To begin, I would not recommend either Parable of the Sower nor "Children of Men" while eating. This may seem like a spontaneous, and irrelevant point to make, but in fact, it seems to be a rather integral one. The shocking, often gruesome, and always jarring scenes of violence and unrest in both of these works serves as a pro-active attempt to force the observer out of his or her comfort zone. These works obtain the level of attention and emotional significance by striking on situations that logically follow from our actions today in a very real sense. It is not only the gore that stirs my stomach, but also the fact that both media outlets create logical, linear outcomes to current societal problems - and not only that, but they are not welcome conclusions.

Racial equity and future societies seem to go hand in hand with each other when it comes to idyllic and expected futures, but from a realistic point of view, this is not possible without an upheaval of the incredible stigmas society heaps on its participators. At this particular moment in time, the scales weigh heavily on the side of prejudice and discrimination. Although it is quaint to assume that the simple movement of time will change this, Parable of the Sower makes it very clear through the character Lauren, and "Children of Men" through Theo, that our reality and change in it is an inevitability that can only be acted upon by people of action. Those who sit by and allow time and change to pass without them can only expect, as was mentioned briefly in Parable, that the universe will follow the 2nd law of thermodynamics - entropy will increase, and society will grow cold.

The significance of having two female, black women as almost-religious symbols of the future is an important one. It signals an escape from the white, male protagonist trope, but also invites in the ideas of going back to spiritual roots of ancient African traditions. From Lauren's last name to Kee's chanting, there is a return to the past in order to reshape the future. In a more negative sense, this concept is contrasted with the decrepitude of the urban environments which are becoming more and more run down and uncivilized. This de-evolution allows the problem of race and alienation to be exacerbated, and thus invites the idea in a backtrack progress both in cities but also in society.