So it's Gone

          After finishing Kindred, one of the things I wanted to comment on is the changing of opinions of the situation over the course of the story. In the beginning, Dana mentions that she doesn't consider the situation to be favorable in any way, despite Kevin's claims that where they are is better than others, because there are fewer of the tropes associated with slavery present in the area. He seems to believe that the place they are in is not as bad as it seems looking back. However, as the book progresses, this opinion seems to change, for not only Kevin, but also for Dana.

          Kevin's opinion in the beginning of the book reflects that of Billy in Slaughterhouse Five, where everything has happened, and cannot be changed. No matter what he sees occur, it has already happened and can't be hanged. It's less "so it goes," but more "so it's gone." Because of this, he wants to explore the West, see the different places in the past that can only be read about in his time. He sees it as an interesting experience, while Dana sees it as almost an extension of the present. When he argues that the plantation isn't as bad as some of the other ones that made it into the history books, he is taking on the viewpoint of a historian rather than a participant. However, when Kevin is left there for years, this opinion wears off of him. Instead of looking at the world as a historian, he is pulled directly into the fray, and is affected by it. He is injured at one point, as while he does help slaves escape to the North, he is accused of it and has to flee. He can no longer look at the past as only something in the past, he has started to look at the situation in the present.

          Dana almost has the completely opposite change. While she never is able to separate herself from the situation going on, there is a different change that takes place. When Kevin comments on the situation, as mentioned above, she rebuts him by saying that the situation, while less bad than the situation in the deep South, is still bad. This is still her opinion for a large part of the story, but as it progresses, it changes gradually, from almost disgust at the treatment of the slaves, to almost acceptance. She mentions, later on that she almost considers the plantation to be home after months of being there, and leaving back to her own time is bizarre and strange. she begins to not only live more in the 1800s, but also begins to see it as not as bad as she initially thinks, counting the fact that she isn't abused as she could have been among her blessings. Her opinion has shifted to almost acceptance of the situation, while Kevin's opinion has shifted away from acceptance. The overall trend, though is that both move more towards being in the the midst of events rather than viewing them as history.

Comments

  1. MitchellApril 24, 2020 at 12:19 PM

    This is definitely a disturbing sequence in this novel, as Dana starts to acknowledge how "well" she has it at the Weylin plantation, how much worse it could be. She does "accept the situation," but what choice does she have? What would "not accepting the situation" look like? She can believe in her own mind that she's "not really a slave," but no one else will recognize this "special" status. When the overseer puts her in the fields at Rufus's order, there's nothing she can do about it *but* "accept the situation."

    I would say she never *fully* accepts it, which would mean accepting Rufus's advances in that final scene--but it's scary how close she comes to accepting it, when she contemplates "forgiving him even this." Her stabbing of Rufus does represent her ultimate *refusal* to accept, but it's surprisingly hard-won.

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