E. Butler has played a considerable role in explaining her views on race, gender and sexual violence in the novel “Kindred.” The book is based on a black independent woman Dana who later turned into a slave. However, the ability of time travel assists her to make changes on the encounter and go back into time. The story by Butler is more of a science fiction but with massive clarity on the struggles on the reality of slavery as a black woman. The topics of oppression, racism, and slavery have had an enormous impact on the history of the United States. The encounters of slavery and sexual harassments are recorded in many books since the year 1865 3 (H. Nordtveit, Breaking the Silence 3). Testimonies from African- American who went through these traumatic experiences are shared all over the world. Socio-political tensions during the slavery era have given philosophers and the community at large a reason to analyze the past. Currently, signs of racism, gender disparity, and sexual harassment have been noticed within the USA community on black people 2 (H. Nordtveit, Breaking the Silence 2). Moreover, cases of racial ideologies are experienced all through the society, judicial spheres, and politics, expressing the underpinning within the American society. Novels have had a huge role in creating a connection between the past with the present. Similarly, books on slavery also build an established on the linear perceptions of history, duplicating a description about historical slavery. Continually, novels explain the nature of human on forgetting the traumatic incidences of the past despite the time over these periods.
The development of black women writers originated due to the will of shedding light to the society based on power and sexual violence as slaves. Contrary, White feminists neglected the encounters of the black women, and thus left out some of the experiences black women slaves faced. As slaves, women were perceived genderless and more of property. The race was the main factor that degendered the women and the skin color was a significant sign to justify lack of worth 2 (H. Nordtveit, Breaking the Silence 2). A narrative such as that of Dana Franklin over her grandfather raping her slaves is a complete enlightenment on how women slaves were treated. Similarly, Rufus, a white handler had a habit of raping slaves and making them objects of enjoyment. Diana experienced her first encounter of time travel on her twenty-six birthday and certainly one of the weapons she could use for her safety as a black woman 12 (Nordtveit 12). As a way of fighting against initial racist and patriarchic ideas, the novel has gone through the foundation of slavery through determining the consequential objectification and sexualization of black women which until today has been a symbolic idea of black women 12 (Nordtveit 12). Dana experiences first-hand slavery as she is forced to experience the livelihood of his ancestors through time travel. She is victimized and is constantly facing a threat of rape within the south antebellum. Dana self-perception on equality to men is challenged by the white man's authority to rape slave women. The description of white in the novel signifies power and cruelty and black establishes weak and oppressed.
Octavia has developed a narrator and yet a hero of the story within his novel. Dana is designed in the twentieth century but the ability of time travel takes her back to Nineteenth-century a world that he did not understand but had to struggle to survive. The author has made a connection with slavery and the struggle of slavery being a black a woman possible to be revealed and understood in the present state of life. The main reason why Dana had to exist in both lives in the twentieth and the nineteenth was to identify the difference of situations in this two decades. Dana has a hard time to maintain the balance of life and her conscience during the new world. Similarly, the slaves trafficked during the African slave trade had similar problems and troubles of fears as they tried to adapt the balance of the new harsh environment (The Long-Term Effects of Africa’s Slave Trades 16). The author creates a loving character who is willing to save a cruel man just for love. Rufus, Dana’s forebear, is at consistent risk of death, but Dana continually saves him as she is in love with him. In return, Rufus rapes Dana a symbolism of the ungrateful nature of the Whiteman. The author of the book intends to develop an idea of the efforts the slaves at the time put to show responsibility and love to the society only to receive slashes or slave rather the love. The secrecy of Dana to Kevin to save their marriage is a revelation of how much is untold about the encounters of women during these times of slavery. The reasons for not speaking it all was to save their marriages and to maintain serenity amongst themselves (The Long-Term Effects of Africa’s Slave Trades 24). Dana ability to write about everything was to reveal that there are many ways to speak even when silent to the community on the reality of slavery. She is not in a position to tell Kelvin, but he is capable of talking to the world about what she encountered in writing.
Franklin is a middle-aged man who is willing to marry a black woman despite the disapproval by his family. Slavery is a frightening thing to him, and he disapproves its actions (Butler). The main reason why the author develops this character is to show that not every Whiteman approved of slavery (Butler 193). The identity of helping slaves run away creates a Kevin Franklin as a man with humanity in him. Kelvin Franklin is a freethinker and a supportive husband who helps Dana through the difficult times in the south. However, the author reveals the jealous nature of Kevin on Rufus on the concerns of Dana. He wants to make her a secretary in his office just to keep him away from Rufus (Butler 276). The controlling nature of Kevin demonstrates him as a possessive man who would claim Dana as some piece of property. Similarly, the colour of the skin identified a person to be owned or a significance that a person was a tool of a given master (The Long-Term Effects of Africa’s Slave Trades 43). Correspondingly, Kelvin does not see the necessity to listen to Dana and often overlooks her wishes as he feels dominant and in control. The concerns of Kelvin are self-based as later it is disclosed that he does not understand the slaves in Weylin plantation and how shocking it is to be violated and tortured as a slave. Being closer to slavery does not mean you understand what people encounter but being part of it does, this is significantly demonstrated by the views of both Dana Kevin having had different histories. Rufus Weylin intends to convert his living and become a good man. However, he does not put in any efforts in becoming who he wants to be. This demonstration the claim of how white people changed slavery to look less conflicting and harsh despite not changing its effects (International, Amnesty 6). Rufus is elaborate of how people treated slaves, as he is selfish brutal even in his old ages. The results of power convert his nature of being warm and tenuous and his understanding of morality to harshness a possessive to an extent he rapes Dana.
The novel's plot begins on Dana’s twenty-sixth birthday in their new apartment. Even at the time, Dana is exploited to do most of the unpacking as his husband is more of dealing with his issues in the office (Butler 12). Dana gets worn out and dizzy, and the reality of the encounter of exploitation gets vivid as the surrounding fades. She later finds herself in the 1800s in at Mary land a place where he has a chance to save Ruffs as a small boy almost drowning. He assists the boy to the shore, but he is unconscious. Tom Waylon points a gun at Dana as he sees him a threat to his son rather than a hero. Later Dana travels to the 1976 but does not stay long until he travels again to 1815 where he finds Rufus the boy he saved a little older (Butler 40-96). Rufus at this age is insane and angry for his father selling a stallion, Similar to the previous encounter Dana puts out the fire to reduce the possible damage. Through this symbolising the goodness of black women. Alice encounters the beating of his husband a slave to white men. In human, is what this occasion describes them, continually, the white men they do not rest until the also cause harm to Alice Greenwood mother. The attempts of Alice to assist Alice’s mother puts her into danger of rape. The time travels by Dana reveal different occurrences in both time and nature of people. Young boy Rufus turns out to be a rapist and violent despite hurting himself occasionally but being saved by the very same slaves he caused harm.
In conclusion, through symbolism, different gadgets dates and time had hidden meaning. The whip, for instance, demonstrated the power of the Whiteman. The character of Rufus involving other people his dirty work expressed his weakness and intentions to avoid being involved in violent actions. The Whiteman understood how much pain they caused on people but rather than changing their behaviours they used other people to hind their guilt (McQueen). The Birthdays symbolise the cycle in which slavery underwent. Even today, slavery has taken new forms of development and is established differently (International, Amnesty 12). Childbirth is received with great joy, but it causes pain to the mother. Similarly, there is need to take care of the born child. The yields can identify the Argument in the plantation. Harvest to the white was the main agenda but getting this harvest caused slaves lives and made them face pain (McQueen). Being born in the Weylins’ plantation as a slave was joys to parents but also painful due to the encounters one could later face (Butler 138). This is a similar encounter to Dana’s time travel during his birthday to this plantation. The significance of maps in the novel is to demonstrate the possibility of freedom. However similar to being free and black it was dangerous to possess a map at this times. This is signified when Dana is forced to burn her map, making it impossible for her to navigate Maryland (Butler 143). Similar to the forefather Dana teaches his son to read a map giving him the ability to leave beyond his life experiences and thought. This made it possible for him to seek freedom and choice of his own, something relevant in the world today and that during slavery.
Works Cited
12 Years a Slave. Dir. Steve McQueen. 2013. DVD.
Butler, Octavia E. Kindred. Doubleday, 1979.
International, Amnesty. SLAVERY TODAY. Amnesty International’s Human Rights, 2016.
Nordtveit, Hege. "Breaking the Silence." Power Relations and Sexual Violence in Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred and Valerie Martin’s Property (2013): 1-95.
"Breaking the SilencePower Relations and Sexual Violence in Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred and Valerie Martin’s Property." Masters. 2013.
"The Long-Term Effects of Africa’s Slave Trades." Masters. 2006.
