Octavia Butler Kindred Analysis

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Fiction writers commonly write about subjects that all individuals have experienced at least once as a method of reaching and relating to a wide-ranging audience. Contrasting with nonfiction texts, fiction provides its protagonists with sentiment and feeling, letting the reader understand the tale that lies under the fundamental aspects. In numerous instances, we receive a fresh outlook on an era through observing a fiction story. While it may seem ironical, some claim that fiction has the ability to teach us readers about a portion of life applicable to our own by allowing us to understand and commiserate. In Octavia Butler’s Kindred, the near-death incidents of Rufus Weylin transfer a 20th century Black lady named Dana to the pre-Civil War…show more content…
In principle, they created a kind of society wherein everyone attempted to look after each other whilst preserving their individual existence simultaneously. This is made apparent once Sarah allows Dana in the kitchen for assistance. Dana is given tasks, overlooking the detail that she only has limited ability in house care. The reader can also witness companionship after Dana is greeted in to Alice’s home by her mom. “I saw her glance over at her daughter, then touch her own face and wipe away blood from the corner of her mouth. ‘Wasn’t going to turn you ‘way,’ she said softly” (38). The mother’s hospitality expands past compassion since she is placing her entire household in danger by doing so. Moreover, the mother is housing a girl whom she has never even met. Consequently, the reader is must acknowledge that slaves tried their very best to support each…show more content…
Nonetheless, different techniques were employed both to remind the slaves of their lack of birthrights and place in them an abundant feeling of trepidation for their masters. At one point, upon running into Tom Weylin, Dana recognizes her position among the community. “At first, I stared back. Then I looked away, remembering that I was supposed to be a slave. Slaves lowered their eyes respectfully. To stare back was insolent” (66). Further into the book, she again grows aware of her 19th century standing. Once she talks to Rufus, Dana writes, “He could get assistance from his neighbors, from the watch guards, probably from any police officers the region had. He could do anything he wanted to me, and I had no enforceable rights. None at all” (202). Both instances show the way that the masters produced a society wherein slaves are constantly prompted to recall their (absence of)
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    women and all races are given equal rights. This may sound as though our country has put racism and gender inequality in the past, but progress is still necessary to overcome the biases that still exist in our nation today. The novel Kindred by Octavia Butler contains accurate depictions of what life was like in Antebellum South from the perspective of a slave. The protagonist, Dana, is a modern African American woman from the 1970’s who mysteriously travels back in time to save her white ancestor

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