Kindred In Octavia Butler's novel "Kindred", a young African-American writer named Dana is married to a white man named Kevin, who is also a writer . Dana is transported back in time during the 19th century. Dana faces many obstacles and is forced to deal with "her people's past" (Harris) until she returns to her present life in California. Throughout the book; Dana continues to save Rufus, her ancestor, and slowly begins to accept slavery to survive. Dana is dragged back into the past whenever Rufus is faced with a life-or-death situation. During her first trip back in time, Dana finds Rufus drowning in a river. She pulls him out safely and begins giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Rufus' mother, who saw everything, begins hitting Dana while screaming, "You killed my baby!" (butler 14). Moments later Dana faces her first racial encounter with Tom Weylin. He turns to the end of a long rifle barrel. Almost immediately Dana feels dizzy and passes out to wake up at her and Kevin's house in California. On Dana's second trip back to Weylin's plantation, she finds Rufus holding a burning piece of wood. The window curtains were burning. Dana manages to put out the fire by throwing the curtains from the window. Once the two start talking, Rufus tells Dana that she should call him "Master". This starts to make Dana laugh because she won't call a kid teacher. Rufus replies, “You should do it. You want me to call you black” (Butler 30). During this time it was natural for whites to openly refer to blacks as niggers. Dana didn't approve of Rufus using that word in her presence. Dana eventually has to leave the house in... middle of the paper... forever returning to Kevin and 1976. However; he left behind a piece of himself, emotionally and physically. She experienced firsthand what it meant to live as a slave. She lost her arm on the way home because Rufus held her arm when she disappeared, forcing her to leave her arm behind with Rufus.Works CitedButler, Octavia E. Kindred. Boston: Beacon Press, 1988. Govan, Sandra Y. “Homage to Tradition: Octavia Butler Renews the Historical Novel.” MELUS. 13. (1986): 79-96. Harris, Edward. “Kindred” by Octavia Butler: What Would You Do? Epinoins. October 10, 2008. .Steinberg, Marc. “Reversing History in Octavia Butler's Postmodern Slave Fiction.” African American Review. 38.3. (2004): 467-476. Yaszek, Lisa. “A Dark Fantasy: Remaking American History in Octavia Butler's Brothers.” Segni: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. 28.4. (2003).