Parable of the Sower: Analysis of Major Characters
"Parable of the Sower: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate lives of characters in Octavia Butler's dystopian narrative. Central to the story is Lauren Oya Olamina, an African American teenager who possesses the ability of hyperempathy and believes in the philosophy of Earthseed, which emphasizes that "God is change." After the tragic loss of her family in a violent attack, Lauren embarks on a perilous journey with companions Harry Balter and Zahra Moss, seeking to establish a new community based on her beliefs. Each character, from Lauren's father Reverend Olamina, who represents traditional authority, to Taylor Franklin Bankole, an older man with whom Lauren falls in love, brings unique perspectives shaped by their experiences in a collapsing society.
The narrative also highlights diverse backgrounds, such as Zahra, a woman escaping a coerced marriage, and Emery, a woman of mixed heritage who seeks refuge from slavery. Characters like Travis Douglas and his family illustrate the survival struggles faced by many. The relationships formed among these characters reveal themes of empathy, loss, and resilience in the face of societal breakdown. Overall, the character analysis emphasizes the complexities and intersections of race, gender, and personal belief in a world fraught with danger and uncertainty, reflecting the broader human experience.
Parable of the Sower: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Octavia Estelle Butler
First published: 1993
Genre: Novel
Locale: A neighborhood near Los Angeles, California; coastal California; Humboldt County, California
Plot: Dystopian
Time: July 20, 2024-October 10, 2027
Lauren Oya Olamina, an African American teenage girl who believes in her own religion, Earthseed, the central tenet of which is that God is change. She also has hyperempathy, the ability to feel the physical pain of people nearby. Lauren spends the first eighteen years of her life in the relative safety of the gated community of Robledo near Los Angeles. When drug addicts destroy her home and kill her family, she sets off with Harry Balter and Zahra Moss on a journey up the California coast to build a new Earthseed community. As they travel, the group gains followers and fends off numerous attacks. Lauren always defends the group, albeit at great personal pain due to her hyperempathy. Later in the journey, she falls in love with a handsome older gentleman, Taylor Franklin Bankole, who has joined their group. Lauren decides to head for Humboldt County, California, where Bankole owns land that his sister and her family farm. Yet when the group arrives, the earth is scorched, and Bankole's family appears to have been killed. Lauren and the others hold a funeral to commemorate all their losses and decide to stay in Humboldt County.
Reverend Olamina, Lauren's father, a fifty-five-year-old African American minister. He is the leader of the Robledo community and holds a PhD. Reverend Olamina scolds Lauren for her alarmist approach to the outside and encourages her to teach others rather than scare them. The most important man in Lauren's life, he goes missing right before the community is attacked and is never heard from again.
Corazon “Cory” Olamina, Lauren's Hispanic stepmother. Cory is a teacher and also holds a PhD. She is devoted to Lauren and to her four sons, Lauren's half brothers. She is killed during the attack on Robledo.
Keith Olamina, Lauren's thirteen-year-old half brother, whom Lauren describes as sociopathic. He wants to live on the outside and eventually leaves the Robledo community to join a gang of thieves. He is mutilated and murdered soon after.
Marcus Olamina, Lauren's eleven-year-old half brother.
Bennett “Ben” Olamina, Lauren's nine-year-old half brother.
Greg Olamina, Lauren's eight-year-old half brother.
Curtis Talcott, Lauren's boyfriend, an African American teenage boy. He claims to love Lauren, but she is uncertain. Before Robledo falls, Curtis asks Lauren to marry him and leave the city with him, but she refuses. He is presumed to die in the fall of Robledo.
Joanne Garfield, a Caucasian teenage girl who is Lauren's best friend in Robledo until she gets Lauren in trouble with her father. She leaves with her family for the town of Olivar before Robledo falls.
Zahra Moss, a beautiful twenty-one-year-old African American woman. She was purchased by a Robledo resident named Richard Moss at age fifteen to be one of his three wives. Her infant daughter, Bibi, is killed during the fall of Robledo. She escapes with Lauren, who disguises herself as Zahra's husband, and Harry Balter. The three travel together and defend one another during their dangerous journey up the California coast. Zahra and Harry fall in love and are the first to join the Earthseed community.
Harold “Harry” Balter, a young Caucasian man close to Lauren's age. Before the fall of Robledo, he is dating his cousin Joanne Garfield. Afterward, he and Zahra Moss travel with Lauren up the California coast. Harry is suspicious of Lauren's hyperempathy, but he soon comes to appreciate it. Harry and Zahra fall in love and are the first to join the Earthseed community.
Travis Charles Douglas, a self-educated African American man in his late twenties. He used to work as a gardener and handyman. When his family is attacked by dogs, Lauren defends them. He argues with Lauren about the Earthseed religion, but he and his family still join the community.
Gloria Natividad Douglas, Travis's wife, a Hispanic woman in her late twenties who goes by her middle name. She used to be a maid in the same household where Travis worked, but she and Travis left when their employer made unwelcome advances toward her.
Dominic “Domingo” Douglas, Travis and Natividad's six-month-old son.
Taylor Franklin Bankole, a handsome, well-dressed fifty-seven-year-old African American man. His wife was murdered five years earlier when drug addicts broke into their home. When the group passes his scorched town, he joins them. Lauren falls in love with him, despite their age difference, and he is intrigued by the Earthseed religion. He asks her to marry him and persuades the Earthseed community to head for his land in Humboldt County.
Jill Gilchrist, a twenty-five-year-old Caucasian woman whom Lauren rescues from the rubble. Though she initially thinks Earthseed is a cult, she later joins the community. She dies while helping to save Tori Solis from attackers.
Allie Gilchrist, Jill's younger sister, a twenty-four-year-old Caucasian woman whom Lauren also rescues from the rubble. She had an infant son, Adam, who was killed by her and Jill's abusive father. She eventually becomes a mother figure to Justin Rohr.
Justin Rohr, a young orphan whom Taylor Bankole finds. He is welcomed into the Earthseed community and becomes very close to Allie.
Emery Tanaka Solis, a twenty-three-year-old woman whose father was Japanese and whose mother was African American. She escaped from a farming conglomerate where she and her daughter, Tori, were slaves. They join the Earthseed community, and Emery begins a relationship with Grayson Mora. When she, Tori, and Doe Mora are attacked, Lauren defends them. Emery is later discovered to have hyperempathy.
Tori Solis, Emery's nine-year-old daughter who finds new members for the Earthseed community. She, like her mother, has hyperempathy.
Grayson Mora, a black Latino man whom Tori brings to the Earthseed community. He and his daughter, Doe, are former slaves. Grayson and Emery become a couple. It is later discovered that he, too, has hyperempathy. When Emery, Tori, and Doe are attacked, Grayson carries Doe away to safety, but he later returns to help with the fight.
Doe Mora, Grayson's ten-year-old daughter. She, like her father, has hyperempathy.