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Grace Butler

Becky Hsu

R1A

28 October 2019

The Disappearance of Gender Roles in a Dystopia

In times of turmoil, some may argue that human nature tends to depend on family ties

and revert back to historically defined gender roles. Traditionally, the maternal instincts within

women allow them to take on the role of the nurturer whereas fathers usually channel their

masculinity into protection for their families. Both Cormac Mcarthy’s ​The Road​ and Octavia

Butler’s ​Parable of the Sower​ challenge this idea by illustrating how in times of dystopia, gender

roles may prove unnecessary.

The Road​ features a complex relationship between a father and son in the midst of a

collapsing world. From starvation and cannibalism to unimaginable weather conditions that

make them reevaluate their willingness to live, the two face just about every inconceivable

circumstance on their journey. Through and through, the father acts as a role-model and keeper

of his son, balancing survival with love and hoping for the good within them to prevail over all

the evil they encounter. On the other hand, the coming of age novel, ​Parable of the Sower​,

highlights the development of a young girl’s maturity and leadership abilities. Following the

death of her father and the destruction of her-walled community, Lauren Olamina begins to head

north in hopes of establishing her own community. As she progresses, she gains many followers

who will eventually be the founding members of her new society, Acorn. Throughout the novel,

Lauren goes against typical stereotypes about physical and mental strength despite her age or
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gender. The father from ​The Road​ and Lauren Olamina share an affinity in their ability to

assume the role of a “gender-neutral” guardian to ultimately protect the ones they care for.

Amidst a post-apocalyptic world, McCarthy’s novel tests the extent to which a father will

go to protect his son. Following the death of the boy’s mother and the father’s companion, the

unnamed man and boy begin a seemingly endless expedition south. The father often displays

typically paternal actions shown when an enemy “[grabs] the boy… and [comes] up holding him

against his chest with the knife at his throat. The man [levels] the pistol and [fires]… The man

[falls] back instantly and lay[s] with blood bubbling from the hole in his forehead” (66).

Typically, guns relay power and dominance - two characteristics that are most inherently

associated with men. The guns, therefore, prove his masculine stereotype to be true as he uses

violence as a way to protect his son. On the other hand, the father also counteracts his

masculinity by showcasing a softer, more feminine side to his son. As the two lay on the brink of

death out in the cold, the father “held the boy close to him. So thin. My heart, he said. My heart”

(29). Not only does the man hold the boy for body warmth, he holds him out of love and

compassion. More often than not, women are the ones who provide comfort through touch.

However, the man goes against this stereotype and breaks down the barrier of physical closeness

between a father and son. In both scenarios, the father adjusts his role to either assume masculine

or femenine acts for the wellbeing and survival of his son.

Since the boy is all that the father has and the father is all that the boy has, each serve as

the other’s only motivation for survival. Their mutual dependency on one another gives them a

unique bond shown when the boy asks his father “What would you do if I died?” (McCarthy 11)

and the father responds by saying “If you died I would want to die too” (11) then the boy asks,
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“So you could be with me?” (11) in which the father replies “Yes. So I could be with you” (11).

Knowing that all they have is one another, the father’s loyalty holds true until the very end. Such

a characteristic was lacking from the boy’s mother, evident in her choice of suicide over

partaking in “the road” alongside her partner and son. Traditionally, men and fathers are not as

open or expressive of their emotions but once again, the father goes against this. Furthermore,

normally mothers assume the care-giver position but the father’s unique ability to presume a

typical maternal act highlights his “gender role fluidity.” Because the father holds sole

responsibility for the boy, his role varies depending on the circumstance and which gender role

he must assume to best fit the needs of him and his son.

In Butler’s novel, the main character, Lauren Olamina, shows a similar disregard for

gender roles as the father in ​The Road.​ The Olamina family lives in an outskirt of Los Angeles in

the walled-community of Robledo. Lauren Olamina is brought up with a reverend father,

stepmother, and four half-brothers. Since Lauren is the oldest of her siblings and both her parents

have steady jobs, Lauren often cooks dinner for the boys and tends to act as another mother to

them. Furthermore, Lauren’s stepmother, Cory, is a teacher. Because of this, Lauren teaches

some of the students at her school and occasionally takes over some of Cory’s classes when she

cannot teach. As for Lauren’s father, he deeply values religion and brings up his children as

Baptists. Despite his religious nature and the precept of violence being opposed by deeply

religious people, he uses violence to protect his family at all costs. He allows his paternal sense

of morality triumph over “thou shalt not kill,” God, and religion. Reverend Olamina explains,

“you can put your guns out of [your children’s] reach while they’re very young, and train them

as they grow older. I believe they’ll have a better chance of growing up if you can protect
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them… I have a wife and five children... I will pray for them all… And for as long as I can, I will

stand between my family and any intruder” (39). Dating back to hunter-gatherer times, men have

almost always been the main source of security for the family. Reverend Olamina follows this

lineage with his own principles of providing safety for his wife and kids, however, he transmits

the same competence in to all of his children, most importantly to his only daughter, Lauren.

When Robledo finally collapses from external invasion, Lauren is left alone on a trek North to

establish a new community, Acorn, in which she hopes to center around her new religion,

Earthseed. As she progresses up through the state of California, Lauren formulates a following of

survivors and stragglers.

The motherly role that Lauren had in Robledo transitions into more of a fatherly role in

Acorn. Although only eighteen and female, Lauren proves herself as vital for the safety and

prosperity of the new community. Since Lauren has hyperempathy, she feels the pain of others;

so when she kills someone, she essentially feels the pain of being killed herself. When her group

becomes compromised, Lauren “aim[s] [her] .45 two-handed, and [waits] for a clear shot at

Emery’s attacker… in that brief window of time… [she] shot him… [she] felt his pain… then he

[topples] and [she] [collapses] with him ” (296). Lauren proceeds to kill two more men, therefore

“killing” herself three times within the battle. Lauren, without thinking twice, puts herself

directly in to the center of combat, risking her own health for the safety for the men and women

of her currently nomadic community. To further highlight Lauren’s dominant position amongst

the group, “Only Bankole and [Lauren] carried fully loaded guns. [Lauren] led the group and he

brought up the rear” (244). Since holding the position of front or the rear is most dangerous, it

would normally be inferred that men do so while the women remain safer in the middle. Lauren,
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however, takes matters of combat in to her own hands instead of relying on the men for the

complete responsibility of fighting. Her nor the other members care if she’s a girl, she is just as

much, if not more, of an asset to them based off of her extensive combative skills taught to her

by her father. Lauren’s gender role develops throughout the novel as she assumes whatever

position is necessary to suit the needs of her old and new community.

What may seem like two strikingly different dystopic novels come together through

commonalities shared by their main characters as they fight to protect themselves and the others

that they become responsible for. As the father adds on the role of his son’s mother for the sake

of their safety and wellbeing, Lauren assumes the same roles of both her parents to her new

community; each balancing love and trying to prevent peril. Separately but similarly, the father

in ​The Road a​ nd Lauren redefine what it means to be male and female. More specifically, they

challenge previously defined conceptions on what roles males and females must typically play.

Both characters model the ideal gender-neutral or gender-empowered guardian, putting the safety

and needs of those who they are responsible for before society-given stereotype or roles.
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Works Cited

Butler, Octavia E. ​Parable of the Sower.​ Grand Central Publishing, 2019.

McCarthy, Cormac. ​The Road.​ Vintage Books, 2006.