Parable of the Sower Discussion Guide:
A Few Conversation Starters
Have a gander at our take on
Octavia Butler’s eerily prophetic work
Parable of the Sower
T
hen, use this discussion guide to inspire in-depth thinking, and jump-start a conversation about this banned work. There’s plenty here to set your mental wheels in motion.
1. Butler’s novel Parable of the Sower has been challenged for violence and the catch-all excuse of “disturbing content.” How does the violence that takes place in this book reflect the overall state of the society portrayed?
2. During her ride to church, what social issues does Lauren observe?
3. What does the phrase “lights, progress, growth, all those things we’re too hot and too poor to bother with anymore” imply about societal conditions in Parable of the Sower?
4. Butler’s protagonist yearns for a way out of her oppressive situation. What feelings are amplified by her constant exposure to suffering?
5. Why does the narrator express a strong commitment to learning and education? And what does that reveal about her character?
6. How does the verse about perseverance in Lauren’s journal relate to the theme of survival?
7. Why is community an important aspect of survival situations?
8. How are the themes of survival and community illustrated at different points in the novel?
9. According to the narrator, what does it mean to ’embrace diversity’? And what happens if you refuse to do so?
10. What advice does Butler give us about how to cultivate hope in a seemingly hopeless situation?
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