Nabeel Utopias Blog

I found the issues regarding Bianca Montoya at beginning of chapter 8 to be quite intriguing. As more dynamics of the neighborhoods inside the walls, we see an issue of women's inclusion in society arise. Bianca Montoya has become pregnant at 17 and due to the fact that she is not married to the baby's father, there is a feud between the two families. Lauren once again thinks differently than the rest of her neighborhood, as she narrates her doubts about having a baby given the current state of their society. This is an interesting take for Lauren, as she tends to have a more positive outlook on the future than her peers. Because of the difficulty of life, she is uncertain about having children and seems more sure that Bianca is being "stupid" rather than "brave.

Lauren tends to have different views on life and the future than those in her neighborhood. After Amy's death and the cremation of her body, Lauren spends more time with Joanne who seems to be exactly what the rich want her to be: she doesn't believe they can escape their situation and simply hopes for a better life after death. Lauren is much more involved in her future and won't settle for less which I admire her for. It seems that many people agree with Lauren about the government's incompetence, but seem to be accepting and content with the fact that nothing will change. Lauren's imaginative approach sets her apart from Joanne, and so far she is alone in that approach.  

As the novel progresses, we are learning more and more about Lauren's neighborhood. Certain social dynamics are revealed that were previously hidden, which I find very interesting. There are outcasts of the neighborhood in the Dunn family, who Lauren claims are commonly known as crazy. We learn this because of the fire that Amy Dunn causes, highlighting her destructive presence. Elsewhere, Mrs. Sims' cousins have inherited her house after her suicide. They are suspicious that people robbed the house when it was empty and generally don't trust anyone despite Lauren's father's claims. This leads to Lauren disliking them, which I'm sure will lead to problems in the future. The moment anyone remotely malicious entered the neighborhood, tense conflicts arise. 

In chapter 3, we get more firsthand details about the life of poor people in 2024, which is just about everyone who isn't swimming in wealth. The news of astronaut Alica Leal's death on the latest Mars mission is publicized, to which the people in Lauren's neighborhood voice their opinions on space travel being a waste of money. As the government throws billions towards it, the majority of society lives in what would be considered poverty today. It has become fashionable to look dirty, and gasoline is cheaper than clean water. The contrast between classes is striking: as the rich are progressing, the rest are regressing.

"To the adults, going outside to a real church was like stepping back into the good old days when there were churches all over the place and too many lights and gasoline was for fueling cars and trucks instead of for torching things... To us kids––most of us––the trip was just an adventure, an excuse to go outside the wall.   We would be baptized out of duty or as a kind of insurance... " This quote sets the scene for the futuristic yet dystopian society in Parable of the Sower. It also highlights the generational divide of this society, as the majority of the youth don't follow traditional religions. The narration about being baptized as a duty is something I can relate to. Before I was around the age of 13, I viewed the visits to the Mosque as something my parents made me do and never really thought about the religion I was "practicing."

In the rather vivid scene where Winston and Julia enter the Golden Pasture of Winston's dreams, we get a deeper understanding of his feelings towards sex and how they interfere with his "date" with Julia. As they become intimate, Julia tells him that she has slept with many Party members in the past. The average citizen of Oceania would be disgusted by this information. But Winston tells her that the more men she's had sex with, the more he loves her. This moment of intimacy is fueled by Winston's desire to be as anti-Party as possible. He sees this act of love only as a way to break Party rules.  Do you guys agree? If not, why do you think Winston has this reaction?