Why does Dana always forgive Rufus?

Dana reflects that Rufus loves her because she cares about him. She wonders why she does not hate him, as Alice does, and why she keeps forgiving him. Despite her fondness for Rufus, she thinks she would kill him if he tried to rape her.

Why does Rufus punish Dana?

To punish Dana for failing to save his father, Rufus forces her to work in the fields.

What is the relationship between Rufus and Dana?

Dana travels from California in 1976 back to the early 1800's whenever Rufus is in trouble. Rufus is a plantation owner son and is also the father of Dana's ancestor.

How does Dana save Rufus in Kindred?

Rufus first appears drowning in a river. Dana saves him by giving him mouth-to-mouth.

How does Dana View Rufus?

Further complicating matters are her feelings of genuine affection for Rufus. She likes him, despite his cruelty to her and her friends. Each time Dana saves Rufus's life, he strips her of another piece of her dignity, which forces her to think about her own limits.

Kindred by Octavia Butler | Summary & Analysis

How is Rufus selfish in Kindred?

But despite his occasional flashes of warmth and his tenuous understanding of morality, Rufus is, in the end, a brutal man. He thinks nothing of beating and continually raping women, selling men, and breaking up families. He is selfish and brutal, and his selfishness and brutality only worsen as he gets older.

What does Dana lose in Kindred?

I lost an arm on my last trip home. My left arm. And I lost about a year of my life and much of the comfort and security I had not valued until it was gone.

Why does Dana write letters for Rufus?

Summary: The Story, Part 9

Rufus tells Dana to write letters for him to his creditors. She says in her own time, she avoided secretarial work, and he smiles and says Kevin told him that she was a writer. He offers her some paper to use as she pleases and says he doesn't want to sell any more slaves.

How does Dana change in Kindred?

Dana is a strong, resourceful, intelligent woman, as well as a writer like her white husband Kevin. Dana learns how to adapt to the oppression of the Antebellum (pre-Civil War) era, but always retains her sense of self and autonomy despite Rufus's attempts to force her to become a true slave.

Who betrayed Dana Why?

Liza. The cleaning woman, who betrays Dana to Weylin. Like some of the other slaves, Liza is willing to do whatever she can to protect her own interests. She pays for betraying her fellow slaves, however.

Why does Dana keep her journal in shorthand?

She begins to keep a journal in secretarial shorthand to keep herself sane and relieve her boredom. Dana even attends a corn husking party to distract herself.

Why are Dana and Alice similar?

Alice functions as a mirror for Dana, and Butler creates notable similarities between them. Alice is Dana's ancestor, and the two women look alike. Both earn Liza's enmity. Both are loved by Rufus.

Is Kindred a feminist book?

On the feminist side of things, Kindred touts a strong female protagonist and themes of female emancipation. The novel shows the struggle of female slaves and what they were forced to do to survive.

Why does Dana travel back in time in Kindred?

One scholar, in particular, Gregory Hampton, suggests the reason behind Dana's time travel is because she does not fully understand how complex race relations are in America's past and present. Dana's articulation of her Blackness is subtle until she time travels and becomes a slave on the Weylin plantation.

What information does Dana get from Alice?

Summary: The Fight, Part 10

Alice asks Dana whether she, Alice, is a slave. After warning Alice that she might not want to know the answers to these questions, she tells Alice about her history: Because she helped a slave escape, she was made a slave herself. Alice then remembers Isaac.

Why does Dana cut her wrists kindred?

Dana and Rufus have always had a tacit agreement: she will save him and care for and about him, and he will respect her. Rufus has repeatedly broken the spirit of that agreement, but when he lays his hand on her, he physically breaks the pact. Fury at this betrayal may be part of what motivates Dana to cut her wrists.

Where did Kevin meet Dana?

Dana tells the story of how she met Kevin. She wrote late at night, and to make ends meet, she did menial jobs assigned to her by a temp office, which they called a “slave market.” While working at an auto parts warehouse, she met Kevin.

Why does Margaret slap Dana?

One day, Margaret asks Dana where she slept last night. When Dana admits that she slept in Kevin's room, Margaret slaps Dana. Remembering the whip, Dana does not answer back or defend herself.

Which one of the following is not one of the reasons Dana stabs Rufus?

25. Which one of the following is NOT one of the reasons Dana stabs Rufus? He attempts to rape her.

How did kindred end?

Summary: Epilogue

As soon as Dana is well, Kevin and Dana go back to Maryland in present time. The Weylin house is gone. They find a newspaper article describing the sale of the Weylin estate, including the slaves, after Rufus's death in a fire. Dana figures Nigel set the fire to cover up her murder of Rufus.

How does Dana lose half of her arm?

She was taken to the hospital, where doctors amputated her arm to above the elbow. The police arrested Kevin, believing him responsible for the injury to Dana's arm. Dana told them the injury was an accident and that it was her fault.

Who is the villain in Kindred?

The main antagonist in Kindred is Rufus Weylin who calls Dana from the future to save his life when he is just a little boy. His obsessive behavior over the years that follow make him a danger not just to his slaves, but also to Dana.

What is Rufus personality?

Personality. Rufus is a strong, brave and daring teenager with a strong sense of commitment towards his foster family, called The Plutos. Even though he was the last one to join the group, his nature quickly led his friends Tagoe and Malcolm to consider him the de facto leader of The Plutos.

What does Kevin look like in Kindred?

Kevin is a progressive, liberal, middle-aged white man who defies convention and the disapproval of his family to marry the black woman he loves. Slavery appalls him.