Up in Flames

In the last class discussion, we speculated on how much longer the gated community would last. We were all wrong. I have been watching a lot of suspense shows lately and I have yet to see a slow burn like Parable of the Sower escalate so intensely and suddenly. Unlike an episode based narrative, Butler does not have to write compelling cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. In fact, the way she chose to structure her book lends itself well to massive leaps into action that seem believable. I really like what she has done with the diary writing. 

One important thing that I noticed was a short line under the entry for Monday, August 2, 2027: "(from notes expanded Sunday, August 8). That particular day also spans two chapters. I'm not sure if these details were intentional, but they make me question the significance of Lauren's writing and how it contributes to the story in general. Clearly she writes some of these entries retrospectively, or at least after the event has happened. That might mean that she has had more time to think and process the information or perhaps that writing is what helps her process the difficult things that have happened. Also, the chapters are not completely divided by day of entry, which means that the divisions might serve some purpose? I am thinking here about how she is writing a religious text and perhaps Butler here is trying to show us that we shouldn't take all of Lauren's words at face value.

So far, hyperempathy has not caused Lauren's demise. I'm waiting in anticipation (although I doubt it will ever lead to her death). It seems that cooperation and sympathy are not dead yet. The Earth seems to be dying though. Ironically, this post is going to be published on Earth Day.