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Nostalgia clouds judgement

The most recent reading focused largely on the narrator's expectations and plans for the future. She anticipates a scenario in which her neighborhood will be forced out of their homes, and wants to prepare for survival without the few modern comforts they still have access to. However, as soon as she tells people about her plan they push back strongly, convinced that such a situation will never form. The furthest she gets is with her father, who recognizes that an evacuation is inevitable but wants her to stay out of it. 

Throughout the first chapters of Parable of the Sower, we have seen a longing for the past, particularly in the adults. Their longing for better times clouds their ability to see the future. This nostalgia creates a generational divide within the community. This reminds me of current generational divides that are fueled by nostalgia. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is the "Make America Great Again" slogan of Donald Trump. This idea that the past was a better time clouds judgement and ignores the issues of the past. I agree with our narrator's forward-thinking mindset, and I hope that she doesn't have to abandon her community to stay alive.

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