Olamina's Hyperempathy Syndrome: Gender, Sexuality, Religion, Politics and Afrofuturism in Octavia Butler's Parables

Registration ID: IJNRD_197233

Published ID: IJNRD2305779

DOI: Click Here to Get

Samragngi Roy

afrofuturism, science fiction, post world war literature, Octavia Butler.

Octavia E. Butler is renowned for her three-volume work the Lilith's Brood which charts out the life of a nuclear war survivor, Lilith and how she negotiates with extraterrestrial beings who are out to take over the entire world. However, this paper shall aim to focus on two of Butler's groundbreaking afrofuturistic novels, Parable of the Sower (1993) and Parable of the Talents (1998), which depict the world as grappling with ravages of the 'Pox', a state of utter political, economic and social devastation, and how a farsighted teenager Lauren Oya Olamina picks up survivors on the run and goes on to create her own utopian community and religion known as the Earthseed. Furthermore, Lauren is born with a peculiar ability 'the hyperempathy syndrome' which is a side effect of the drug Paraceto that her mother regularly abused while she was pregnant with Lauren. As a result she can feel both the pain and pleasure of the people who are in her direct line of vision. But "sharers" like Lauren are condemned by the society at large. This ability was deemed more as a curse than a blessing by Lauren's family because it was considered to be an abnormality which made Lauren more vulnerable to the enemies. This paper will explore the discourse around Lauren's hyperempathy syndrome, how it directly contributes to the anti-war rhetoric and how it helps her unite people from diverse races and cultures into one self-sustaining community. Some important instances which directly refer to the hyperempathy syndrome shall be analyzed within their contexts and how the characters who possess the ability are tortured and exploited by the people in power- the religious fundamentalists who called themselves the 'Crusaders' and wanted to "Make America Great Again" under their fascist leader Andrew Steele Jarrett- shall be investigated. The question of empathy, how it helps and hinders the survivors in various circumstances, shall be analyzed focusing specifically on the message the novels want to convey about gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, politics and war within the framework of afrofuturistic science-fiction. Keywords: afrofuturism, science fiction, post world war literature, Octavia Butler.

Published Paper   E-Certificate

Samragngi Roy (May-2023). Olamina's Hyperempathy Syndrome: Gender, Sexuality, Religion, Politics and Afrofuturism in Octavia Butler's Parables. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, 8(5), h584-h589. https://ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2305779.pdf

Volume 8 Issue 5, May-2023

Pages : h584-h589

Paper Reg. ID: IJNRD_197233

Published Paper Id: IJNRD2305779

Downloads: 000121978

Research Area: Arts

Country: Chandannagar, West Bengal, India

Published Paper PDF: https://ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2305779.pdf

Published Paper URL: https://ijnrd.org/viewpaperforall?paper=IJNRD2305779

Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT(IJNRD)

ISSN: 2456-4184 | IMPACT FACTOR: 8.76 Calculated By Google Scholar | ESTD YEAR: 2016

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