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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel back into the 19th century and witness one of the most horrific time periods in history? The antebellum South and slavery during that time period was arguably the most catastrophic events to ever occur in US history. Kindred, a novel by Octavia Butler, is the story of a young black women, Dana, who is living in Los Angeles in the mid-1970’s and is miraculously transported back into the early 1800’s. Dana is sent to the South, where she is given the task of saving her ancestor, Rufus, a young white boy who is the son of a slave owner. Rufus will eventually rape a free black girl named Alice, who he is sexually attracted too. It turns out that Alice is a very important link in Dana’s ancestry and Dana must try to help Alice escape harm from Rufus. Dana is continuously sent back and forth between the 19th and 20th century. Dana must choose between saving Rufus from life threatening situations or to let the young boy she grows so close too die because of his future involvement with slave abuse. This seems like a very easy decision for Dana, why would she help save a boy who will grow into an evil slave owner? Dana has one major dilemma: if she doesn’t save Rufus, her ancestry will be broken and she may never get back to the 20th century. Dana is first called upon to save the life of the young Rufus after he nearly drowns in a river. This is the first time Dana is transported to the 19th century and she has no idea who Rufus is. For the first time, Dana actually comes in contact with the boy who will change her life forever and be the link between her and her ancestors. As time goes on, Dana grows up with Rufus and becomes almost a mentor to him. Dana is the one who teaches Rufus how to read and write. Rufus really accepts Dana as his friend and he helps her avoid regular slave treatment and beatings by his father, Tom Weylin.
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