The book Kindred written by Octavia Butler, is an inspiring
novel about the slave period in 1819. The main character in the
book is Dana, a 26 year old black women living in 1976.
Suddenly something about her feels strange, she gets extremely
dizzy and suddenly disappears from her home in California, and
is somehow transported back to the Antebellum South to a
plantation owned by a man she later finds out is an ancestor of
hers. It seems that she is drawn back to that time period to
help save a young boy Rufus (the plantation owners son), and is
not transported back to her time until her life is in danger.
Her trips seems to come and go, and as they come they get
longer, and more dangerous. She soon takes on the life of a
slave, and looses any freedom she once had taken advantage of.
She also however befriends Rufus, they both acknowledge the
fact that they need each other in order to survive. Dana experiences the life of a slave, the beatings and the betrayal. Rufus drives her to attempt at running away north to gain her freedom. Without succeeding, she pays the price, by being whipped with a leather whip across the back. Even though he days, months and even years pass by on the plantation, only minutes and hours pass by in 1976. Kevin, Dana's husband is able to experience a trip with her when he is holding on to her while she leaves to go to the other world, taking him with her. Kevin, being a white male has more freedom, creating more freedom for Dana. Attempting to save her as much as he can, he keeps her from getting hurt more than she should, and keeps her comfortable while staying on the plantation. Its when Dana leaves without Kevin, that problems start happening. When only 8 days had passed for Dana, five years passed for Kevin. He travelled up to the north when he realized she wasn't coming back anytime soon. He wrote letters to the Weylin Plantation, giving his location for when Dana came back. After finally finding Kevin, and having him adjust to life back in 20th century, things are back to normal for 15 days, until Dana is called back to Rufus' side, little did she know this would be her last, and most painful trip to the plantation. After one of her friends (and Rufus' lover) on the plantation committed suicide Rufus becomes an abusive and demanding owner. He had become aggressive after his father died, and now that his mother was ill. He has quickly adjusted to role of being the owner. After his mistress died, he demanded the same attention from Dana, and she simply was not going to have it. She pulled the knife on him and stabbed him a number of times. Until she felt a jolt of pain, suddenly she was transported back to 1976, without a left arm. That was Dana's last real trip to the plantation, the only other trip she made was to Baltimore to visit the historical museums
But why is Dana chosen to travel back in time? Maybe to learn and experience first hand her history and to learn more about her Ancestors. After taking advantage of her freedom for 26 years, maybe she needed to experience her past, and even change her past. She needed to save the boy who would soon become the father to her great great great grandfather, if he died, there would be no family for her.
I thought that Octavia Butler wrote an excellent novel. It made me understand more about the slavery part of the 19th century and not just the "white dominant" part of that era. In school we were never taught the graphic part of the past, and just the basics. I found it to be an easy read and a book that held my attention. Overall i thought it was a fantastic book, maybe not one that i would pick myself, but one that i certainly enjoyed.