Kindred By Octavia Butler: An Analysis

The novel Kindred written by Octavia Butler begins with the protagonist Dana going back in time to 1815 where slavery and violence are the norm in Maryland. However, the society she currently lives in is 1976 when slavery was abolished but there is still tension between white and black individuals (Smith Elford). The position as a slave comprises of physical, psychological and sexual abuse without an escape; Dana demonstrates the ramifications of acting as a slave as they are imprinted on her while attempting to survive. Even though she is able to return home when she assumes she will die, each action she makes in Maryland continue to follow her back to 1976.

Initially, even before traveling back in time, Dana knew the violent history of 1815 but until she experienced a patroller trying to kill her; she was unaware of the brutality. This is when she realizes in order to survive Maryland she will need to fight back. When the patroller begins to attack her, given the circumstance, Dana thought about her plan to blind him; “I had only to move my fingers a little and jab them into the soft tissues, gouge away his

When Dana comes back to Maryland and finds Alice, Dana’s ancestor, with her dress torn in the front she questions him “Rufe, did you manage to rape that girl? He looked away guilty” (122-123). This action exposes Rufus as the standard white man that Dana feared he would become so when he demanded her help to convince Alice to sleep with him, Dana convinced Alice to go to him willingly because she would either be raped or beaten first then raped; “I didn't realize that he was planning to involve me in that rape. He was, and he did” (162). A prime example of the violence that dictated the lives of the slaves was either to be beaten or raped, and for each individual one of them was considered the lesser evil punishment. Dana