In the 1993 novel Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler writes, “The destiny of Earthseed is to take root among the stars.” This is the goal of Lauren Olamina: creator of Earthseed who began developing her principles of the religion in 2024 (ominously, our current year). Earthseed is Olamina’s religion, which is comprised of many other religious and philosophical concepts of empathy and generosity all centered on the ultimate goal of humanity evolving to leave Earth and colonize other planets. This destiny of Earthseed parallels the idealized American dream of owning a home with a white picket fence—a symbol of stability and a safe place to raise a family—because it’s challenging and more improbable than not. During the 2008 housing crisis, many Americans were confronted with the reality that owning property felt as unattainable as humanity colonizing Mars. In Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, she envisions our world collapsing from the weight of economic instability, environmental catastrophe, and social and political fragmentation. Reflecting on the course concepts explored this semester, I will identify some of the parallels between Parable of the Sower and the 2008 Housing Crisis and how these connections bridge the gap between our reality and our fiction.
One similarity is in both cases is that people experienced exploitation by those in power behaving unethically to preserve and strengthen their control and position. In an alternate and fictional 2024, Parable of the Sower describes a world where the economy has collapsed, inequality is rampant, and the world is quite a bit worse than our current 2024 Earth. But beyond that, resources like food and water are even more scarce, homelessness is widespread, and much of society has descended into anarchy. The latest president, President Donner of the United States of America, has shut down the space initiatives (with the same goal as Lauren, to colonize elsewhere and abandon Earth). He promised stability and efficient use of funding but failed to address any of the crises facing society, such as economic collapse, environmental destruction, widespread poverty, hunger, mental illness, and substance abuse.
President Donner allows companies like Olivar to exploit the unemployed (which is the majority) into surrendering their rights in exchange for a job and protection from the dangers on the streets. Lauren learns about Olivar in 2026, thinking,
“Anyone KSF hired would have a hard time living on the salary offered. In not very much time, I think the new hires would be in debt to the company. That’s an old company-town trick—get people into debt, hang on to them, and work them harder. Debt slavery. That might work in Christopher Donner’s America. Labor laws, state and federal are not what they once were.” (Butler, 1993, p. 52).
Lauren is 17 years old here, reflecting on the predatory tactics utilized by both Donner and Olivar. These actions betray the trust of those who are willing to surrender all they own and know because they promised stability and security for a better life. Labor laws that once would have protected workers in these new positions have been removed and President Donner approves of the deregulation, making it much easier for companies like Olivar to exploit vulnerable people.
This is much like the disaster of the 2008 Housing Crisis, which led to the displacement of approximately 10 million Americans (Investopedia, 2021). During this time, millions of families faced foreclosure as a result of the disgustingly greedy practice done in bad faith offering high-risk subprime mortgages to individuals who could not afford them, promising the American Dream of homeownership with no background check necessary. As the housing market collapsed, the value of homes crashed which left many homeowners underwater with mortgages they could no longer pay due to sudden unemployment. Massive layoffs during the 2008 Housing crisis happened because of the economic downturn that followed the collapse of the housing market. Banks and financial institutions began failing and it had a domino effect, making it difficult for businesses to operate among other challenges. People lost their homes and savings, they spent less (which hurt industries and the economy further), and this lead to a massive loss of jobs across the board. By 2010, an estimated 8.7 million American jobs had been laid off (Gratton, 2024). This is much like the fate of the world envisioned by Butler, in which people lose what they have due to the deregulation of an authority or power in this case our 2008 Wall Street and Butler’s 2024 companies, resulting in homelessness and lack of financial stability.
Another similarity is the factor of risk in both cases. In Parable of the Sower, an example of extreme risk for chance of reward is Lauren’s brother Keith. Keith believed he was stronger, smarter, and victorious because he was willing to take and kill when he wanted to and hadn’t died yet. He truly believed he was making the best decisions, which he displays in this scene with his mother Cory. He brings her a large sum of money and she is shocked when she realizes he doesn’t intend on staying home anymore. Desperate, she clings to him pleading with her son, “ ‘No! You’ll be killed out there! What’s the matter with you? Stay home!’ ‘Mama, I won’t let him beat me again,’ he said. ‘I don’t need him hitting me and telling me what to do. Pretty soon, I’ll be able to make more money in a day than he can in a week—maybe in a month.’ (Butler, 1993, p. 43-44). Keith wants freedom and a better life, which he believes his father is not providing. He is confident in his plan and decisions because he will achieve his goals by doing it his way rather than his father’s way, just as he thought. Despite the warnings, Keith continues to make as much money as fast as he can, reflecting his desperation. Unfortunately, he dies.
Many families during the buildup to the 2008 Housing Crisis took on the risk of subprime mortgages in the hopes of achieving homeownership. They were lured in by easy access loans and the teaser low-interest rate to believe that they could afford to buy a house much sooner than they thought possible. But with adjustable rates that ballooned after the teaser period, borrowers were never expected to be able to afford their properties in the long run. When the housing market collapsed and property values dropped, many homeowners were drowning in debt, with devastating consequences for those who took on the risk and even those who didn’t (Investopedia, 2021).
In Parable of the Sower, the powerful and rich are in charge and allow those beneath them to suffer. Much how in the real world, the housing crisis revealed that taxpayer money was used to bail out major financial institutions that had been responsible for the crisis, further highlighting the consequences of unchecked corporate power and government inaction in both scenarios. In both Parable of the Sower and the 2008 Housing Crisis, people were exploited by those in power. This led some to take risks in the hope of better but faced consequences for their ambition instead. In the novel, Keith takes extreme risks because by opposing his father and pursuing fast money he will achieve independence. Similarly, in the housing crisis, many families took on the risk of subprime mortgages, but these were designed to become unaffordable over time and families suffered instead.
In both Parable of the Sower and the 2008 Housing Crisis, individuals were exploited through risky decisions driven by promises of a better life, only to suffer the consequences of unchecked power. These events highlight the dangers of corporate greed and government inaction. Reflecting on these risks is essential for understanding how power dynamics shape our world, and connects to GLOBE’s emphasis on self-improvement and reflection. The events in the fiction and non-fiction predict and communicate that history will repeat itself over and over if we fail to learn from past mistakes. It reminds us that if we don’t stop and critically examine our past and adapt we will risk allowing similar injustices to happen again.