Family Ties

When thinking of the word kindred, the words that come to mind are: intimate, personal, home.  Octavia Butler bases her novel, Kindred, on family in an interesting way.  Little does Dana know prior to escaping the present, she is sent back in time to tend to her ancestors.  Butler wisely chooses familial ties to be incorporated in the novel to demonstrate the hardships and struggles between black and white, and how Dana is to deal with what she believes to be wrong.  The story would be dramatically different if Dana was not sent to save Rufus, who is part of her bloodline, and more so every reason to keep him alive.

When Dana first saves Rufus, she is confused as to why she is sent and why her in particular.  When coming to the realization that Rufus’ last name is Weylin, she thinks to herself, “Was that why I was here?  Not only to ensure the survival of one accident-prone small boy, but to ensure my family’s survival, my own birth” (29).  It is clear to Dana that by changing the past, the future is in jeopardy.  Her thoughts soon lead to, “But this child needed special care.  If I was to live, if others were to live, he must live.  I didn’t care test the paradox” (29).  As much as Dana disagrees with Rufus at times, he is her part of her history—part of her own blood.  For that, she has a difficult time coping with the man that she is to save, yet wants to kill.  If Rufus had not been part of her family, I think Dana would have managed things much differently.  She would not feel a special connection as well as a desire to keep her and her family alive.

Dana and Rufus’ relationship grows in an interesting way.  She feels a sense of hatred toward him, yet goes on forgiving him time after time.  She thinks to herself, “However little sense it made, I cared.  I must have.  I kept forgiving him for things…” (180).  This is what family is all about.  Forgiveness.  When thinking about Rufus raping Alice, she thinks, “It was so hard to watch him hurting her—to know that he had to go on hurting her if my family was to exist at all” (180).  Dana is in a tough position because Rufus and Alice are to bear a child, a child that will confirm Dana’s existence.   If it had not depended on that, I think Dana would go about handling Rufus and Alice’s relationship in a completely different light.  She would have no reason to hold back because her life would not depend on it.

The section of “The Rope” is when the novel takes full turn.  Alice passes on from suicide or Rufus’ doing—we are not sure—and now that she is gone, Rufus makes a pass at Dana.  As he is holding her down she thinks to herself, “I could accept him as my ancestor, my brother, my friend, but not my master, and not as my lover” (260).  The moment Rufus seems farthest from family as possible is when Dana has the strength to put it all to an end.  She is aware that she can go on living without Rufus now that Hagar has been born and Alice is gone.

Kindred is such a powerful piece of literature that I found myself wanting more and more.  It is difficult to put the book down.  Butler thoughtfully chooses to tie in familial bonds to create a sense of indifference and internal struggle.  Dana feels at home on the plantation, for there are personal and intimate connections.  Fighting to save someone who is doing something morally wrong is a hardship one must decide in order to survive.