Moving North:
Lauren and many others chose to escape North out of the greater L.A. area in search of a better life. Many have rural plots of land or family members up north that they can escape to. Cheaper water and monetary wages are available in the northern states/Canada, along with abundant natural resources. Before the village fire, Lauren planned on leaving within the year to walk north because she felt this was her only chance at survival. Many Americans chose to travel north as a potential solution.
Debt slaves and company towns:
Privatized towns were an appealing option for many people. Bigger private companies bought out towns like Olivar in exchange for safety from natural hazards and outsiders. These privatized towns provide shelter and food for workers, but enslave them by paying insufficient wages for the cost of living. Many people in Lauren’s village found this option more feasible for survival than their own town. In Lauren’s village, adults had to take watch shifts and were always fearful of intruders. Accepting lower wages in return for security felt like a better solution for many people.
Denial/Inaction:
Lauren is desperate to make people aware of the inevitable collapse of their city, yet when she approaches people, they refuse to accept the situation. She constantly thinks ahead while others do what is best to survive the moment, inevitably denying the future. When Lauren approaches her father about moving north, he responds angrily to her bold plan because he understands the truth in her words but is more concerned with not scaring people and easing them into this truth. Lauren is greatly affected by the denial she receives from her plans to move north. Many misunderstand her plans, and the teachings of Earthseed address this frustration of denial. In her Earthseed verses, she stresses that God is Change, stating that a victim of God ” Through shortsightedness and fear/ Remain God’s victim” (Butler 1993, 31). Many find sanity in denying the changing state of their life and community, but observing this denial spurs Lauren to act and work with change.