is rufus a good person, inherently good but mean, or just human trash?
Kindred was such an interesting book to read because it contained elements of science fiction like time traveling, yet it felt so realistic at times as if I was right next to Dana, experiencing everything with her. It was especially interesting to see the relationship between Dana and everyone in the past. However, the one topic I couldn't seem to figure out was whether Rufus was a good person, inherently good but acted bad, or was just horrible.
Dana's first interaction with Rufus was out of the ordinary, she had no idea where she was and Rufus was drowning. I was definitely glad that Dana reacted fast and saved Rufus from drowning, however as the story progressed on, I started becoming less and less happy when Dana decided to help Rufus.
I so understand why Dana wanted to help Rufus so much, she felt some sort of affection for this little boy who trusted Dana and grew to like her. I guess she couldn't help but feel like she became responsible for him because I mean, she was literally responsible for his life at times. Even when Rufus started reaching out to Dana for different intentions, I wanted to like him. I wanted to share the same affection as Dana had for him because as a reader, I saw him grow up as well. However, at some point in the story, I started feeling more frustrated at the lack of character development in Rufus.
I can definitely say that Rufus was more fun to be around as a younger child than what he grew into. I was kind of expecting him to become this revolutionary figure with the help of Dana, but he became more aggressive and scary. It was hard for me to label Rufus as a good or bad person because I could tell that he cared about Alice, Dana, and other people he seemed to like, but the actions influenced by his intentions were completely immoral.
Maybe Rufus is a good person but influenced by the time period he's in..? But I still think that his actions and thoughts can't be excused at all. Rape is definitely not ok in any sort of way. I think Dana also realized how hard it would be for Rufus to recognize the wrong and right when he grew up in the 1800s. Any immoral action and thought in today's world were deemed normal in his world.
This leads me to another thought about how society shapes the people and the people also shape society. Since modern people obviously don't think rape is ok, rapists are immediately depicted as horrible human beings. Similarly, Rufus thinks he's acting out of his "love" for Alice, so all his actions must be good right? Because it's out of love right? He also probably thought that he was being nicer because he didn't whip her all the time, unlike other masters. It seems to me that even Dana is confused about how to handle this situation because she grew fond of the little boy and saw that he really liked Alice, to the point where he shamelessly chased after her.
I still haven't really reached a conclusion because while I do think Rufus could've been a caring person, he was constantly influenced by his society and therefore, tainted by the societal norms. What do you guys think? Is he horrible because he raped Alice and tried to rape Dana? Is he horrible because he believes whipping "tames" African-american slaves?
Dana's first interaction with Rufus was out of the ordinary, she had no idea where she was and Rufus was drowning. I was definitely glad that Dana reacted fast and saved Rufus from drowning, however as the story progressed on, I started becoming less and less happy when Dana decided to help Rufus.
I so understand why Dana wanted to help Rufus so much, she felt some sort of affection for this little boy who trusted Dana and grew to like her. I guess she couldn't help but feel like she became responsible for him because I mean, she was literally responsible for his life at times. Even when Rufus started reaching out to Dana for different intentions, I wanted to like him. I wanted to share the same affection as Dana had for him because as a reader, I saw him grow up as well. However, at some point in the story, I started feeling more frustrated at the lack of character development in Rufus.
I can definitely say that Rufus was more fun to be around as a younger child than what he grew into. I was kind of expecting him to become this revolutionary figure with the help of Dana, but he became more aggressive and scary. It was hard for me to label Rufus as a good or bad person because I could tell that he cared about Alice, Dana, and other people he seemed to like, but the actions influenced by his intentions were completely immoral.
Maybe Rufus is a good person but influenced by the time period he's in..? But I still think that his actions and thoughts can't be excused at all. Rape is definitely not ok in any sort of way. I think Dana also realized how hard it would be for Rufus to recognize the wrong and right when he grew up in the 1800s. Any immoral action and thought in today's world were deemed normal in his world.
This leads me to another thought about how society shapes the people and the people also shape society. Since modern people obviously don't think rape is ok, rapists are immediately depicted as horrible human beings. Similarly, Rufus thinks he's acting out of his "love" for Alice, so all his actions must be good right? Because it's out of love right? He also probably thought that he was being nicer because he didn't whip her all the time, unlike other masters. It seems to me that even Dana is confused about how to handle this situation because she grew fond of the little boy and saw that he really liked Alice, to the point where he shamelessly chased after her.
I still haven't really reached a conclusion because while I do think Rufus could've been a caring person, he was constantly influenced by his society and therefore, tainted by the societal norms. What do you guys think? Is he horrible because he raped Alice and tried to rape Dana? Is he horrible because he believes whipping "tames" African-american slaves?
I do not think Rufus' actions are excusable. Although he is a product of his times, that does not justify rape, physical violence, emotional abuse, etc. There must be at least some part of society at the time that believed this entire system was wrong - like abolitionists, for example. I was confused why Dana did not just tell him that he was her ancestor (at some point in the novel), as this could have helped change Rufus for the better in multiple ways. Being related to someone might reduce the sense of distance between them, which might also explain Dana's ambivalence towards "labelling" Rufus' morality as "good" or "bad."
ReplyDeleteRufus was a product of his environment, but that does not excuse his actions. I can understand, however, why Dana hesitated so much to reject him and kept forgiving him - she wanted to believe the best in her ancestor, in the person who was just a little boy mere weeks ago in her eyes. She wanted him to be better, even though he kept showing signs that he wasn't going to be. I definitely think she kept saving him as part of that, but even if she hated him, I don't think it's in Dana to ignore somebody in danger.
ReplyDeleteI know when I was reading, it was easy to forgot for how much of his life Dana was not there. For the most part, Rufus grew up learning from his time period and his father and only occasionally Dana was there to introduce different ideas. As Rufus grew older and Dana's visits were more spaced out, it would be even easier to ignore Dana's ideas and stick with what he knows.
ReplyDeleteThere's only so much *Butler herself* can do in terms of Rufus developing as a character under Dana's influence--she's careful not to "alter history," and having him become an early incarnation of John Brown would depart dramatically from the historical record. Instead, she's interested in digging into the psychology of the white slaveowner--Dana can't fundamentally change him, as the force of his environment is far too strong (and there's no way for him to express or manifest his purported "love" for Alice--it can *only* take the form of coercive rape, as social context has made it impossible for Alice to love *him*, for reasons it's not hard to understand). There is something *potentially* revolutionary in him even expressing "love" for Alice, and seeing Dana and Kevin as a kind of aspirational relationship goal for them. But any potential revolutionary impulse is quickly subsumed when Alice "chooses" Isaac, and Rufus reflexively resorts to the prerogatives of his class, "taking" her when he can't have her consent.
ReplyDeleteRufus shows a lot of potential and growth as a character and I think he differs from some of the men of his era, however, as many have mentioned his actions are inexcusable. While he is a product of his environment, Its hard to look past the awful things he's done and clearly Dana doesn't. However, I think for the most part, he wouldn't have been able to change much more without things being altered dramatically, and clearly Dana didn't want that. She wanted to keep as much of the historical narrative accurate as she could bear to do. I think its also interesting to think about (as katie mentioned) how little Dana was there during his life. Though the periods she is moved to the plantation are years for her, she truly only influences 5 or so years of his life in total. Her impact is therefore lesser than it feels to be.
ReplyDelete