Characters
(Part 1)
(Part 1)
The protagonist of Parable of the Sower, this person is the leader of the group and creator of the religion, Earthseed.
Lauren Olamina
Lauren’s best friend until she betrayed Lauren’s trust by telling her parents of Lauren’s worries and plans for the future.
Joanne Garfield
An overarching lesson, moral or message to a story
Theme
An affliction in which the person can share the emotional and physical feelings of other people.
Hyperempathy
Octavia Butler
Lauren's brother that demonstrates the books theme of change when he runs away from the walled community and returns taller, stronger and bigger. He became a murderer and robber and is killed on the outside.
Keith Olamina
A neglected three year old that lived in the community. She was killed by a stray gun shot.
Amy Dunn
The events and specific details that come together to create a narrative
Plot
People who are addicted to a drug that makes them want to light and spread fires. They typically have bald and painted heads. They attacked Lauren and her group, killing Jill Gilchrist.
Pyros
The legacy of the author of Parable of the Sower
Octavia Butler broke barriers and led the way as a Black woman in a time and genre that was predominantly occupied by white men
This person is very unlikable when they first start traveling with the group. He is very protective of his daughter and also has the power of hyperempathy.
Grayson Mora
A formerly enslaved wife, this person joins the group after their community is attacked and burned down. They are quiet but understands the dangers of the world because of her rough background.
Zahra Moss
The conversations and quotes between characters in a story
Dialogue
A religion created by the protagonist of the story that began in the form of her journal entries that is rooted in the idea that “God is Change.”
Earthseed
The christian parable from the bible that inspired the title of this novel. Like the Sower, Lauren is seeking the best soil to grow her seed, the religion she created of Earthseed.
King James Bible’s “parable of the sower”
This character has known Lauren all their life and travels with her after their community is burned to the ground.
Harry Balter
This 57 year old is a former doctor that joins the group and is the love interest of the protagonist. He is compassionate but skeptical of religion and Earthseed.
Bankole
The way an author creates and describes a character and reveals information about that character to the reader.
Characterization
What natural and made man threat is often happening in the environment throughout the book?
Fires!
A genre of science fiction that is steeped in ancient African traditions and black identity and is rooted in and unapologetically celebrates the uniqueness and innovation of Black culture.
Afrofuturism
Baptist Minister and leader of the walled community they live in. When he disappears, the community has a ceremonial funeral for him.
Reverend Olamina (Lauren's Father)
Sisters that join the group after being rescued from the rubble of an earthquake. They are eager to help despite their troubled background and one is killed when a group of Pyros attacks them.
Allie and Jill Gilchrist
The vibe or feeling the author has set in their story.
Tone
The new community Lauren and her group decides to build from scratch on Bankole’s burned and destroyed land.
Acorn
The year the Book Parable of the Sower takes place.
2024