Violence Makes It Real

            While discussing Kindred during class we spoke about the role of violence in the narrative. We brought up the point that violence makes things real. As I sat in class this point made more and more sense as the discussion progressed. I noticed that violence towards characters solidified status, power, hatred, pain, and things of that nature. It also explains why Dana was unable to return to the present as easily as she did in the beginning of the novel.

            Dana as a character was introduced as a strong and righteous woman during the 1960’s but as she spent more time in the past she began to really own the role she was forced to play. Because of the times, she had no other choice than to pretend she was an enslaved African American and this grew on Dana. Of course, it can be deduced that a character like Dana would never believe herself to be an actual slave. Dana began falling for her role once she began to be physically abused. Violence towards her made the experience of time travel a reality because the possibility of it all being a dream is defeated. One cannot dream of going back in time and wake up with the authentic pain of the whip. It is when she is hurt that her position of a strong woman is diminished into a slave.

            The same goes for the man who whips Dana. Dana is merely an outsider coming into a world long before her time. She isn’t truly a part of the society, therefore the laws should be void. The men of this society should not have power over Dana, and they don’t until she is violated. The whipping symbolizes the validation of power this man has over Dana. The whipping transforms Dana into the slave she appears to be in the eyes of the society. This ties into why Dana has trouble returning to her life as the story proceeds.

            As mentioned, violence makes the experience genuine for Dana. During her first visit to the past she returns to her home after having a shotgun pointed at her face. In an instant of the gun appearing in front of her the physics of time travel kick in and she is safe once again. But the next time she visits she is abused substantially until these physics apply again. Each consecutive visit lasts longer until it seems as if though she can’t return. The more the experience became real the less of the true Dana existed. It was violence and exposure that was converting Dana into a woman of the era and slowly it consumed her. This is why it was harder for her to return. The physics were applying less and less to Dana.

            I really enjoyed Kindred. It was refreshing from what was read prior, but still very similar at the same time. The idea of time travel was certainly different, yet the theme of identity was a common one as earlier reads. I find it interested to interpret how vital violence is for not only character development, but also development of the entire plot.