Women Experience in Kindred, Octavia Butler

Women Experience in Kindred, Octavia Butler

The book is set for two historical periods that are 19th and 20th century, carrying the narrative of the protagonist franklin Edana known as Dana. The African woman migrates from the post-civil rights movement to the antebellum south. The historical and geographical depiction enables the author to explore the experience of Dana and other women in their regards to their gender. The author depicts controlling images as powerless as a way of making natural the experience in the fiction works to enable the reader to understand the experiences of Dana as a slave. The character is in a continuous battle to protect her sense of self as well as other African women exposed to slavery. The essay will analyze the manipulation of gender stereotypes to justify the experiences of women in bondage.

In the book, the stereotypes are aimed at shaping African women as the ‘jezebels’ with the meaning of bad women to justify the acts of white men into using them as sex objects. The argument on women is meant to shape all the black women as sexually aggressive to pave the way for the influential rationale for assaults from white men. It implies that the experiences of Dana are caused by their gender that requires satisfying sexual starved white men. Dana discusses sexual advances and lessons from the master that “I engaged in the 15th year which is the sad part of an enslaved women when my master started telling foul words in my ear claiming that am part of his assets hence have to adhere to her will in all situations” (Mitchell, 62). It implies that she lacked any sexual institution that would protect her from her master attitude hence his assets by law.

Butler is keen to touch on the evil of jezebel stereotype as depicted by various female characters reflecting part of the US history that shapes the societal norm for an extended period. The first encounter with nature Alice is when she is an adult that is on Dana’s fourth trip. “In my opposite side is a black, young lady with her dross tear apart in the front side.” all she could is holding it to witness the fight between black and a white man. The state of the dress is caused as she was getting raped by the white man named Rufus. It was a norm that no black woman was safe in the presence of a white man since the latter was feeling of dominance and entitled to execute. It implies that she is subjected to such kind of horrible experience due to her gender. The white men have ego based on the societal norms hence views black women as sex objects to rent anytime without seeking consent. She has even chosen to marry a black slave known as Isaac, who is in disputes with Rufus to seek revenge. Alice is a grown-up and understands the need to adhere to her and sexual entitlement. On Dana’s intervention inquiring on the reason for inhumane actions against her childhood friend, Rufus replies rudely claiming she better have a buck nigger than him. The phrase ‘buck nigger’ is a revelation that he is radicalized with stereotypes such that he sees Alice has an individual with no rights.

The experience of a woman is revealed through Dana’s actions, where she stands with her principle that one husband is enough. It is after one of the slaves known as Sam, shows some romantic interest in her. However, she is accused by the master of the slave Margaret that she is a stereotypical Jezebel. On Weylin’s finding out that she is in a romantic affair with Kevin, she insults by calling a filthy black whore claiming that it is house is for stance Christian followers. It reveals the hypocrisy behind the slavery dragon that fails to adopt the ideologies of truth as emphasized in the Christian. The reader can depict the obvious stereotype that is the pure life and non-sexual defining white man. She is keen to judge the half-black kids that resemble her husband but fail to think of Kevin; her sex boy is falling for Dana. It shows that Dana is undergoing all these experiences because of her gender. She appears a threat to Margret’s interests with Kelvin, thus subjected to insults.

Conclusion

In the Kindred book by Butler Octavia, it reveals the experiences of Dana and other female characters such as Alice caused by gender. Dana’s childhood friend Alice is raped by Rufus, a white man showing that their gender makes them perceived as sexual objects. Rufus has been influenced by stereotypes placing white men to have full dominance over black girls. Dana is insulted wildly by Margret Weylin due to her romantic affair with Kevin happening to be her boy. The women call her bitter names because she can’t bear a low-status woman like Dana taking away her man. All this happens to Diana due to her gender as a woman interfering with another woman’s love life.