***SPOILER ALERT!!! IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED KINDRED,
DON’T READ THIS POST***
DON’T READ THIS POST***
There are many disturbing parallels between 1976 and the antebellum South that are
explored in Kindred. One of these is that Dana and Kevin each have a sort of
“counterpart” on the Weylin plantation whose identity blurs with theirs over the course
of the novel. Dana’s “counterpart” is clearly Alice. First of all, they are actually related
and share a strong family resemblance. Additionally, they were both born free but then
brought into slavery, attempt to run away from the Weylin plantation, and are the objects
of Rufus’s infatuation. Rufus even goes so far as to describe them as “one woman. Two
halves of a whole”, and following Alice’s death tries to convince Dana to stay with him
and replace Alice as their children’s mother (257). However, much like with Alice, when
words do not work Rufus is just as willing to use violence to get what he wants, and tries
to sexually assault Dana. This is where one crucial difference between Alice and Dana
becomes clear. When Rufus forces Dana to become complicit in his rape of Alice by sending
her to his room, Alice tells her “I ought to take a knife in there with me and cut his damn
throat… Now go tell him that! Tell him I’m talking ‘bout killing him!”. But although Alice
finds everything about Rufus repugnant, she does not kill him. Dana, on the other hand when
put in a similar position only hesitates briefly before plunging her knife into Rufus’s side. This
does not make Dana “stronger”, “braver”, or “better” than Alice, but simply reflects a difference
in them caused by their home times. Alice, who only knows the antebellum South, does not see
even her own body as belonging to her. Dana, who has grown up with Second-Wave Feminism,
sees control over her body as a given and draws this as one line she refuses to cross.
explored in Kindred. One of these is that Dana and Kevin each have a sort of
“counterpart” on the Weylin plantation whose identity blurs with theirs over the course
of the novel. Dana’s “counterpart” is clearly Alice. First of all, they are actually related
and share a strong family resemblance. Additionally, they were both born free but then
brought into slavery, attempt to run away from the Weylin plantation, and are the objects
of Rufus’s infatuation. Rufus even goes so far as to describe them as “one woman. Two
halves of a whole”, and following Alice’s death tries to convince Dana to stay with him
and replace Alice as their children’s mother (257). However, much like with Alice, when
words do not work Rufus is just as willing to use violence to get what he wants, and tries
to sexually assault Dana. This is where one crucial difference between Alice and Dana
becomes clear. When Rufus forces Dana to become complicit in his rape of Alice by sending
her to his room, Alice tells her “I ought to take a knife in there with me and cut his damn
throat… Now go tell him that! Tell him I’m talking ‘bout killing him!”. But although Alice
finds everything about Rufus repugnant, she does not kill him. Dana, on the other hand when
put in a similar position only hesitates briefly before plunging her knife into Rufus’s side. This
does not make Dana “stronger”, “braver”, or “better” than Alice, but simply reflects a difference
in them caused by their home times. Alice, who only knows the antebellum South, does not see
even her own body as belonging to her. Dana, who has grown up with Second-Wave Feminism,
sees control over her body as a given and draws this as one line she refuses to cross.
An even more disturbing parallel between characters is the one that emerges between Kevin and
Rufus. Dana and the reader are horrified by how quickly Kevin initially adjusts to the 1820s, saying
that slavery wasn’t as bad as he had expected, and and sometimes seeming really into acting like a
slave owner (e.g. his elaborate story explaining why he and Dana were travelling in Maryland).
Despite having a 1976 mindset, Kevin, aided by his privilege as a white man, is able to live at first
much as Rufus does--ignoring the suffering around him and getting everything he wants. Another
similarity is that Kevin and Rufus both attempt to push their menial work off onto Dana, while
simultaneously acting as if being able to do this work is a privilege. The most striking example of
this is that both Kevin and Rufus try to talk Dana, an aspiring author, into writing down their words
instead of her own. Kevin repeatedly asks her to type his manuscripts, and Rufus orders her to write
down and edit correspondence from his dictations. Rufus and Kevin also view their romantic
relationships similarly. They don’t see their partners as humans with emotions and opinions, and
assume that because they want something their partner will as well, or will at least accept it. This is
reflected in Kevin’s marriage proposal to Dana, as well as Rufus’s feelings towards Alice, and
particularly his statement “If I lived in your time, I would have married her” (124). Would Alice have
married him? The thought never crosses his mind.
Rufus. Dana and the reader are horrified by how quickly Kevin initially adjusts to the 1820s, saying
that slavery wasn’t as bad as he had expected, and and sometimes seeming really into acting like a
slave owner (e.g. his elaborate story explaining why he and Dana were travelling in Maryland).
Despite having a 1976 mindset, Kevin, aided by his privilege as a white man, is able to live at first
much as Rufus does--ignoring the suffering around him and getting everything he wants. Another
similarity is that Kevin and Rufus both attempt to push their menial work off onto Dana, while
simultaneously acting as if being able to do this work is a privilege. The most striking example of
this is that both Kevin and Rufus try to talk Dana, an aspiring author, into writing down their words
instead of her own. Kevin repeatedly asks her to type his manuscripts, and Rufus orders her to write
down and edit correspondence from his dictations. Rufus and Kevin also view their romantic
relationships similarly. They don’t see their partners as humans with emotions and opinions, and
assume that because they want something their partner will as well, or will at least accept it. This is
reflected in Kevin’s marriage proposal to Dana, as well as Rufus’s feelings towards Alice, and
particularly his statement “If I lived in your time, I would have married her” (124). Would Alice have
married him? The thought never crosses his mind.
This is a minorly disturbing idea, especially the part with Kevin and Rufus. From the very beginning of the novel I was thinking about the implications of Dana and Kevin's relationship. I mean, they seem like a cute couple, but then there are the scenes with the typing and the awkward responses to slavery that make things weird. Comparing him to Rufus makes it seem a lot more real and problematic than institutionalized sexism (not that that isn't a problem, this just seems more life-threatening).
ReplyDeleteThese are really quite disturbing parallels, especially between Kevin and Rufus. You would think that Kevin being a 'modern' man would be better at regarding Dana as a human with emotion and opinion than Rufus, but really, they are about the same. If this comparison wasn't made, then maybe Kevin's proposal to Dana ("I'd let you type my manuscripts") would have been cute, but with the comparison to Rufus, it make Kevin seem like a much darker person.
ReplyDeleteI certainly think there are parallels between the two, but I think that there are a few very important differences. When left in antebellum south, he works to free slaves and finds that he can't actually live in the south. He keeps moving northward after he is chased away for helping slaves. As much as it appears that he is able to fit in while he is with Dana he finds that as he starts to live there he is unable to continue doing it.
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