Lauren's Trauma and Earthseed

By the time we near the end of the novel, it is clear that Lauren has undergone an inordinate amount of trauma in her past few years, far more than the majority of people are forced to bear in their lifetime. Lauren's childhood is a dystopia on Earth, as her living environment is completely chaotic. First, it is her brother who falls prey to the world around them, as he is brutally tortured before being killed. Then, her entire neighborhood is burned by drug addicts, and most of her family killed, as she has to begin to migrate to the North. She's gone through so much trauma she needs something to cling to that helps her maintain hope in hard times, and Earthseed is this.

8.7.3