Kindred
My summer class has now commenced. From here on out, I may talk alot about the books we will be reading. The first book is Kindred by Octavia Butler. The story follows the travels of Dana, a 20th century Black woman who time travels back to the early 1800's to save her ancestry. In doing so, she is confronted with slavery head on and the relations between white and Black. Today, we were only supposed to read the first few chapters, but because I am such an avid reader, I am already done with the book. We discussed the ways in which history plays a role in the novel. What I find interesting is that Dana has three different histories. She has her modern history that she has lived, there is the 1800's history, and there is Dana's history while she time travels back in time. The book takes place in the Ante Bellum south of Maryland. Because Maryland is a border slave state, there is the hope of escape by Dana and her fellow slaves. Dana is also married to a white man, Kevin. Their relationship throughout the novel is quite interesting. In the beginning, Kevin is a very supporting and understanding husband even when Dana returns from vanishing from their living room. Kevin witnesses her vanishings and views her returns. These facts allow him to believe her stories of time travel. She returns the first time wet and muddy after saving Rufus Weylin (her ancestor) and the second time bloody and bruised after fighting a patroller who threatened to rape her and turn her over to a slaveowner. What allows this novel to become relatable to the reader is the time travel as impossible as it seems. We, as readers, do not see slavery from a slave's point of view. We see the plantation and its workings from a modern woman's point of view.
A major theme of the book is survival. Dana must set aside her morals and ethics in order to get by. She must play the part of slave or housewoman in order to stay at the house and be within reach of Rufus. Even though she is much more educated than even the plantation owner, Tom Weylin, there are physical and emotional barriers that are difficult for Dana. Because she was not raised in slave culture, she does not have the thick skin that most Black men and women do. She also does not have the physical or emotional strength that is required. The beatings that a normal male slave could endure would kill Dana. She does have her intelligence that allows her to manipulate situations so that they give her an advantage. Especially with Rufus when he is a little boy. Through subsequent visits, Rufus gets older and Dana stays the same age. People from the 1800's begin to see that she is special - she doesn't age and wears men's clothes (pants).
What I find most interesting is that she must ensure that life as she knows it must continue. When she returns, it is always to save Rufus from dying one way or another and she can only return when she feels her life is in danger. Dana makes sure that Rufus and Alice have their baby girl, who is (I believe) Dana's great-grandmother. I will not ruin the end, but Dana does eventually end her travels back in time.
I will keep you updated with further discussion. Seriously, read this book!