Kindred Octavia Butler Analysis

Professor Cox English 211-009 Irma Lozada 3/30/09 Essay #2-Kindred by Octavia butler a figurative representation of the cultural meaning and construction of gender and race in her society. In its metaphoric interpretation, the loss of her limb therefore signifies something much stronger and darker. It acts as a powerful statement on the sacrifices that black Americans, especially black female Americans, have to make in order to coexist in a hostile world. live in a world that enables them to avoid discussing race and class. Their relationship is based sees the marriage as a rejection of personal, social and racial identity), Dana and Kevin marry alone in Las Vegas. Their decision to marry without the presence of their families stands for the
These objects suggest the uncomfortable balance of hope and distrust that remains unresolved at the end of the novel. Dana has her check-her long awaited professional reward and acceptance. At the same time she has a blender-a physical symbol of her expected duties as a wife, as well as a insult on her racially "blended" marriage. The trips to Maryland represent a forceful awakening for both of them, but especially for Dana. As she is drawn further and further into a life of slavery, the time difference between the 1800s and the 1970s provide a slight re-evaluation of her relationship to Kevin. unharmed. In the seconds before he dies and Dana returns to present-day California, Rufus makes a final, desperate grab at Dana's arm. The result of this final action on the part of Rufus is the scene that begins “Kindred”: Dana comes to consciousness in the safety of her own home only to find that her arm has somehow fused itself to the wall of her bedroom. Butler shows us that Dana's literal situation may indeed seem like something out of a fantastic sci-fi scenario, metaphorically it makes perfect