By not being vocal against slavery and the other injustices she encounters, Butler’s main character acts as a trustworthy slavery observer. All she needs to do is to ensure that the past is not distorted so that her current life is guaranteed.įor instance, she does not try to ‘change Rufus’ behavior’ during her interactions with him (Butler 102). The main character recognizes that her protests will not change either the past or the future. Dana’s role is to be an observer of slavery and not a critic. Moreover, Dana’s attitude towards the characters she encounters during her time travel is civil and compassionate. However, the author chooses not to delve into this angle and creates a character who understands the history and the scenarios surrounding slavery. It would be correct to assume that any person from the Civil Rights’ Era would be too eager to preach the equal rights gospel to the stakeholders of slavery. She avoids getting involved in any of the modern Civil Rights palaver.
In spite of all the things that happen to Dana, she just shrugs them off and keeps on going. Her intellect helps her in understanding the plight of a nineteenth century black woman.ĭuring her time at the plantation, Dana faces her predicament with dignity. When Dana is transported to the past, she adapts to that environment with ease. The author uses the heroine to explore black history. Dana’s wide knowledge of historical and social matters is very instrumental during her time travel episodes. The main heroine is a knowledgeable African American woman who is married to a white novelist. The book mostly relies on the main character when telling the slavery story. For instance, at one time, her husband is left stranded, and Dana “has to go back five years to rescue him” (Butler 135). Also, she is involved in several adventures, including time traveling with her white husband. In the course of these events, she becomes close with some of the slaves in Rufus’ plantation. In the next few weeks, Dana is involved in various instances of time travel where she is supposed to rescue Rufus, her ancestor. Her biggest challenge is to identify herself in 1815 because she does not have the necessary identification documents (Butler 78). In the course of her time travel episodes, Dana comes face to face with many misfortunes including almost being raped and killed. Therefore, if the boy dies before starting a bloodline, Dana’s existence will be in jeopardy. Dana has been picked to be the one who keeps the boy alive until he can start his ancestry (Butler 24). This time Dana manages to ask some questions, and she learns that she is involved in time travel and the little boy is his ancestor. Dana’s husband informs her that she had been teleported, but even before she processes this information, it happens again.ĭana meets with the same boy while he is trying to burn down a house and manages to rescue him in time. The boy’s father points a gun to Dana’s head, and before he shoots her, she is taken back to her apartment where Kevin is looking at her in awe. This is in spite of the fact that the boy’s mother is yelling to Dana to “get her black hands off her son” (Butler 11). Instinctively, she jumps into the river and saves the boy. Dana finds herself in front of a river where a white boy is drowning. When the two are unpacking their belongings, Dana starts feeling dizzy, passes out, and finds herself in an unfamiliar world. The couple consists of Kevin, a white novelist and his wife, twenty-six-year-old African American aspiring writer Edana Franklin. The book begins in 1976 when a couple is moving into a new house. The author of “Kindred” labels the book as a work of science fiction even though the book fits more into other genres such as thriller, time travel, black history fiction, drama, and love story genres. Also, the author does not invest too much in her characters as Hailey did in “Roots.” However, the book manages to present the reader with a realistic possibility of being involved in slavery.
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