83 pages • 2 hours read
Octavia E. ButlerParable of the Sower
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1993A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 17-19Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 17 Summary
Harry, Zahra, and Lauren are now on the 23, and they see a fire to the east of them, which reminds them of what they’ve lost. Lauren reflects that her “cold-bloodedness” bothers Harry, but he likes her verses. He distrusts her now, though. That night, when they set up camp, she hears Harry and Zahra having sex when they are supposed to be on watch duty. She is upset that no one is guarding them. After they finish, Harry falls asleep. Lauren wakes him and says he’s going to get them killed. She offers to take the watch, but his pride won’t allow it.
On US 101, they stop at a commercial water station. Lauren says her father called the thugs hanging out at these stations “coyotes.” They see one coyote grab water from a small mixed-race family. The coyote runs toward Lauren, so she trips him. She returns the water to the man traveling with a woman and child. The family remains close to Lauren’s group as they continue their journey.
They eventually reach the ocean, which none of them have seen before. Lauren asks Harry and Zahra if they mind her asking the family to join them. The family is suspicious, but Lauren feels they are natural allies. They build a fire and camp out on the beach. Three dogs come and try to steal the baby from the mother, so Lauren shoots one dog and the others flee. After that, the family does join their group. Their names are Travis Douglas, Natividad, and baby Dominic. They are going to Seattle to find work. Harry accidentally reveals that Lauren is a woman.
Natividad sees Lauren’s writing and asks about it. She asks Lauren to read some of her poetry.
Chapter 18 Summary
The group takes a day of rest on a Santa Barbara beach. Lauren marvels at how quickly Travis and Natividad have come to trust her. Travis sits by her, and they talk about Travis and Natividad’s background. They were working for a family where the situation turned untenable.
He then asks her about Earthseed’s philosophy. Lauren explains that it eschews supernatural authority figures and focuses on reality and action: “There’s power in knowing that God can be focused, diverted, shaped by anyone at all” (227). Throughout the day, Travis asks questions or challenges her about Earthseed, and the others also discuss the topic. Lauren starts to think this could be the beginning of her Earthseed community.
With that in mind, she tells Travis about Earthseed’s destiny: “to take root among the stars” (229). She says she wants to take humans to other living worlds. He thinks she’s “crazy as hell” (229) but keeps asking questions. Lauren thinks he is her first convert. Zahra is her second. She doesn’t care for the part about going out into space, but she likes the idea of creating a community where people look out for one another. As the group comes together, Lauren reflects on her progress: “Earthseed is being born right here on Highway 101” (230).
Chapter 19 Summary
The group experiences an earthquake. Lauren speaks with an older man, who also starts to walk with them. The man’s name is Taylor Franklin Bankole, and Lauren finds him very handsome. He hears two women calling for help from a collapsed house, so they go investigate. There, they find a person’s leg pinned under a beam and eventually rescue the women, Allie and Jill. They are sisters, escaping their father, who has forced them into sex work.
Since they are hurt, having them along makes the group a target, and they are attacked. Lauren stabs someone who grabs her, but she realizes that she also heard shots. Her group is fine, though; four attackers are dead, and the others have run off. The group strips the bodies, all of which have drugs on them.
Allie and Jill are grateful. They wonder where Lauren and the others are going and find out about Earthseed, and they join the group. They reach the town of Salinas, where they resupply with necessities such as food, water, and ammunition. They also buy pots, books, and an old rifle.
Chapters 17-19 Analysis
Lauren’s community begins to grow in these chapters. At first, it’s just herself, Harry, and Zahra. By the end of Chapter 19, they’ve gathered five others. This deepens her positioning as a messiah archetype—she is gathering apostles, and as the group expands, Lauren spreads the Earthseed gospel to others. She’s now discussing the topic regularly, and Butler emphasizes the value of Community Versus the Individual by revealing Earthseed’s philosophy as an iterative process. Rather than Lauren being an all-powerful prophet, intellectual discussions and challenges from her group members allow her to refine and develop her thoughts about Earthseed.
While spiritual concerns are a unifying factor between Lauren and her father, this dialectic element juxtaposes with the traditional sermons her father gives in earlier chapters. In particular, it contrasts with Lauren’s baptism, which she participates in out of obligation without engaging in the religious philosophy behind it. As such, while Butler uses biblical tropes and archetypes throughout Parable of the Sower, Earthseed is defined partly in opposition to traditional Christian beliefs. This includes patriarchal dominance—first through Lauren’s leadership role as a woman but also through her rejection of explicit hierarchies. While she is a thought leader, she values others’ thoughts and opinions and cooperative group structure, a stark contrast to many organized Christian sects. This deepens the theme of Religion as a Living Framework for Hope and Change, even for people who did not find comfort in religion in the old world.
While his role is not clear yet, these chapters also introduce Bankole, who will figure prominently in Lauren’s plans. He is older than she is, allowing him to stand in as a mentor figure in her father’s absence, and he offers advice and sanctuary to her. They also develop a romantic relationship in later chapters, which illustrates both a shift in Lauren’s character and priorities and the role of hope and love in this chaotic world.
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