The novel Kindred, by Octavia Butler, is an eye opening piece of literature. It tells of a generation of our American past that has never seemed so vivid and harsh. The novel follows the flashbacks and life of Dana. Dana is a modern African American woman. She is married to a white man named Kevin and living in California. It is her twenty-sixth birthday and she finds herself in the middle of a dizzy spell and saving a young boy's life. Through several flashbacks she finds herself living as a slave on a plantation in the South, an area controlled by slavery. She realizes the boy who she has been caring for in her flashbacks is a relative of hers.
One aspect I found very intriguing is the art of reading. It is mandatory for Dana to teach white children to read, however, she cannot teach black children to read. She herself feels slightly threatened by knowing how to read. The slave owners inform each other that they would not want their slaves educated and literate because they may become so educated or able to read signs and learn ways to rebel and escape from their plantation. I feel being nonliterate would be scary in itself, however, I could not imagine fearing my literacy. Dana teaches Rufus to read, though she herself knows it is dangerous to teach reading.
Now that she sees what the plantation life is like, she becomes shocked and the idea of it all makes her ill. She watches as children, men, and women are beaten for petty things, such as learning to read or teaching to read. She herself is beaten for the first time. She also expresses her concern about her husband, Kevin, a white male, observing such treatment.
I enjoyed the story of Kindred. I feel that Octavia Butler's writing made it seem so realistic. The effects of slavery and the impact on their lives becomes a vivid part of our history in America throughout the novel.
1 comment:
It was interesting to find that although she was frightened of the consequences of teaching the slaves to read she did it anyway. She felt that it was such an important part of their life, not just because it would enable them to potentially free themselves, but that it was self empowering to be able to read. She felt that although there were harsh consequences, she was willing to risk her own safety to ensure that someone would be able to read to perhaps teach other slaves to read. In response to Dana feeling threatened because of her literacy, I believe that she felt more empowered because she could read. She realized that she was a threat to the plantation owners both because she was more literate than them, and because she was potentially an empowering force for the other slaves. Such enlightenment could cause rebellion among the slaves. She did realize that she should not flaunt her talents, but at the same time realized what a powerful gift she had for the time period.
I agree that Octavia Butler did an excellent job of describing the setting and characters. She created a very real and personal experience. Reflecting on Dana's disposition at the end, you could tell that the her experience had deeply affected her in both positive and negative ways that cause her never to be the same.
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