How Does Octavia Butler Use Irony In Kindred

Have you ever had all the power, but still can’t get what you want? That’s what Rufus goes through everyday in his life. In the novel Kindred by Octavia Butler, the author uses irony to show how white supremacy has a negative impact on both black and white people. Rufus fell in love with Alice, but it was not mutual and with the imbalance in power Alice’s life is ruined. Rufus saw Sam and Dana spending time together and got jealous and sold Sam, but this didn’t help. Rufus Tried to use his authority to get Dana to stay and do what he wanted with her, but Dana is different.

Rufus’s love toward Alice ends up ruining Alice’s, and once he realizes this it ruins his too. Rufus’s friendship with Alice begins to turn to love, but Alice already is in love and she does not like Rufus in that way which causes lots of problems. “I was beginning to realize that he loved the women - to her misfortune. There was no shame in raping a black women, but there could be in loving one”. Alice and her boyfriend (who is one of Rufus’s slaves), run away because they knew that no one …show more content…
Rufus tries to make Dana stay in his time period, and fill the spot in his life that Alice left. When he does this she realizes it, and fights against him and eventually kills him. “So what else do I have to lose?” He asked. He pushed me back on the pallet, and for a few moments, we lay there, still. What was he waiting for?” (pg.259). Rufus loses his life because his white supremacy gives him a false sense of security and makes him think none of the slaves or any black people can hurt him when in reality they could all pose a threat to him. This also hurts Dana too in that she loses an arm, which goes to symbolize a lot more. The irony is that in this situation Dana has more power and control over what happens (because she can leave anytime), than Rufus does and black women in this time period had absolutely no