Revisiting Kindred
Discussion today goes much more in depth into the book and the symbolism.
How does 'home' play a part in Kindred? Home for Dana is attached mainly to the people. She considers home to be with Kevin, her husband, and also with Rufus and Alice because they are her ancestors. Her need to belong, especially in the past, is her home. Because she belongs with Kevin, she calls that her home. But then, does she belong to Alice and Rufus? I believe that because she has a sense of belonging from them is why she feels the way she does. She doesn't take any crap from anybody else, but from Rufus and Alice, she seems to break down and take what they seem to throw at her. Her lines and boundaries with Rufus are strict and mostly adhered to by the both of them, and when those lines are crossed, both are punished.
Why is the 20th Century less vivid to Dana? The past is more real because the necessity of survival and panic of violence against her body is much higher than in 1976. Dana also feels as if she has stopped acting and truly become the submissive slave that she is supposed to be. She questions herself "when did I stop acting?" If you pretend or act to be a certain way in order to survive, it will become a part of your life and your behavior.
Kevin and Rufus fell the same way towards Dana. Both fear her leaving and never coming back. Kevin's way of coping with his pain and his fear is quite different and is a quiet sort of fear. Rufus on the other hand, threatens to kill and hurt Dana to stop her from leaving, which, coincidentally, does send her home at one point.
What about Carrie? She is one of the most pivotal characters even though she is not a 'major' character. She doesn't speak, but she seems to always understand and get her message across. Rufus' life long friend, Nigel, allows for Nigel and Carrie's family to have a home and a safe place to live. Carrie seems to be able to transcend situations and understand what is going on behind closed doors and what the big picture is. She also influences Dana significantly. She seems to slow Dana down and get her to realize what she had not yet thought of.
Against her will, Dana also becomes a maternal figure after Sarah dies. The children look to her to teach them to read and write and the older slaves look to her to guidance. Rufus especially depends on her like a mother because she has saved his life so many times. The relationship that Rufus has with Dana can easily be described as a mother-son relationship because they seem to hate each other but never are able to completely hate because they have a very deep connection. Even Tom Weylin seems to view Dana as an untouchable and as Rufus' other mother. Towards the end, Tom begins to think of Dana as a witch or 'other' being more so than a white/black woman-who-wears-pants. Although Dana resists this maternal role in history, she seems to embrace the advantages it brings her.
I also find Alice's and Dana's relationship interesting. People around the plantation view them as sisters because there is a love between them that is strong and because they fight like family - with love that always overrides anger or hatred. Alice is trustworthy for Dana and viceversa. Dana takes care of Alice as well when she is bought by Rufus which creates their bond. This bond continues throughout the book and sometimes is contradictory based on what Alice says to Dana and what Alice says about Dana and Rufus repeats.
If you don't understand what I'm talking about, read the book and let me know what you think.