The Development of Racism in Kindred
However, are they actually that contradictory?
As the plot in the novel develops, the past seems to be reaching towards the present. In the beginning both the past and present are unclear; later though, everything is exposed when these two worlds collide. This issue results in making both Dana and Kevin confused about where they should call “home,” and one may interpret this confusion as a reflection of how similar the past and present really are despite the obvious differences.
One such similarity is that of racism and gender bias. Even in the present, during Dana's time in 1976, the African American woman was still treated in an inferior way. It is true that slavery was abolished; however, it is still prevalent in many other ways in Dana’s present. This can be seen in the reaction to Dana and Kevin's interracial marriage. There were not many interracial marriages in the 1970’s, and the idea was not widely spread or accepted yet. The couple are harassed by their boss at the labor agency where he addresses them by racist comments such as “Chocolate and vanilla [...]!”(56)¹.
Moreover, the abuse inflicted upon the slaves that Dana witnesses during her time travel affects her relationship with her white husband, Kevin. Things end up becoming more complicated when Kevin also goes into the past and is forced to act as her owner. This juxtaposition of the past and the present in the novel shows that although the times had changed, which implies that the society had also changed, there are still many aspects that had not changed in regards to how many people still think.
Reference
- Butler, Octavia E. Kindred. Beacon Press, 2003
