Chapters 19-21 Summary

The group is joined by Taylor Franklin Bankole, a Black doctor in his 50s. They also rescue Allie and Jill Gilchrist, two white women in their 20s, from a collapsed building. Jill reveals that she and Allie were sold into sexual slavery by their father. Bankole discovers a small orphaned white boy named Justin, and Allie becomes Justin’s caretaker.

Bankole and Lauren discuss Earthseed and the role of religion in people’s lives. Bankole compares Earthseed to faiths like Buddhism. He reminds Lauren that religions change over time, though she resists the idea that future generations might change Earthseed’s core beliefs. The two bond and become romantically involved.

Chapters 19-21 Analysis

Bankole adds historical perspective to the group. Since he’s lived through several decades, he senses self-centered patterns in human behavior that he doubts can be fixed. Bankole shares Octavia Butler’s own conviction that human nature doesn’t change; in her words, “[H]uman beings make a lot of the same mistakes over and over again.”

This section highlights the conflicting ideas about what religions mean to their followers. As Bankole points out, humans shape their faith just as much as their faith shapes them. Lauren’s dialogue with Bankole shows her she can’t control how her descendants will interpret Earthseed, since they too will adapt to change.

Communities grow by helping people in need. Most of the travelers are victims of the cruelty and exploitation of others. Now they’re striving to live a life where they’re something more—partners with and not victims of God, as Earthseed might put it. Allie, for instance, finds a role and purpose in caring for Justin.