Kindred Inequality Quotes

Inequality in Lives
If someone saw someone else wearing something out of the ordinary and people making fun of them, would they stand up for the victim, or join in on the mocking? In society, when people see something or someone going against societal norms they act on it, but they also may not. In the novel Kindred by Octavia Butler a young woman named Dana goes back in time to the 1800s to see a little boy named Rufus who is always in some sort of trouble. It is always her job to choose whether she should act on the situation and help Rufus or leave the situation alone and try to find a way to go back home to the 1900s with her husband Kevin. Her choosing to help him leads to many different good and bad outcomes that determine what her next

Acting on an event that goes against societal norms can be hard because people may be fearful of the outcome. People may be fearful of acting on something going against societal norms because they may believe that he or she will then become the next victim being judged. Although, some people resist the fearful feeling and choose to do what they believe is best and act on the situation. Others may let fear take over and watch the situation from afar. In Octavia Butler’s novel Kindred Dana, the main character states, “I reacted to the child in trouble. Later I could ask questions, try to find out where I was, what had happened.” In this quote, Dana the main character has traveled back in time to the 1800s from her regular time the late 1900s. She faints in her living room and wakes up by a lake and sees a young pale kid with ginger hair drowning. She immediately goes to help the little boy even though she is frightened by being somewhere she has never been. This example from Kindred shows that some people will overcome the dreadful feeling of fear and do what they believe is right. Acting in unfamiliar situations is important, it allows

Choosing to act in an unusual situation can have some benefits. If the outcome of the situation that someone acted on is positive they may feel a sense of relief and they may be proud of themselves for fighting and taking a stand on something that they believe wasn’t or was okay. In Octavia Butler’s novel Kindred, Dana says, “It was him, and he was home. We were home.” In this quote, Dana has finally come home from one of her travels back in time. On her last trip, Dana accidentally brought Kevin along with her and left without him. Kevin was stuck there for five years, but for Dana, it was only a couple of days. Eventually, she finds Kevin and they are reunited and they return home. Dana only goes back in time to help Rufus, the little boy she saved from drowning. Saving Rufus has benefits, for example, Dana feels better once she helps Rufus and it excites her because then she will soon go home. But helping Rufus also has its downsides. Helping Rufus is the only reason Kevin was stuck in the 1800s for five years, but it is also the only reason Kevin and Dana were able to be reunited. So, helping a situation that goes against societal norms has its highs and lows when people choose to either act or not act upon the situation. Highs and Lows can make or break a decision to act on the situation, but