Today, freedom and equality are two virtues that Americans overlook and take for granted. However, examples from the past point out that Americans were not always this fortunate. Octavia Butler's "Kindred" takes us on a time-traveling journey through the antebellum south. In order to save her ancestry, a black woman named Dana is sent back into time repeatedly to save her great-great-grandfather Rufus who ironically is a white southern slave-owner, confused, spoiled, and a rapist with a remarkable gift for self-destruction. Analysis of the novel reveals that being white was the safest position to be in during the pre-Civil War Era. Not only did whites have absolute freedom and power, but they also had the ability to control slaves by taking away human rights they were entitled to.
Rufus had the power to control and threaten Dana despite the fact that she was a "free" slave. Even though she was free, the color of her skin designated her as an easy target for Rufus's manipulation. Dana does not receive physical abuse from Rufus, but she was a victim of his threats, blackmail, and lies. One of the main goals that Dana has in the novel is to find her husband Kevin. Unfortunately as a black woman, she has no rights and relies heavily on Rufus to help her find him. Rufus knows this and uses his power to stop her. "You threaten me, I"ll threaten you. Without me, you"ll never find Kevin"(Butler, 125). .
Rufus also used his power to blackmail Dana as he pleased. When Dana would not submit to him and throw her map in the fire as Rufus demanded, he threatened her in order to get what he wanted. "Listen, if you want me to get that letter to town soon, you put the map in the fire too"(Butler, 142). In order to ensure that Dana would stay with him and not runaway, Rufus took away Dana's human rights by not letting her find her husband. Not only did he make her burn the map, he also did not send the letters to Kevin as he had once promised.
