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My Thoughts on Kindred

Kindred has definitely been one of the most intense novels I've read. I think Octavia Butler did an incredible job of using time travel to explore the relationships between every character living within antebellum south. In particular, I think Octavia Butler is insanely good at creating dread.

One of the many scenes that got me feeling dread was when Rufus finds both the map and the modern book about slavery. It's scary to think that the course of history could have been so much more different if Rufus had told his father or if it was found by him. Along with the book, Dana was also kinda forced to burned the map and Rufus basically says, "you don't have to worry because you are home". It feels creepy and even more so when you realize what his character thinks of Dana towards the end of the story.

Dana is also tied down to saving Rufus because if she doesn't, she'll also be wiped from existence. As a reader, I just wanted Hagar to be born as soon as possible so that Dana doesn't have to worry as much for her existence. It seems extremely difficult for Dana to send herself back to the modern era because even the whippings she faces can't send her back. It felt like she was stuck and it's hard to figure out a way for her to phase back without putting herself in serious danger. Even so, she cuts her wrists as a means to escape from Rufus. The thought of not being able to go back to where you feel truly safe without having to harm yourself either mentally or physically sounds incredibe

There's so many scenes that make me really anticipate the moment Dana's finally able to avoid going back in time and I just thought of these 2 off the top of my head.

Comments

  1. Zachary's History as Fiction BlogMay 6, 2020 at 12:21 PM

    I agree one of the most impactful parts of the book was the idea that Dana had to feel she was in legitimate danger to return to the present, and how much harder and harder it was for her to return throughout the book. Butler shows us through this that slaves just get so accustomed to the violence, even people like Dana who this felt completely foreign to at one point. Its pretty scary,

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  2. AnonymousMay 15, 2020 at 9:58 AM

    I really like how she used time travel in a different way than other books we read. It's so different than vonnegut time travel

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  3. Mayahuel MalikMay 15, 2020 at 11:35 AM

    I agree I think Butler does an amazing job of pulling at our hearts as we read through the suspenseful moments Dana encounters. We are all feeling for Dana and wanting her to suffer as little as possible, completely immersed in the stories path. That feeling of constant dread I think is meant to highlight the uncertainty slavery posed on the lives of many different people, not knowing what kind of pain tomorrow would bring. Its scary to think of experiencing something you've read about, almost knowing more than other people would at the time and knowing what you could expect.

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  4. Elliot GenglerMay 17, 2020 at 1:46 PM

    Just thinking about Dana, Rufus, and their strange relationship creates a kind of dread for me. The use of time travel is very effective at making the reader closer to Slavery than any "real history" book can.

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