Kindred Environment

Segregation had had many effects on the black nation, to the point that it started building up ones character, “See the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness towards white people”, King shows readers that segregation is even affecting little children, that it is starting to build up a young girls character and is contributing to the child developing hatred “bitterness” towards the white Americans. King makes readers imagine a black cloud settling in a young girls brain mentally, when instead she should have an image of a colorful blue sky with a rainbow, isn’t that suppose to be part of a 6 year-old’s imagination? King gives readers an image of destruction civil disobedience had created in the black community, especially in the young innocent little children.

The novel under the title Kindred is a magnificent literary piece created by renowned African-American fantasy writer and novelist of contemporary times Octavia Butler. This superb piece encompasses the most burning issues and problems faced by the African-American community. The novel throws light on the pathetic condition of the black slaves and vehemently condemns domestic violence and slavery inflicted and imposed upon the black stratum of the American society. The novel also discusses atrocities and hatred exercised upon the African Americans on the basis of racial and ethnic discrimination prevailing in the society. Butler points out the communication gap between spouses and family members, which adds to the misery of the black

Only the best tactics and the quickest decisions can insure a win in a fight for survival. Dana Franklin, the main character in the novel Kindred, has what it takes to take on the cruel South and use those qualities to ensure survival. Due to a mysterious and confusing power she acquires, Dana can miraculously travel through time and reach her ancestors during the slavery period. With that power alone, she has to work hard to survive against the strongest, meanest, and craziest people she’s ever dreamed of to ensure the safety of herself and whom she cares. In addition to working hard, Dana has to witness and carry out what horrors fighting and struggling in the antebellum South was like. In Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Dana is seen fighting,

As Boss Tweed used to say, “The way to have power is to take it.” Therefore, it is not surprising that the characters of Kindred by Octavia Butler fight throughout the book to gain power from each other. They all use methods ranging from violence to influence to gain even a slight amount of power from each other. Even Alice and Dana who are enslaved women during the 1800’s are able to use their words to influence their owners and the powerful white men in society. Like other black women during this time period, they use their bodies and other unconventional methods to slowly gain power over their owners until they are able to influence them to do what they want. Henceforth, Butler wants to demonstrate to the reader that, even during the antebellum south, enslaved women were able to use their influence, resilience and courage to eventually gain power over their owners.

Dana is pulled back into the past whenever Rufus is faced with a life or death situation. On her first trip back into time, Dana finds Rufus drowning in a river. She pulls him out safely and begins to give him mouth to mouth resuscitation. Rufus’

White-skinned people ruled. Color-skinned people worked. In the novel, The Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, Dana continually switched between time-periods to save her ancestor, Rufus Weylin, as without him, she will not be alive in her present. In Rufus’ time period, she noticed how numerous characters in the 1800’s experienced the troubles of being a slave including herself. Firstly, the patrollers thought it was enjoyable to bother the slaves for their entertainment from time to time. Furthermore, Margaret, Rufus’ mother, had emotionally abused Dana for several reasons. Finally, Rufus, himself, tried to commit the illegal crime of rape. Butler has focused greatly upon acts of physical, emotional, psychological and sexual violence, which were commonly seen in the 1800’s due to abundant racism/slavery.

Douglas describes Sophia Auld’s change “under the influence of slavery” her “cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery… soon became red with rage” her “voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that [her] angelic face gave place to that of a demon” (Douglas 78). Despite her good nature, his mistress succumbed to the power that came with being a slave owner. One’s nature may play a part in his disposition, but who one actually becomes depends on his or her temptations and environment. Bradbury conveys this through the mindless culture of his world that “nips most of them,” “the queer ones” who are “exceptionally bright” and think for themselves, “in the bud.” Simply exposure to the school environment suppresses the intelligence and curiosity in children and them empty, pleasure driven drones. They are corrupted by their society, not necessarily by their own disposition. Thus both authors show In summation, Douglas and Bradbury similarly express the importance of one’s environment and situation to their his or her

Rufus’ character develops a lot near the end of the book as we realize his feelings toward Dana all to clearly. In the middle of the night he approaches Alice and Dana and says, “You really are only one woman. Did you know that?” Rufus had Alice for his physical needs and Dana for his emotional. We start to see that Dana wasn’t just his friend; he needed to have her, no matter what. His jealously became clear when he sold the slave Sam for just speaking to Dana. He said, “He wanted you…he wanted you.” He then says to Dana, “Your so much like her, I can hardly stand it.” Rufus’ relationship with Dana had gone from friendship and understanding to Rufus wanting more and he aimed to have it. When we see that Rufus was allowing his son to call him daddy finally it was reminder of his humanity. We see that in some ways he was still good, and not racked with intense emotions. However, his humane side diminishes slowly with his irrational wants, desires and need for affection.

This also illustrates how Dana believes she can have a lasting effect on Rufus, to steer him away from the ways of his father. However, she only has a limited period of time to shed her 20th century mentality on him. And, Rufus’ change is not gradual relative to Dana, because every time she returns, she finds Rufus years older, and acting that much more like his father.

In Kindred, Octavia Butler’s character Dana is pulled back in time against her will to the 1819 each time her ancestor Rufus is in a life threatening situation. There is no time machine or and no warning of her time travel, save a dizzy feeling and disappearing surroundings. Yet as she rescues her ancestor Rufus, she finds herself in precarious situations on a regular basis because she is an African

After many trips back to the 1800’s, Rufus eventually takes his father’s place when he deceases. Dana believed this would make her time in the Weylin household less taxing, but she quickly realized that Rufus made her want freedom more than Tom Weylin did. Soon after Tom Weylin passed, Rufus sent Evan Fowler, the slave overseer, to send Dana to work in the fields. He believed Dana let his father die and

In Octavia Butler’s novel, Kindred, she challenges humanity, moralities, and racism. By sending Dana through time, it highlighted the similarities and differences between characters and symbolic meanings. The theme of this novel is answering the question to “what if” a black woman, raised with rights, had to endure slavery? What tactics would she use in order to survive? Many people cannot imagine the agonies slavery has caused, not only to blacks, but everyone including loss of freedom, family, loved ones and self. The interracial couples in the novel, Dana and Kevin; Alice and Rufus, symbolize a larger issue of segregation that divides of our nation. The antagonist, Rufus, changed throughout his life as Dana tried to teach him

Octavia E. Butler uses her novel Kindred, to communicate how influential one’s environment can be in shaping their thoughts and actions. One’s environment is composed of their conditions and surroundings, and the most significant of these is language. The society in which Dana lives differs greatly from Rufus’s society; therefore, the way these characters use and view language differ. Language dictates the way one thinks, and whether or not they think critically. How one thinks is directly related to how one perceives the world and one’s perception is their reality. Even Dana and Kevin, who live in the same time period, perceive the world differently. They may live in the same time period, but their realities differ because of who they are, a black woman and a white man. Butler makes Dana and Rufus’s impact on one another central to story. Rufus sometimes deviates from the societal norms of his time because his environment has been influenced by Dana, who is also affected by her new surroundings. She begins to lose the ability to stand up for herself. Ultimately, however, Rufus does not change his prejudice, bigotry way of thinking, and Dana does not allow herself to succumb to complacency. Butler consciously made these decisions; she wants readers to recognize that while these characters influence one another, they do not do so enough to overpower the more significant aspects of their respective environments, such as language. One’s environment determines how much

The novel Kindred by Octavia Butler, presents history in a way that shows whose history was remembered, reimagined, and sadly forgotten. Dana who lives in Southern California in the late 1900s learns about the sad truths of history firsthand. Dana has the ability, which seems like a curse, to time-travel to the 1800s. This is where she is unknowingly introduced to her ancestors. Being a freed African American women Dana is frightened each time she is taken back to 1800s Maryland. As she puts the pieces together, she begins learning the quieted side of her family’s history.. Dana observes the alternate versions when she time- travels. Dana already lives a life that people look differently upon because she is married to a white man, Kevin. While

Octavia Butler’s Kindred focuses on the perspective of a black female within two drastically different societies ranging from the ideals of colonialism to a society of change and acceptance. Butler utilizes Dana’s position in society to portray the cruelty of slavery and the power that society can have on the ideals and morals of individuals, such as the developing character of Rufus. Throughout the book, the issue of slavery is addressed through a multitude of different themes that span across Dana’s different experiences and struggles. Butler aims to reveal the aspects of slavery from the perspective of Dana in order to emphasize the widespread effects of prejudice upon human rights. In addition, the contrast of societies also