I Hate it Here Everyone is Dead

In chapter 13 Wardell remarks that "I hate it here, everyone's dead" and Lauren feels bad for him. Throughout the book, people are constantly dying and going through horrendous experiences. I would think that will Lauren's hyper empathy, this would be more of an issue. 

Since Lauren is young and has lost all of her family, her syndrome makes me wonder how she has made it through everything. She has persevered throughout it all, and ends up surviving, and with a bf! Despite her friends and family dying she continues to pursue new land and the dream of Earthseed, surprisingly enough, searching for joy.

I would think that seeing all that death and destruction would be debilitating, and she honestly wouldn't make it. However, the end of this book was a pleasant surprise as I really liked Lauren as a character. Though it might have been cynical of me to think she was going to die, it seemed like Earthseed would not "flourish."

What did you think of the ending and Lauren as a character? Do you think her hyper empathy was a debilitating aspect of her personality? Or was it motivating?

Comments

  1. L. MoffittMay 21, 2021 at 7:35 AM

    Ultimately I think maybe her hyper-empathy is never quite an asset to her; Butler doesn't get that sentimental about it. I think she sees it as something she has to learn to deal with so that it isn't a liability. That kind of worked for me.

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