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Physical Experience In Kindred

1225 Words5 Pages

Close your eyes and imagine a time in your life that was unbearably painful. Feel the pain in you heart, clench your fists with anger and let out a sigh of relief that it is in the past. Now imagine being put back in that awful time; Reliving through the emotional struggles and you have no control of it. Luckily, time travel is impossible, but there is a lot curiosity that comes along with this concept. Throughout the book Kindred, the main character Dana experiences time travel and finds herself back in the time period where she was a slave. Dana struggles to understand why this is happening, and she begins to experiment with it. Throughout this novel, there is a shift between mental and physical abuse of slaves used to reveal …show more content…

Butler uses a serious tone while describing the physical abuse that enables the readers to “feel” the pain that was present in the text. Physical abuse is seen most often with the slaves, it was a form of punishment and a source of joy for their owners. During the story, when Dana was sent back in time, she was taken outside to be beaten: “I began to realize that I should have resisted, should have refused to let Fowler bring me out here where only other slaves could see what happened to me” (5.5.20). Dana was ashamed, she notes that she should “have resisted.” At this point, Dana is aware that this brutality is not tolerable and she did not want other to see her experience pain. She notes that she “began” to realize that she was making a mistake, which is when her tone switches from hesitation to pure …show more content…

One of the Weylin’s Slaves begins to reflect on one instance of abuse, she states that the owners: “Sent me to the field, had me beaten, made me spend nearly eight months sleeping on the floor of his mother's room, sold people… He's done plenty, but the worst of it was to other people. “(6.2.40). The slaves are unbelievably selfless, she states that she was abused but she thinks the worst part is what has been done to “other people.” The fact that she believes that she deserves the brutality and feels that others don't reflects her selflessness. Then, there was a huge shift in this novel. A shift of power, which was very unexpected. Dana stood up for her life, friends, and future when she: “I pulled the knife free of him somehow, raised it, and brought it down again into his back. (6.4.140)” Recall the character Rufus who was introduced earlier in this report. Rufus was a character that had power over the slaves. That was until Dana murders him. Dana displays dominance and she takes his power away. This twist was unbelievable since there is so much risk with it. Dana shows strength and her actions gives hope to the slaves. By killing Rufus, there is a large chance Dana will face harsh consequences, but at this moment, she is on

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