Thursday, November 28, 2019
Religion in Octavia Butlers Parable of the Sower
The main reason why Octavia Butlerââ¬â¢s 1993 dystopic novel Parable of the Sower is being commonly referred to, as such that represents a high literary value, is that the themes and motifs, contained in it, are discursively relevant. That is, they do reflect peopleââ¬â¢s anxieties, in regards to the challenges of a post-industrial living.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Religion in Octavia Butlerââ¬â¢s Parable of the Sower specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of these challenges is the fact that, as time goes on; the religious appeal of Christianity to Americans continues to become ever more undermined. This simply could not be otherwise, because for even mildly intelligent people, the Biblical fables about Sun standing still in the sky, talking donkeys and Saint Mary becoming impregnated by the ââ¬Ëholy ghostââ¬â¢ appear rather unconvincing, so say the least. The same can be said about the p rovisions of Christian morality, based upon the vicious assumption that there are ââ¬Ëchosen peopleââ¬â¢, favored by God, on the one hand, and ââ¬Ëinfidelsââ¬â¢ that will be eventually thrown into the ââ¬Ëlake of fireââ¬â¢, on the other. At the same time, however, the overwhelming majority of Americans continue experiencing an urge to be spiritually guided. In its turn, this causes many people to think that there are now objective preconditions for the creation of a new religion, which would be both: thoroughly humanistic and conceptually consistent with an ongoing social, cultural and technological progress. This is what Butlerââ¬â¢s novel is all about. In it, the author provided readers with an insight as to how religion and science could be successfully combined together ââ¬â hence, creating a ââ¬Ëspiritual productââ¬â¢, thoroughly adjusted to the challenges of modernity. Nevertheless, even though that, as it will be illustrated later, the fictious religion of Earthseed (described in the novel) is in fact scientifically legitimate, there are still a few discursive shortcomings to how the author went about reflecting upon this religionââ¬â¢s social implications. Probably the most important qualitative aspect of Butlerââ¬â¢s novel is that, even though that its plot unravels in the dystopic future, readers nevertheless do emotionally relate to the charactersââ¬â¢ experiences of living in the ââ¬Ëgodlessââ¬â¢ universe.Advertising Looking for term paper on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After all, just as it happened to be the case with the novelââ¬â¢s main character Lauren Olamina, they do often experience the disturbing sensation that there is too much injustice and violence in this world. Such their sensation, of course, contradicts the Christian dogma there is all-loving and omnipotent God, who answers peopleââ¬â¢s prayers. Yet, as it was illustrated in the novel, it is not only due to the ââ¬Ëclassicalââ¬â¢ Godââ¬â¢s de facto absence that spiritually sensitive people find it hard to deal with the objective realityââ¬â¢s emanations, but also due to their own intellectual inflexibility. As Lauren noted: A lot of people seem to believe in a big-daddy-God or a big-cop-God or a big-king-God. They believe in a kind of super-person. A few believe God is another word for nature. (8) These Laurenââ¬â¢s words, of course, reveal her as a pantheist, who knew perfectly well that there is very little rationale in believing that God is an individual, capable of experiencing the human emotions of love, fear and anger: My God doesnââ¬â¢t love me or hate me or watch over me or know me at all, and I feel no love for or loyalty to my God. My God just is. (22) At the same time, however, it could not escape Laurenââ¬â¢s attention that there is an apparent order in the universe, which given the main characte rââ¬â¢s perceptual idealism, was causing her to consider the possibility that, even though there is no ââ¬Ëbig-daddy Godââ¬â¢, the ââ¬Ëdivinityââ¬â¢ is still there. Lauren revealed the true nature of ââ¬Ëdivinityââ¬â¢ in what can be well defined as the ââ¬Ëmanifestoââ¬â¢ of her newly found quasi-religion of Earthseed: All that you touch, you Change. All that you change, Changes you. The only lasting truth is Change. God is Change. (51)Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Religion in Octavia Butlerââ¬â¢s Parable of the Sower specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More What gives Lauren a particular credit, in this respect, is that the earlier mentioned theological provisions of Earthseed are fully consistent with the most recent breakthroughs in the fields of biology and physics. After all, todayââ¬â¢s scientists are thoroughly aware of the fact that, while remaining in the state of a const ant transformation (due to the forces of gravity), the chaotically dispersed universeââ¬â¢s matter has a tendency to self-organize itself into complex structures. As one of the 20th centuryââ¬â¢s most prominent scientists Alan Turing pointed out: Chaotic substratum, although it may originally be quite homogeneous, may later develop a pattern or structure due to an instability of the homogeneous equilibrium, which is triggered off by random disturbances. (37) The full soundness of this statement can be well illustrated in relation to the grains of sand in the desert, which never cease self-organizing themselves into ripples, waves and dunes ââ¬â quite contrary to the fact that these grains have no awareness of the shape they become a part of. This also explains the seemingly intelligent design of organic life-forms ââ¬â this design comes as an ultimate result of a physical matter/energy, on the one hand, and the forces of gravity, on the other, continuing to interact fo r the duration of billions and billions of years. What it means is that there is indeed no God, in the traditional sense of this word. What causes the universe to be observably complex and even ââ¬Ëintelligently designedââ¬â¢ to an extent, is the never-ending flow of energy from the universeââ¬â¢s ââ¬Ëenergetically richââ¬â¢ regions to the ââ¬Ëenergetically poorââ¬â¢ ones, which will eventually result in the ââ¬Ëenergetic deathââ¬â¢ of the universe ââ¬â the so-called state of ââ¬Ëuniversal entropyââ¬â¢. Nevertheless, even though that we are now well aware that there is no ââ¬Ëbig-daddy Godââ¬â¢, we cannot help but to experience awe, while exposed to the wonders of the universe. This sensation of awe, on our part, is where the ââ¬Ëdivinityââ¬â¢ actually resides. Therefore, Laurenââ¬â¢s suggestion that God is Change is thoroughly valid ââ¬â Change is what causes Complexity, and Complexity is what we commonly perceive in terms of God.Advertising Looking for term paper on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This, of course, implies that we should not seek God up in the sky, but rather within. The fact that we, as the representatives of Homo Sapiens species, have evolved to the point that we now understand the universeââ¬â¢s mechanics, without having to evoke the notion of ââ¬Ëbig-baddy Godââ¬â¢, makes us nothing short of semi-gods ourselves. As such, we have the responsibility to act ethically ââ¬â even in times when this undermines our chances of a physical survival. Hence, the Earthseedââ¬â¢s foremost ââ¬Ëcommandmentââ¬â¢: The weak can overcome the strong if the weak persist. Persisting isnââ¬â¢t always safe, but itââ¬â¢s often necessary. (79) Apparently, Lauren knew that, in order to encourage people to behave in a socially appropriate manner, they should not be constantly reminded of the prospect of being sent to hell, on the account of their ââ¬Ësinsââ¬â¢, but that they should instead be provided with incentives to remain fully aware of the behavi oral implications of their basic humanity. Nevertheless, as it was mentioned in the Introduction, Butlerââ¬â¢s vision of the ââ¬Ëfuture religionââ¬â¢ cannot be thought of as such that represents an indisputable truth-value. This is because; there are a number of good reasons to think that, even if Lauren did succeed in setting up the communities of ââ¬Ëearthseedsââ¬â¢ across America, her newly founded ââ¬ËChurch of Earthseedââ¬â¢ would not remain functional for too long. After all, throughout the course of the novel, Laura continues to position herself as a somewhat socially-withdrawn person, who believed that the pathway towards making people more gentle towards each other is being concerned with suppressing the truth about the fact, in the biological sense of this word, they are nothing but hairless primates. For example, Laura does not seem to understand that peopleââ¬â¢s endowment with the sense of greed cannot be dealt with mechanistically, because being primates; it is in our very nature to act selfishly. This is the reason why there are strongly defined Communist overtones to her concept of a ââ¬Ëspiritually richââ¬â¢ communal living. As Phillips noted: According to Lauren, the moral destiny of earthseed is ââ¬Ëto take root among the starsââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ ¦ But this spiritual and political ideal is rendered impossible by a social order based on stark economic polarities. (304) Yet, according to the laws of nature, which define the qualitative dynamics in just about every human society, without ââ¬Ëpolaritiesââ¬â¢ (inequality), the continual flow of energy that enables Change, in the first place, would have been impossible. After all, the notion of equality is synonymous with the notion of entropy (chaos). In other words, the way in which Lauren went about conceptualizing how the communes of ââ¬Ëearthseedsââ¬â¢ should operate, contradicted her own understanding of Change, as the driving force of ââ¬Ëdivinityâ â¬â¢. There is also another reason to think that the religion of Earthseed would have proven short-lived ââ¬â while elaborating on the proper ways of a ââ¬Ëspiritually richââ¬â¢ living, Butler never ceased to promote the idea that, as compared to what it happened to be the case with men, women are better suited to act as the communityââ¬â¢s leaders. This explains why Parable of the Sower has been traditionally referred to as an unmistakably feminist novel (Miller 337). Nevertheless, it does not take a scientist to understand that promoting philosophies that add to already existing tensions between the representatives of opposite genders can hardly be deemed socially productive. The fact that even today, the feminist movement continues to be strongly associated with the notion of mental deviation (which explains this movementââ¬â¢s marginal status), substantiates the validity of this suggestion. Thus, it will only be logical to conclude this paper by reinstating onc e again that there is indeed a good rationale in referring to Butlerââ¬â¢s Parable of the Sower, as an intellectually enlightening novel. This is because, as it was shown earlier, Butlerââ¬â¢s idea, as to what the ââ¬Ëfuture religionââ¬â¢ should be all about, does adhere to what todayââ¬â¢s scientists know about how the universe actually function. Unfortunately, as it appears from the novel, the sheer strength of Butlerââ¬â¢s prophetic powers, as an advocate of the new post-industrial religion, does not seem to correlate with her somewhat undermined insightfulness, as an individual who understands the qualitative essence of dynamics in just about every human society. Works Cited Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Sower, New York: Warner, 1995. Print. Miller, Jim. ââ¬Å"Post-Apocalyptic Hoping: Octavia Butlerââ¬â¢s Dystopian/Utopian Vision.â⬠à Science Fiction Studies 25.2 (1998): 336-360. Print. Phillipsï ¼Å'Jerry. ââ¬Å"The Intuition of the Future: Utopia and Catastrophe in Octavia Butlerââ¬â¢s Parable of the Sower.â⬠Novel 35.2/3 (2002): 299-311. Print. Turing, Alan. ââ¬Å"The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis.â⬠Philosophicalà Transactions of the Royal Society of London 237.641 (1952): 37-72. Print. 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