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Truth Exposed In The Novel Kindred By Octavia Butler

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In history class, it's common to learn about the horrible acts that occurred in the past. This includes genocide, war, slavery and much more. Some may question why people didn’t “fight” back, or start a revolution against many of these acts. In the novel Kindred by Octavia Butler, she shows multiple examples of attempts of fighting against the higher powers. Many, if not all, of these examples are unsuccessful. Butler suggests that fighting for what is right would add terror to life, and could be lethal. In this book, Octavia Butler aims to teach the lesson that while living during the antebellum period, it was practically impossible to fight back. One way Butler reinforces this lesson is through the allusion to the fight between David and Golaith …show more content…

Goliath is an undefeated mighty warrior. David, even though being against odds, still won the fight. In Kindred, Dana is in a situation where she is the underdog. She is attacked by a white man who was, at the time, superior. She thinks to herself in this situation, “His eyes. I had only to move my fingers a little and jab them into the soft tissues, gouge away his sight and give him more agony than he was giving me. But I couldn't do it.” Dana freezes at the moment. The author uses this moment to show how difficult physically harming someone can be. She recognized the opportunity Dana had and could have taken, but didn’t. This shows how difficult it can be to fight back, especially when one has morals. Another way Butler incorporates the lesson in this book is through the symbol of whips. Throughout history, whips have been a form of punishment for slaves. Whips are a symbol of superiority and the power of the white man. Whips are a very painful treatment known to leave thick blistering scars. Back then, whips were also used to threaten slaves who did not do their work. In the book, Alice, who was born free, ran away with her slave husband. They were caught in the

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