Parable of the Sower: Flashbacks 1 key example

As Lauren's stepmother, Cory, explains how the environment has changed since she was younger, the reader is made aware of how much change Lauren's world has undergone in a short amount of time. As Cory says, it was "not that long ago"—within a few decades—that human life and urban centers were thriving. This passage implies that severe and sudden changes befell the generations before Lauren's, heightening the atmosphere of disaster in the novel. 

This flashback, which occurs in the first chapter, establishes crucial context for the rest of the novel. As Cory notes that there "aren't anywhere near as many" city lights, the environment is understood to feature ruins of infrastructure and city scapes. The reader becomes aware of the extent to which human invention and society have crumbled and disappeared, setting the scene for Lauren's journeys throughout the novel. In addition, Lauren's fixation on stars at a young age foreshadows how stars will become an important aspect of her religion, Earthseed. To be in a place among the stars—in space—will become the central objective of Earthseed later in the novel.