Her ability also correlates to the struggles that people go through in todays society. My left arm.". What hooks you? How does this trip change Dana? You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Alice calls her a traitor to all black people. Kevin is slightly uncomfortable because he's gotten so used to the ways of the past and doesn't know how to act toward Dana. Rufus says he would cut his own throat if he ever found himself wanting Dana. White men are probably the biggest threat to Dana in this time period, as they will assume that she is a runaway slave and decide to bring her to justice. Though Alice and her mother are free blacks, they are still vulnerable to anything that white men choose to do, including breaking and entering. Dana brings us back to the present where she's awakened on her bathroom floor. She believes that if Alice and Rufus do not produce children, Dana's family lines will cease to exist . Kevin clearly cares only for Danas well-being when he suggests taking her to the hospital, but also respects Danas choice not to go. The papers are Dana's letters to Kevin, meaning that Rufus never mailed them. Dana knows that her family line comes from Alice and Rufus. endobj Butler first defines Dana through traits such as her intelligence and her resourcefulness rather than by her race. Please wait while we process your payment. How is Dana's influence evident on the adult Rufus? From Dana's? Carrie helps everyone and doesn't make waves. Dana takes care of Alice, who is incontinent and disoriented. This harsh scene of violence is devastating for Dana to witness, but unfortunately a common occurrence for slaves in the Antebellum South. The resemblance between Dana and Alices mother is another link in the family line. During the conversation, Alice recovers her memories of what Rufus did to her and what happened with Isaac losing his ears. Danas defining environment in the future is her library of books, marking her as an educated person especially to Rufus, who seems unused to seeing both large quantities of books and women who are comfortable in those spaces. Refine any search. Kevin wanted her to get rid of some of her books so she could move in with him. He may have set his novel in the 1850s, but he is writing about the hurdles we yet face, adding that he has the ability to captivate, compel and challenge those of us still working to shape those tomorrows.(James McBride 2). It would take far longer than 8 years to totally transform what Butler refers to as the, While disrupting the image of Sarah as the doting mammy figure, Butler places Dana into that role by making her be responsible for Rufus. Each time Dana saves Rufuss life, he strips her of The familial connection between Dana and Rufus also seems to contribute to their time travel, especially as Dana would cease to exist if Rufus died before he helped sire Danas ancestor Hagar.