors from her community. Society outside the community walls has reverted to chaos due to resource scarcity and poverty. U.S. states have become akin to city-states with strict borders. Money still has value, but travelers constantly fear attacks for resources or by
pyromaniac Pyromania is an impulse control disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires, to relieve some tension or for instant gratification. The term ''pyromania'' comes from the Greek word (''pyr'', 'fi ...
drug-users, cannibals, and wild dogs. Interracial relationships are stigmatized, women fear sexual assault, and slavery has returned in the form of indebted servitude. Lauren gathers people to protect along her journey and begins to share the Earthseed religion, which is developing into a collection of texts titled ''Earthseed: The Books of the Living''. She believes that humankind's destiny is to travel beyond the deteriorating Earth and live on other planets, forcing humankind into its adulthood, and that Earthseed is preparation for this destiny. Lauren begins a relationship with Bankole, an older doctor who joins the group, and agrees to marry him. Bankole takes the group to the land he owns in northern California, where the group settles and Lauren founds the first Earthseed community, Acorn.


Sequel novels

The sequel to ''Parable of the Sower,'' ''
Parable of the Talents The Parable of the Talents (also the Parable of the Minas) is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in two of the synoptic, canonical gospels of the New Testament: * * Although the basic theme of each of these parables is essentially t ...
'', was published in 1998. Butler began to write a third ''Parable'' novel, tentatively titled ''Parable of the Trickster'', which would have focused on an Earthseed community's struggle to survive on a new planet. Along with the third novel, Butler was planning several others titled ''Parable of the Teacher, Parable of Chaos,'' and ''Parable of Clay.'' She began ''Parable of the Trickster'' after finishing ''Parable of the Talents'', and mentioned her work on it in a number of interviews, but at some point encountered
writer's block Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Mike Rose found that this creative stall is not a result of commitment problems or th ...
. She eventually shifted her creative attention, resulting in '' Fledgling'', her final novel. The various false starts for the novel can now be found among Butler's papers at the
Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Mar ...
, as described in an article at the ''Los Angeles Review of Books''. Butler died in 2006, leaving the series unfinished.


Publication and award history

Published by Four Walls Eight Windows in 1993, by Women's Press Ltd. in 1995, by
Warner Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in ''Shatter Me s ...
in 1995 and 2000, and by
Seven Stories Press Seven Stories Press is an independent American publishing company. Based in New York City, the company was founded by Dan Simon in 1995, after establishing Four Walls Eight Windows in 1984 as an imprint at Writers and Readers, and then incorpora ...
in 2017. * 2020 – became a ''New York Times'' bestseller on September 3, 2020, appearing on the Trade Paperback Fiction list. * 1995 – nominated for
Nebula Award for Best Novel The Nebula Award for Best Novel is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novels. A work of fiction is considered a novel by the organization if it is 40,000 words or longer; a ...
* 1994 – ''New York Times''
Notable Book of the Year ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...


Adaptations

''Parable of the Sower'' was adapted as ''Parable of the Sower: The Concert Version'', a work-in-progress opera written by American folk/blues musician
Toshi Reagon Toshi Reagon (born January 27, 1964) is an American musician of folk, blues, gospel, rock and funk, as well as a composer, curator, and producer. Early life Born January 27, 1964 in Atlanta, Georgia, Reagon grew up in Washington, D.C. She wa ...
in collaboration with her mother, singer and composer
Bernice Johnson Reagon Bernice Johnson Reagon (born Bernice Johnson on October 4, 1942) is a song leader, composer, scholar, and social activist, who in the early 1960s was a founding member of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee's (SNCC) Freedom Singers in t ...
. The adaptation's libretto and musical score combine African-American
spirituals Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with Black Americans, which merged sub-Saharan African cultural heritage with the e ...
,
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
,
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
, and
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
into rounds to be performed by singers sitting in a circle. It was performed as part of
The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...
's
Under the Radar Festival The Under the Radar Festival was a theater festival in New York City, founded in 2005 by Mark Russell, former Artistic Director of P.S. 122 for over twenty years and also Guest Artistic Director for the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art's Ti ...
in New York City in 2015 and in 2018. In 2020, it was adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings, the team which had previously adapted Butler's novel '' Kindred'', and published by
Abrams ComicArts Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...
. The graphic novel was named to the Black Lives Matter Reading Lists compiled by the Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table and the
Black Caucus of the American Library Association The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) is an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA) that focuses on the needs of African Americans, African American library professionals by promoting careers in librarianship, ...
. It went on to win the 2021
Ignyte Award The Ignyte Awards are an annual literary award for the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror works and achievements of the previous year. Established in 2020 by writers L. D. Lewis and Suzan Palumbo Suzan may refer to: * Suzan, Iran (disam ...
for Best Comics Team and the 2021
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...
for Best Graphic Story.


In popular culture

The work of hip hop/R&B duo
THEESatisfaction THEESatisfaction is a former American music duo based in Seattle, Washington. It consisted of Stasia "Stas" Irons and Catherine "Cat" Harris-White. History Stasia Irons was born in 1985 in Tacoma, Washington. Catherine Harris-White was raised ...
was influenced by Octavia Butler. The third track from their 2012 album ''
awE NaturalE ''Awe Naturale'' (stylized as ''awE naturalE'') is the debut studio album by THEESatisfaction. It was released by Sub Pop on March 27, 2012. Ishmael Butler provided vocals on "God" and "Enchantruss". A music video was created for "Queens". Critic ...
'', "Earthseed", contains themes from the ''Parable'' series: "Change there are few words / That you can say / We all watch things morphing everyday." In 2015,
Adrienne Maree Brown Adrienne Maree Brown, often styled adrienne maree brown (born September 6, 1978), is a writer, activist and facilitator. From 2006 to 2010, she was the executive director of the Ruckus Society. She also co-founded and directed the United State ...
and
Walidah Imarisha Walidah Imarisha ( am, ወሊዳ ኢማሪሻ) is an American writer, activist, educator and spoken word artist. Career Writing Imarisha is co-editor, with Adrienne Maree Brown, adrienne maree brown, of ''Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Storie ...
co-edited ''Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements'', a collection of 20 short stories and essays about social justice inspired by Butler. In June 2020, Brown and
Toshi Reagon Toshi Reagon (born January 27, 1964) is an American musician of folk, blues, gospel, rock and funk, as well as a composer, curator, and producer. Early life Born January 27, 1964 in Atlanta, Georgia, Reagon grew up in Washington, D.C. She wa ...
began hosting the podcast ''Octavia's Parables'', which gives an in-depth dive into ''Parable of the Sower'' and ''Parable of the Talents''.


See also

*
Climate fiction Climate fiction (sometimes shortened as cli-fi) is literature that deals with climate change.Glass, Rodge (31 May 2013).Global Warning: The Rise of 'Cli-fi' retrieved 3 March 2016 Generally speculative in nature but scientifically-grounded, wor ...


Further reading

* Agusti, Clara Escoda. "The Relationship between Community and Subjectivity in Octavia E. Butler's ''Parable of the Sower''.' ''Extrapolation'' 46.3 (Fall 2005): 351–359. * Allen, Marlene D. "Octavia Butler's 'Parable' Novels and the 'Boomerang' of African American History." ''Callaloo'' 32. 4 2009 pp. 1353–1365. . * Andréolle, Donna Spalding. "Utopias of Old, Solutions for the New Millennium: A Comparative Study of Christian Fundamentalism in M. K. Wren's A Gift upon the Shore and Octavia Butler's ''Parable of the Sower''." ''Utopian Studies'' 12.2 (2001): 114–123. . * Butler, Robert. "Twenty-First Century Journeys in Octavia E. Butler's ''Parable of the Sower''." ''Contemporary African American Fiction: The Open Journey''. Madison: Fairleigh Dickinson UP, 1998. 133–143. * Caputi, Jane. "Facing Change: African Mythic Origins in Octavia Butler's Parable Novels." ''Goddesses and Monsters: Women, Myth, Power, and Popular Culture''. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 2004. 366–369. * Dubey, M. "Folk and Urban Communities in African-American Women's Fiction: Octavia Butler's ''Parable of the Sower''." ''Studies in American Fiction'' 27. 1 1999 pp. 103–128. * Govan, Sandra. "''The Parable of the Sower'' as Rendered by Octavia Butler: Lessons for Our Changing Times." ''FEMSPEC'' 4.2 (2004): 239–258. * Grant-Britton, Lisbeth. "Octavia Butler's ''Parable of the Sower''.” ''Women of Other Worlds: Excursions through Science Fiction and Feminism''. Ed. Helen Merrick and Tess Williams. Nedlands, Australia: U of Western Australia P, 1999. 280–294. * Hampton, Gregory J. "Migration and Capital of the Body: Octavia Butler's ''Parable of the Sower''.” ''CLA Journal'' 49 (Sept. 2005): 56–73. * Harris, Trudier. "Balance? Octavia E. Butler s ''Parable of the Sower''.” ''Saints, Sinners, Saviors: Strong Black Women in African American Literature''. New York: Palgrave, 2001. 153–171. * Jablon, Madelyn. "Metafiction as Genre: Walter Mosley, Black Betty; Octavia E. Butler, ''Parable of the Sowe''r.” ''Black Metafiction: Self Consciousness in African American Literature''. Iowa City: U of Iowa P, 1997. 139–165. * Jos, Philip H. "Fear and the Spiritual Realism of Octavia Butler's Earthseed." ''Utopian Studies'' 23. 2 2012 pp. 408–429. . * Lacey, Lauren. J. "Octavia Butler on Coping with Power in ''Parable of the Sower'', ''Parable of the Talents'', and ''Fledgling''." ''Critique'' 49.4 (Summer 2008): 379–394. * Mayer, Sylvia. "Genre and Environmentalism: Octavia Butler's ''Parable of the Sower'', Speculative Fiction, and the African American Slave Narrative." ''Restoring the Connection to the Natural World: Essays on the African American Environmental Imagination''. Ed. Sylvia Mayer. Munster, Ger.: LIT, 2003. 175–196. * Melzer, Patricia. "'All That You Touch You Change': Utopian Desire and the Concept of Change in Octavia Butler's ''Parable of the Sower'' and ''Parable of the Talents''." ''Contemporary Literary Criticism Select''. Gale, 2008. Originally published in ''FEMSPEC'' 3.2 (2002): 31–52. * Nilges, Mathias. We Need the Stars': Change, Community, and the Absent Father in Octavia Butler's 'Parable of the Sower' and 'Parable of the Talents.'" ''Callaloo'' 32.4 2009 pp. 1332–1352. . * Phillips, Jerry. "The Institution of the Future: Utopia and Catastrophe in Octavia Butler's ''Parable of the Sower''." ''Novel: A Forum on Fiction'' 35.2/3 Contemporary African American Fiction and the Politics of Postmodernism (Spring – Summer, 2002), pp. 299–311. . * Stanford, Ann Folwell. "A Dream of Communitas: Octavia Butler's ''Parable of the Sower'' and ''Parable of the Talents'' and Roads to the Possible." ''Bodies in a Broken World: Women Novelists of Color and the Politics of Medicine''. Chapel Hill: The U of North Carolina P, 2003. 196–218. * Stillman, Peter G. "Dystopian Critiques, Utopian Possibilities, and Human Purposes in Octavia Butler's Parables." ''Utopian Studies'' 14.1 (2003): 15–35. . * Texter, Douglas W. "Of Gifted Children and Gated Communities: Paul Theroux's O-Zone and Octavia Butler's ''The Parable of the Sower''." ''Utopian Studies'' 19. 3 2008 pp. 457–484. .


References


External links

*

YouTube video of a map of the California odyssey in Parable of the Sower {{DEFAULTSORT:Parable Of The Sower (Novel) 1993 American novels Dystopian novels Epistolary novels Feminist science fiction novels Fiction set in 2024 American science fiction novels 1993 science fiction novels African-American novels Novels by Octavia Butler Social science fiction Religion in science fiction Novels about poverty Works about emotions Novels adapted into operas Literature by women Literature by African-American women Climate change novels Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story-winning works