Octavia Butler’s novel, Kindred is a novel full of love, hate, power, violence, slavery, and racism. Throughout the book the protagonist Dana time travels back into the 1800’s during the time of slavery. She lands on a plantation in Maryland owned by the Weylins. Dana must travel back in time when her ancestor Rufus is in great danger or it can jeopardize her being born almost a century later. Butler’s novel includes themes on Violence, Race, Power, and the symbolism of the whip. Octavia Butler’s thrilling book Kindred is a must read for all races because it depicts the harsh realities of what slavery was truly like in some of the beginnings of time. Dana has to travel back in time to save her ancestor Rufus, in Kindred the idea of time travel
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For an example Tom Weylins instills it in Rufus brain that violence must be used because it is the white characters right and duty to harm in order to keep order regulation on the plantation. Kindred is a hardcore novel full of whippings, rape, hangings, dog attacks, and many other brutal things. To speak of freedom, independence from slave owners, or any rebellion may afflict them to have violence acted out on them by the majority. This shapes the character’s decisions they make, characteristics, attitudes and even personalities of the slaves. A great example is of Sarah the cook. In the book, Rufus threatens to sell her daughter if she doesn’t comply with all of his orders. Butler chooses to use violence to shed light on the harsh realities of slavery in the …show more content…
Tom Weylins shows power throughout the novel through whips, violence, and threats. The whip was the number one tool used to become powerful over the slaves. Slaves feared being severely beaten so they complied in hopes of not being whipped. Power over slaves was the goal and this shown through the timeline of Rufus’s life. Rufus was born into a plantation with a father who was extremely powerful it nearly made him powerless. Later, on Rufus befriends Alice and Nigel which is unheard of during these time. Rufus then becomes a slave owner of his own and through his teachings at a younger age, Rufus believes that he has the right to control lives, hand out punishments, and wants speedy answers to every demand he commands. Rufus goes as far as turning on his friends Alice and Nigel. Power is something similar to the pass down of inheritance. Tom Weylins instilled in Rufus brain at young age that he must use force, power, and violence to have control despite the fact that Dana intervenes and attempts to instill the
For an example Tom Weylins instills it in Rufus brain that violence must be used because it is the white characters right and duty to harm in order to keep order regulation on the plantation. Kindred is a hardcore novel full of whippings, rape, hangings, dog attacks, and many other brutal things. To speak of freedom, independence from slave owners, or any rebellion may afflict them to have violence acted out on them by the majority. This shapes the character’s decisions they make, characteristics, attitudes and even personalities of the slaves. A great example is of Sarah the cook. In the book, Rufus threatens to sell her daughter if she doesn’t comply with all of his orders. Butler chooses to use violence to shed light on the harsh realities of slavery in the …show more content…
Tom Weylins shows power throughout the novel through whips, violence, and threats. The whip was the number one tool used to become powerful over the slaves. Slaves feared being severely beaten so they complied in hopes of not being whipped. Power over slaves was the goal and this shown through the timeline of Rufus’s life. Rufus was born into a plantation with a father who was extremely powerful it nearly made him powerless. Later, on Rufus befriends Alice and Nigel which is unheard of during these time. Rufus then becomes a slave owner of his own and through his teachings at a younger age, Rufus believes that he has the right to control lives, hand out punishments, and wants speedy answers to every demand he commands. Rufus goes as far as turning on his friends Alice and Nigel. Power is something similar to the pass down of inheritance. Tom Weylins instilled in Rufus brain at young age that he must use force, power, and violence to have control despite the fact that Dana intervenes and attempts to instill the