Parable of the Talents

Through figures such as Lauren, Jarret, and Marcus, Butler’s novel offers contrasting leadership models. What do you think Butler believed made someone a good leader? Do different circumstances create a need for different kinds of leadership, and is Lauren a better leader before, during, or after the collapse of Acorn?

President Jarret runs for office on a platform of “Make America Great Again,” which foreshadows a key slogan Donald Trump used during the 2016 election. Of the events depicted in the novel (the rise of religious fundamentalism and persecution, wars with other nearby nations, ongoing crisis due to climate change), which seem like they could most possibly occur? As the time setting of the novel (2027 and onwards) grows closer, how accurate do you think Butler’s vision of America will be?

Why are Larkin and Lauren never able to reconcile even when they finally reunite? Why does Larkin end up considering Marcus, but not Lauren, to truly be her family? Compare and contrast the criteria different characters use to define their family.

Most of Butler’s novel takes place in a dystopian future America, with characters only leaving Earth at the novel’s very end. What features typically associated with the science fiction genre are present in the novel, and which are absent? What opportunities and limits does the use of the science fiction genre create for Butler?

What do the people drawn to Earthseed tend to have in common? Why does this religion appeal to them? Would Earthseed’s teachings still be appealing if not for Lauren’s charismatic leadership?

In Butler’s novel, both male and female characters experience significant dangers and hardships. How do the men and women in the novel respond differently to experiences of suffering and trauma? Do factors other than gender seem to play a role in how characters cope and survive?

Larkin believes that Earthseed’s focus on setting up colonies on other planets is selfish given that “so much needed to be done here on earth” (377). Do you agree or disagree? Why is Lauren so focused on the goal of sending humans to other planets? Based on the community modeled at Acorn, are these interstellar communities likely to be successful?

The Biblical story told by Jesus about servants entrusted with money (“talents”) is an important intertext in the novel. What message does the parable teach, and how does it relate to the themes of Butler’s novel? Why does Butler use a Biblical story, given that the novel is often critical of religion in general and Christianity in particular?