How will the book end?

I have no idea how the book is going to end. I have a feeling it’s not going to be a very satisfying ending, I think we will be left with a lot of questions as to what is going to happen with the characters after the end of the book. I don’t think the book will end with them finding a better life in the north, though they may make it to the north, I’m just not convinced farther up north is actually going to be any better. I think it is more likely to end with Lauren having built a solid religion/community around her religion than them finding a new home. Although it is possible that both could be accomplished, I just think that would be a weirdly happy ending for such a dark book. What do you think? Will there be a happy ending of sorts or not at all? Could the story end with them all dying?


Comments

  1. L. MoffittMay 7, 2021 at 7:17 AM

    This is a difficult book to predict. Butler keeps us guessing, for sure. I think many of us predicted the ending of 1984 (or at least knew it wasn't going to be happy), but Parable? Not so much. That said, it's interesting that, I would guess, many readers don't expect Parable to have a happy ending. We know there's a sequel, so it could be an ambiguous ending, but what is it about dystopian lit that precludes satisfactory resolution?

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    1. BronwynMay 7, 2021 at 7:22 AM

      I think there's a theme, at least through the books we've read, of dystopian societies being inescapable, that once you reach that level of terror, for lack of a better word, it becomes inescapable and therefore there are no happy endings.

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    2. L. MoffittMay 7, 2021 at 7:32 AM

      That is interesting -- as though dystopia is an endgame. Maybe that's part of the "slippery slope" idea -- taken to the nth degree, our society will be toast and there's no untoasting.

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