Parable of the Sower Blog

 Chapter 14 opens in a very dramatic and fast paced manner with intruders and a fire. However, I think this fire was predicted by Lauren as there are many subtle clues that build up to this event. We also have intruders destroying the neighborhood gate which I think is symbolic of the safety and the community of the town being destroyed. Lauren also predicts this as she tells Joanne of the neighborhood gate being destroyed. I think that because Lauren was able to see these events ahead of time, she was able to react faster than most and make her way out of the chaos. Although this destruction and death is terrible, I think the physical demolition of this place called "home" for Lauren is just another tether holding her back that is cut. Although Lauren will find life outside her pampered world difficult at first, in the end, I think it will be freeing. What do you all think? What impact will this fire have on Lauren?

 In the most recent reading, we observe another scene showing the readers how Lauren's mother and father are not the best parental figures. Lauren's father and Cory ends up giving Keith a BB gun for his birthday, which turns out horribly as Keith shoots a bird, almost shoots Marcus, then runs away with the gun. Cory, even though she's supposed to be the adult in the situation, simply cannot function and Lauren decides to take over her class. Cory and Lauren's father also fight over the whole situation and there's just a lot of overall tension in the family, something Lauren gets increasingly frustrated over. She clearly still loves her family, but doesn't let that cover up the serious flaws they have. I predict that her family's actions may be the final tipping point for Lauren to break against her current bonds of control/authority and start living life the way she wants. Do you all think Lauren will decide to act according to her own beliefs, or will she c...

 As we continue reading through The Parable of the Sower , it becomes clearer and clearer that Lauren thinks differently than the rest of the neighborhood. In the books reality for 2025, the living conditions have most of society (at least the people in Lauren's town) believing that there is no hope of saving the world or improving it for the future. Instead they have accepted their bleak reality and have chosen to suffer through the current conditions rather than try to find a better life. However, Lauren instead has a much different outlook. She wants to do something with her future, and has a lot more imagination compared to her neighbors.  Put yourselves in the shoes of one of these neighbors. Realistically, if you were put in the 2025 reality of The Parable of the Sower , would you simply accept your fate? Or would you think more like Lauren?

Even if we just read into the beginning of the book, we find that Lauren, still a young girl, dreams about flight. She tries to teach herself to fly, unsuccessfully, and flies straight into the flames of a wall of fire. Although this dream covers only a part of chapter 1, I'd like to further analyze this concept of flight and what it might mean in Lauren's case. In general, flight is seen as a sort of symbol of freedom. The idea of not being bounded by what holds us to the ground symbolizes breaking free of the pressures/realities of the real world. For Lauren, I believe it symbolizes the same thing. Lauren is trying to use flight as an escape from her reality and adolescence into adulthood and independence. She could also be trying to break free from the pressures that society and her family places upon her. Going more specifically into her dream sequence, Lauren flies into fire, which could symbolize the dangers of independence, showing that freedom is a double edged sword. T...