'Unexpected Relationships In Octavia Butler's Kindred'

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Octavia Butler's Kindred tells the story of Dana, a black woman who is transported back and forth between 1976 America and the nineteenth century South. Dana's travels back in time allow her to save Rufus, her ancestor, and ensure his survival as well as her own in the future. Among other things, Kindred incorporates themes of family and relationships, especially with respect to how different people who are not truly related by blood can connect through common ground. Through this work, Dana's kindred relationships with Kevin and Rufus serve to illustrate the metaphorical nature of the title of Butler's novel. The first person with which Dana is kindred is her husband, Kevin. Dana and Kevin meet at work and connect based on their shared love of writing. When she hears about Kevin's struggles with supporting himself as a writer, Dana thinks, "[h]e was like me—a kindred spirit crazy enough to keep on trying" (57). Dana and Kevin find common ground through their shared perspective on life and determination to succeed; this forms the foundation of …show more content…
Each time Dana is transported to the Weylin plantation, she has to save him from dying. Butler's use of time travel becomes significant here; each time Rufus is in danger, he has the power to call Dana back through time to save him. This speaks to a connection between them that is unique and makes them kindred. Moreover, though at first Dana's visits to the past are simply to ensure Rufus' survival, their relationship grows into something deeper. As Dana says, " [h]e loved me… he wanted me around—someone to talk to, someone who would listen to him and care what he said, care about him. And I did… I cared" (180). Dana knows Rufus in a way that nobody else in the book does. No other character is as close to him or understands him as well as she; this demonstrates the strength of the bond between them and is evidence of their kindred
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