An Analysis Of Kindred By Octavia Butler

Have you ever wondered what shapes a person’s personality? In Kindred, by Octavia Butler, each complex character is dynamic or changes throughout the story. The root of these attitude changes comes from the environment in which they are placed. In the novel, slavery in the 19th century is the reason characters change such as Dana. By introducing Dana into the world of slavery, this, in turn, causes change in herself and those around her (i.e. Rufus). This is important to the novel because it enables readers to understand the reasons for each character’s actions. Even though, sometimes, they may be difficult to understand, we must not negate the fact that each character's attitude and personality is shaped by the given world in which they are

When Rufus declares, “‘you’re not leaving!’ he shouted. He sort of crouched around the gun, clearly on the verge of firing. ‘Damn you, you’re not leaving me!”, he uses his vast power and violence to get what he wants (PG 190). This also proves his attachment to Dana even though he knows that she will not stay forever. This fits his personality because he always tries to take possession of things that he cannot have. It is clear that Dana’s appearance from the future has gotten to the best of Rufus. His attachment becomes too great and Dana’s attempt to influence his decisions will not be

In Maryland, everybody sees Dana as a black female slave with no rights or privileges. The more time Dana spends in the past, the more she views herself in these terms as well, accepting the identity that others thrust upon her. This is evidenced in the last chapter as Dana recollects, “I could recall walking along the narrow dirt road that ran past the Weylin house and seeing the house, shadowy in twilight, boxy and familiar... I could recall feeling relief at seeing the house, feeling that I had come home. And having to stop and correct myself, remind myself that I was in an alien, dangerous place” (PG 193). Conformity is something that impacts her based on the environment in which she was placed. This is indicated in the way that Dana expresses that the Weylin house is almost too familiar, as if her home. The gradual acceptance occurred throughout the book, but here it was most evident in that she conformed to her new