Kindred And Dana Relationship

In Kindred, a novel by Octavia Butler, we see Dana, a young African-American woman living in Los Angeles in 1976 travel back in time to the 1800’s for a seemingly unknown reason. Here, we see that she is put in charge of Rufus Weylin, the father of a relative of Dana. Throughout the novel, we see their relationship transform in different ways. Their relationship started off with Dana being a guardian to Rufus, as the story continues we see that they develop into a friendship and then ultimately take on the role of slave owner and enslaved. Although it is not explicitly stated in the story, we see that Dana had big plans in terms of how Rufus could be changed into a plantation owner with morals. However as we delve deeper into the novel, we

His possessive affection transfers from Alice to Dana, but Dana rejects these affections, “I could accept him as my ancestor, my younger brother, my friend, but not as my master, and not as my lover. He had understood that once.” (Butler 260). Rufus was left alone and abandoned after Alice passed away. He wanted someone to show him warmth and affection. He starts to notice the similarities between Alice and Dana and calls the “two halves'' of a woman. This shifts their relationship from guardianship to something more in Rufus’ eyes. However, as previously mentioned, Dana will not give in. To accept this would mean relinquishing all freedom she once “had”. To end this infatuation, Dana kills Rufus with a knife. She now holds the

Dana went from being a caretaker of Rufus, to having a sense of hatred. Although we as readers can understand why she, as a Black, woman is harmed by the racist and hurtful past, we can not stand behind her actions. The times were different in the 1800’s and her adamant need for change harmed many lives. In her efforts to help Rufus she created a sense of desire and dependency within him which led to a power struggle. Dana, a modern woman with her own sense of independence and power, was sent into a time where there was no such thing for women much less a Black one. Her actions ultimately led to the breakage of families, the deaths of several people, and the death of Rufus himself who she swore to protect. Without her involvement, there is not much proof that she wouldn’t exist. She existed before being sent back to the 1800’s so there was very little reason for her to interact with Rufus as much as she did. As a reader, I am very curious to see how the lives of those in the past would differ from the now reality she created. She made no improvements to Rufus’ character which in turn led to his untimely demise. Her ancestor killed herself due to the mental and physical torture she suffered at the hands of Rufus. It makes us wonder if Dana even helped her lineage or if she created more harm than