Parable of the Sower and the financial crisis of 2008 have an abundance of similarities and themes that present themselves throughout each story. Although one is fictional and one is based on a true event they have a way of connecting with each other in various manners. Parable of Sower is set in a dystopian based society that lacks government intervention and includes extreme economic struggle and disparity. There is a large theme of displacement and fighting to keep a stable home. Throughout the story we are presented with various struggles within the community such as protecting families from danger, drug use and terrible hygiene and expulsion from living situations. A coming goal for the main character in Parable of the Sower, Lauren, is a constant pursuit of change within people’s morals and a pursuit to find peace and security for all. She calls her teachings of these values “Earthseed”. Earthseed is her own “religion” in which she sets out on a proselytization to try and help as many people as she possibly can. The reason she sets out on her own is because she was expelled from her living conditions due to the threat of violence, robbery and arson within her own community. These themes of pressure have a direct correlation throughout the 2008 financial crisis in a multitude of different ways. Commonalities between the two books include economic inequality, societal morals, housing insecurity, trust and reliance on public systems.
The Parable of the Sower has a society based on extreme wealth disparity with few elites holding wealth and resources while the less fortunate are left to fend for themselves. This ties directly to the 2008 financial crisis because people who couldn’t afford the housing they were getting into were preyed upon by brokers and large corporations for their monetary benefit. In the crisis people were offered mortgages that they would never be able to actually afford causing an eventual burst leading to hundreds of thousands of people losing their homes. In Parable of a Sower there are different communities, those who are protected and have enough money to provide for their families and then those left to provide security for themselves. Similarly between both the Parable of the Sower and the financial crisis people with less economic power and freedom were left vulnerable to collapse. This can be seen in Parable of the Sower when Lauren and her family are forced to leave their home because of growing threats of violence. The same is true for the lower class during the financial crisis in that when the “bubble popped” on the mortgages those with not enough money to cover the insane inflation and costs were forced to find housing elsewhere oftentimes at underwhelming, overpriced locations. There is a theme of financial deregulation within both stories as well. In the Parable of the Sower there is an example in which Lauren states she is taking three thousand dollars with her for food that will only provide for about a week. This is mirrored in the financial crisis when the same AAA mortgage bonds that were once worth hundreds of dollars only sold for fractions of what they were once worth. Inflation is a major connection between both stories as it causes the characters and real world people to both live out of their means and struggle to make ends meet.
Societal morals is another major theme that arises throughout both the Parable of the Sower and the financial crisis of 2008. In some form or another people were able to get away with pretty much whatever they wanted without government intervention or penalty from the law. This concept ties back to our course concept of moral hazard. Moral hazard is defined as a lack of incentive to guard against risk where one is protected from consequence. This term had direct correlation to both the 2008 financial crisis and Parable of the Sower. More specifically in the 2008 crisis large banking firms and other mortgage agencies avoided fair penalties from the law after the crisis had been pinpointed on their actions and decisions. These bankers knew what they were doing would eventually cause harm to people being given these outrageous mortgages. This understanding of these moral wrongdoings paired with the reliance on minimum penalties and avoidance of legal trouble allowed them to commit acts of moral hazard. The same concept is true within Parable of the Sower in relation to the dystopian society and how it functioned. The book strongly suggests a society in which is chaotic and lawless. There are instances throughout the book where left and arson are committed without a consequence of law. These acts play a huge role in the community security of Lauren and her neighbours in the manner that when these acts become more prevalent there isn’t much they can do about it. These criminals understand that they can get away with this without anything happening putting communities and almost all citizens in danger. To me this connects with both the financial crisis and the Parable of the Sower because the bankers and lenders and the criminals in Parable of the Sower can be grouped together. They both institute a mindset of being able to get away with anything to personally benefit themselves. Another aspect of societal morals that connects between the two is drug use and addiction. In the Parable of the Sower it is extremely common to see many people openly using drugs on the street and almost becomes a way of life that is normal within many communities. The same can go for the analysts and brokers of wall street and other financial areas during the time leading up to the financial crisis as cocaine and other stimulants became highly popular. The addictive qualities reach further than just the drugs but also the money as well. In both The Parable of the Sower and the crisis the desire to acquire money through any means necessary proved to deteriorate the very fabric of order and moral integrity.
Another concept that happens in Parable of the Sower that brings forth comparison with the 2008 financial crisis is the theme of housing insecurity. Probably the largest topic about Parable of the Sower is a journey to spread ideas forced out of the fact of expulsion. Laurens journey to spread the ideas of “Earthseed” are caused because her home became dangerous and unable to live at. This connects with the financial crisis because once the bubble had popped there became a point where people were unable to keep their homes and be forced to find housing elsewhere. This idea also ties into the fact of trust in public systems. Without the security and backing of government in both Parable of the Sower and in the real world situation of 2008, families were forced to fend for themselves as governments were rendered susceptible and weak. Having faith that a government can help regulate and protect your family was no longer a viable option and left people vulnerable to expulsion and unavoidable change.
Parable of the Sower and the 2008 financial crisis have powerful narratives that highlight the consequences of unchecked economic systems, social inequality and moral decay. They both depict worlds that are left to fend for themselves as structures set in place had failed to protect them. After reading Parable of a Sower we can see how wealth disparity, housing insecurity and lack of societal morals can push individuals to seek new hope and survival. Ultimately both the Parable of the Sower and the financial crisis reveal a need for change whether it be through Laurens quest of spreading the “Earthseed” or financial law reform from the United states government. When looking at an overview of both of the stories we are reminded about the importance of maintaining strong responsible governance, ethics and moral integrities to prevent the failure of societies in the future.