KINDRED

Octavia Butler incorporates a number of different themes in her novel, Kindred. The idea of time travel, violence, gender roles, slavery, family, and playing certain roles in order to survive all play an important part in making Kindred the brilliant work it was. This book began in a way that allows for suspicion to occur and I thought that was very interesting. We are led to have certain expectations about the characters but we can then only suspend those beliefs because it is not the truth at all. I wasn’t sure if the author had a particular reason for doing this, or if she did it to make the reader aware of the fact that nothing is always as it seems.

One issue that I believe is worth talking about is the observation I made about the characters’ roles. For example, the colored boy Nigel is roughly the same age as Rufus, but he appears to already be aware of how things are going to be for the rest of his life. He knows how he needs to act and what he needs to say to please Mr. Weylin. With this being said he still wants to experience and be apart of things that white folks are granted. Nigel learns to live by Luke’s words: “’Don’t argue with white folks, don’t tell them ‘no.’ Don’t let them see you mad. Just say ‘yes, sir.’ The go ‘head and do what you want to do. Might have to take a whippin’ for it later on, but if you want it bad enough, the whippin’ won’t matter much” (Butler 96). I felt like he much rather do the things he desires and pay for it later rather than living a life full of what-ifs. Later when Nigel asks Dana to teach him to read he proceeds to make it clear he does not care about being beaten. Dana is at first hesitant in agreeing but eventually she breaks and states, “I’ll teach you. I just wanted to be sure you knew what you were getting into” (Butler 98). After she says this Nigel “turned away, lifted his shirt in the back so [Dana] could see his scars. Then he faced [her] again. ‘I know,’ he said” (Butler 98). This response took me back because I wasn’t expecting it. I find it very powering that Nigel is willing to risk his life for something like learning to read. To think that this is something we take advantage of and don’t fully appreciate makes me feel guilty for overlooking the severity of how slavery was enforced. They yearned for something as simple as spelling a word or reading a sentence and do we even think twice about how easily it comes to us?

The roles being played by Dana and Kevin are also important to this novel. The role as slave and slave master was necessary for both of them to survive. But have any events led you to believe otherwise? One in particular that made me question whether it was still a role or a new way of life was the little argument between Dana Kevin after witnessing the auction the kids were holding. It affected her more than Kevin and this didn’t sit well with her. He claims “’It has already happened. We’re in the middle of history. We surely can’t change it. If anything goes wrong, we might have all we can do just to survive” (Butler 100). I feel like Kevin’s main concern is getting Dana and himself back to the present safely. This is great, but has he somewhat become accustomed to his life on the plantation? For some reason when I read the line “’I see Weylin was right about educated slaves,’” spoken by Kevin, I read it as a negative remark. (101) I thought he was in agreement that slaves should not be taught to read because it gives them too much power but once I continued to read I do not believe that is at all how he meant it. He is rather encouraging her to teach him rather than deny him the privilege.