"The Parable of the Sower," depicts a post-apocalyptic world in which the citizens within the United States live within walled cities. However outside of those cities, rape, murder, theft, etc run rampant to the point where only those within the city walls are safe. With the amount of trouble and danger that exists within this society, it would seem that the majority of the people would be sensible and understanding of their surroundings. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The only one who is truly sensible is Lauren Olamina, the main character of the book. She understands or at least tries to understand what is going on in the world.
In order to live in a city, such as the one presented in the Parable of the Sower, having a sense of unity would be necessary. However, the city is still as separate as ever. Mrs. Sims and Mr. Moss are prime examples of this. Mrs. Sims was an old woman who lived by herself and ridiculed every person who was not like her. She had a racist attitude that kept her isolated from the rest of the community. Mr. Moss was the same way. He thought that it was important that people of the same race stick closely together. According to Zahra, Mr. Moss' first wife, he did not allow for his wives to communicate with people outside of the family. With situations such as these running rampant throughout the walled city, unity could not be obtained. It is impossible to have a sense of togetherness when people do not trust one another based on the color of their skin. The choice to remain separate was not sensible at all considering the fact that outsiders continued to rob and attack people living within the walled city. .
Those who left the walled city to live somewhere else where not sensible either. Keith, for example, knew what life was like outside of the gate. However, he chose to leave his family and try to venture out on his own using his limited skills set. In the end, the choice he made led to his downfall and eventual death.