Zachary Utopia&Dystopia Blog

 One of Lauren's father's main attributes is his obsession with guns, shooting, and self-defense. Lauren's father is a Baptist minister who believes the outside world is completely out to get everyone and everything. In some ways, he is right, because of the perils in the rest of the world. His son dies after trying to maintain a life on the street, people are dying out east from disease, and Lauren's father himself ends up succumbing to drug addicts who set fires. 8.7.3

 One of Lauren's formulating experiences is the life (and death) of her brother, Keith. Keith, like Lauren, is very skeptical of Christianity, but he is a very hardened individual, desperate to prove himself in any way he can to the world. Keith is completely unempathetic to his surrounding, even admitting he shot and killed and man and speaking about it without feeling any sort of remorse whatsoever. Sadly, after living a short but semi-successful successful life on the street selling drugs (he would often drop off money to Lauren's house), he is killed, and even tortured before he dies. After he dies, the Reverand spins his death as a lesson not to leave their small neighborhood, also hinting that his rejection of religion was one of the reasons for his downfall. 8.7.3

 One of Lauren's formulating experiences is her experiences regarding Richard Moss, an African-American man in her neighborhood who practices his own religion, and his son, Peter Moss. Richard Moss' religion is a combination of "traditional" old-testament based Christiniatiy with West African ideas. Sounds quite empowering for Richard to combine his traditional culture with Judeo-Christian ideas to find a faith that truly speaks to him, right? Wrong, he's a "total shit" who uses his wealth from his decent job to pick up homeless women and make them his wives. His "religion" is extremely misogynistic, and anything but good for society. Since the Old Testament is extremely sexist, it is interesting to consider how Richard's application of these verses has to do with her view of Christianity. 8.7.3

One of the most interesting questions through the first few chapters of Parable of the Sower is the question why Lauren chooses to allow herself to be baptized despite the fact that she clearly says that she does not subscribe to her father's church, religion, or god anymore. Religion is generally something that brings people together, and I guess that this begrudging obedience is more about her relationship with her father than her relationship with religion. Since her mother died while birthing her, and her fathers' parents died in a murder many years ago, Lauren is kind of all her father has left, and I am sure it would be very painful for her father to learn she rejects his faith. 8.7.3