Rufus also possess the power to control Dana by threats. When Rufus wanted to sleep with Alice, he knew she would not comply so he used Dana as a middleman to coheres her. He would make her go to Alice's room and convince her to "willingly" sleep with him. He wanted her to, "fix it so I don't have to beat her. You"re no friend of hers if you won't do that much"(Butler, 164). When she told him that she did not want to assist in his scheme, he replied with, "You talk to her-talk some sense into her or you"re going to watch while Jake Edwards beats some sense into her"(Butler, 163).
Rufus also manipulated and controlled a woman named Alice whom he loved. However, the love he had for her was purely destructive. He used his power to take away her rights and control her so he could have her to himself. She did not want to be with him, but since she was a black woman, the choice was not up to her. Rufus made certain that Alice knew he had control and would have her whether she wanted him or not. She could succumb to him without resistance and not get hurt, or stand up for herself and be beat, and then be taken advantage of nevertheless. "I wouldn't have hurt her if she hadn't just kept saying no" (Butler, 123). When Alice does not comply with him, he would often have others do the dirty work for him. "She"ll get it whether I give it to her or not" (Butler, 123). .
Rufus took away Alice's right to chose who she wanted to be with, and forced her to be with him. Rufus also controlled Alice through threats and fear, the same way he treated Dana. Rufus was so coldhearted that he lied to Alice and said he sold their own child, as well as hers, into the life of slavery. After Alice was sick and dying, he continued the lie in order to, "punish her, scare her. To make her see what could happen if she didn't if she tried to leave me" (Butler, 251). Unfortunately, he took the fallacy too far and finally pushed Alice over the edge, causing her to finally end the struggle and take her own life.
