Kindred: Critical Book Review
Kindred, written by an African-American Octavia Estelle Butler, is a novel with the combination of fantasy and science fiction themes about the slavery of African-Americans. This novel is unique and successful as the first person narrative is being used, making the characters more vivid and actual, and the scenario of the first scene truly makes the readers wonder about the following plot. In addition, the context of the book engirdles Afrofuturism while the history of the African-Americans in this fiction is running through the novel. Each portrait of these black people is characterized exclusively even though they all are under the control of the slavery, evincing their hopes through different actions. Through that way, she has tried to imply that even though the inhumane political system once existed in the past era is revised over time, that kind of racist thought still can be buried in people’s mind, just in a subtle, and maybe instinctive, way. Kindred is the result of the author’s inspiration from her life experiences. The key character, Dana, is a reflection of her as a Black female writer just in different time frames but receiving the same kind of treatment. She, as …show more content…
During the Antebellum Period, none of the black people can have any rights and none of the white people will sincerely care about their black slaves. However, this kind of complicated background couldn’t change the kinship tied among Dana and her white ancestor. Even by the time that her white ancestor had tried to rape her, she couldn’t really kill him without remorse. Moreover, the whole storyline of this book depends on this kinship. The author uses these two personages depicted with different races, genders, and even cultures to express herself, to prove herself that the family ties will conquer all the unjust social norms or
Kindred, written by an African-American Octavia Estelle Butler, is a novel with the combination of fantasy and science fiction themes about the slavery of African-Americans. This novel is unique and successful as the first person narrative is being used, making the characters more vivid and actual, and the scenario of the first scene truly makes the readers wonder about the following plot. In addition, the context of the book engirdles Afrofuturism while the history of the African-Americans in this fiction is running through the novel. Each portrait of these black people is characterized exclusively even though they all are under the control of the slavery, evincing their hopes through different actions. Through that way, she has tried to imply that even though the inhumane political system once existed in the past era is revised over time, that kind of racist thought still can be buried in people’s mind, just in a subtle, and maybe instinctive, way. Kindred is the result of the author’s inspiration from her life experiences. The key character, Dana, is a reflection of her as a Black female writer just in different time frames but receiving the same kind of treatment. She, as …show more content…
During the Antebellum Period, none of the black people can have any rights and none of the white people will sincerely care about their black slaves. However, this kind of complicated background couldn’t change the kinship tied among Dana and her white ancestor. Even by the time that her white ancestor had tried to rape her, she couldn’t really kill him without remorse. Moreover, the whole storyline of this book depends on this kinship. The author uses these two personages depicted with different races, genders, and even cultures to express herself, to prove herself that the family ties will conquer all the unjust social norms or