In Kindred, our main character Dana is subject to horrors that we find unimaginable and frankly even impossible. It is obvious that over the course of her journey these events begin to take a psychological toll on both her and her husband Kevin. She notices it in Kevin, that his time as a white "slave-owner" pre-civil war, has changed his mannerisms and even speech ever so slightly. She also notices herself slipping in the mentality of a slave.
When Kevin wants to go out for fireworks she stays home because she feels that she is still entrapped by the past she keeps returning to. She is always on edge awaiting a return to a horrible nightmare. This nightmare even leaves physical marks on both of them, Kevin acquiring an unknown scar and Dana eventually losing her arm.
In this novel we are introduced to a level of trauma that we can't comprehend ourselves. In doing this, Butler shows us the true damage of slavery and the effect it had on people then as well as now. In combining these two separate time-periods we are forced to reckon with our own relationship with America's sordid past.
When Kevin wants to go out for fireworks she stays home because she feels that she is still entrapped by the past she keeps returning to. She is always on edge awaiting a return to a horrible nightmare. This nightmare even leaves physical marks on both of them, Kevin acquiring an unknown scar and Dana eventually losing her arm.
In this novel we are introduced to a level of trauma that we can't comprehend ourselves. In doing this, Butler shows us the true damage of slavery and the effect it had on people then as well as now. In combining these two separate time-periods we are forced to reckon with our own relationship with America's sordid past.
It is very sad that Dana has had to slip "in the mentality of a slave." I personally think that this is her way of habituating to a violent, disgusting environment. Even physically, it takes an ever-increasing amount of suffering and pain to transport her to the present, culminating in the loss of her arm. At a certain point, it takes too much emotional energy to be an "actor" or an "observer," and it becomes "easier" to just be a slave. The traumas Dana has faced will forever leave their mark on her, as symbolized through the physical loss of her arm.
ReplyDeleteYou can clearly see the different when Kevin slips into the timeshift for a couple of weeks vs when he stays there for 5 years. At first he seems surprisingly normal for someone who went through this crazy time shift. I was surprised to see him more composed than how I would've reacted. But later we see that he felt so uncomfortable and nervous when he appeared back in his home.
ReplyDeleteIts really sad that Dana was dragged into this experience. No matter how eye-opening and unique this experience is, this is something that clearly traumatized Dana. I don't think she'll ever get over the feeling of being uneasy and nervous whenever Rufus called her. The feeling of being stripped away of your own identity is terrifying and the physical markings she will have for the rest of her life will continue to remind her.
Their differing attitudes toward attending the July 4 celebration are revealing: for Kevin, despite all the serious engagement with the trauma of the past, he's still basically up for "putting it behind us" and going out to (symbolically) enjoy the fireworks (and celebrate the founding ideals of the nation and all that). For a host of reasons, Dana is less eager to celebrate, literally being held back by the past, by her painful and traumatic connection to that past. She isn't "free" to go to the Rose Bowl and enjoy the show, because her "master" might pull her back again at any time. Kevin enjoys a degree of freedom in 1976 that she doesn't, and this has symbolic resonance.
ReplyDeleteButler does an incredible job of conveying the extreme violence and trauma of slavery. Just as we can't even comprehend the levels of trauma, Dana initially can't either. After her fight on her second visit to Rufus while she's protecting Alice and her mother, Dana mentions not knowing that she was capable of staying conscious through the immense amounts of pain she was enduring. This is when the extreme brutality of slavery really starts to sink in for her.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between Dana and Kevin is that Kevin can more easily let go since he wasn't impacted as severely by the time switch. He was also kind of shielded from seeing alot of what was going on with Dana and didn't ever get to witness any whippings or harsh punishment. It's sad to know everything Dana has went through both physically and mentally and Kevin can still easily put it behind himself.
ReplyDeleteI think Kevin's interaction with this whole experience is really interesting (peep my blog post), and part of me wonders how entirely fair this portrayal of the "liberal white dude" is. Kevin's speech changes to be influenced by the slave owners and he is experience as a "slave owner" and Dana is more influenced by the slaves. Drawing these lines based upon race doesn't totally resonate with me. Just because I look more like a slave-owner than a slave doesn't necessarily mean I just want to put slavery behind us in our country's history, and I don't think Butler means for Kevin to portray what happens with all white people.
ReplyDeleteKindred seems to make a clear point that humanity is inherently doomed to repeat and recreate slavery. This is a fairly depressing thought, and, to an extent, I agree with its point. Human societies are very good at declaring people not in on the society enemies of those who are in. I think Butler is trying to make that point.
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