The Rope

This reading comes full circle, as we learn how Dana loses her arm- the first thing we learn about her from the Prologue. 

Though short, "The Rope" takes numerous twists and turns through both tragedy and triumph, and leaves the reader wondering who is the victor. Has Dana let Rufus get to her so severely that she has no choice but to kill him? Does Rufus surrender to his own grief? Has Alice been overwhelmed by her misfortune? Let's take a deeper dive. 

Alice returns to Rufus on an ant hill and is joined by a speechless Rufus. Upon following Rufus to the nearby barn, she see's Alice, who is dead, having hung herself. Rufus reveals that Alice tried to run away with her kids, and he "sells" them. Though it is revealed they are really with Rufus's Aunt, Alice reaches her breaking point. She is not only angry, but grieving the loss of control over both her kids, but her own relationship with Rufus. Though Alice eventually kills herself, it is evident, that Rufus has ultimately killed her- driven her so insane that she simply cannot bear him or her circumstance anymore. Sarah remarks, "Even if he didn't put the rope on her, he drove her to it" (249). 

Rufus eventually gets his kids back, and they begin calling him "Daddy" instead of "Master", which makes Dana genuinely smile. She knows Rufus owes it to Alice and his kids to officially free them, which he does. And just as Rufus begins a journey to building a relationship with his kids, he makes remarks that frighten Dana. He tells her, "You're so much like her, I can hardly stand it" (257). Dana can understand what will ensue if she doesn't take matters into her own hands, and she immediately runs into the attic. She clutches her knife as Rufus makes advances, and stabs him twice before he dies. 

Though Dana's homicide may seem like she has let Rufus infiltrate her, she is simply standing up for herself and protecting herself. She had a sinking feeling this was going to happen at some point, and she attacked when she had to. Dana is the epitome of bravery in these closing chapters. She not only stands up for herself, but also Alice, Hagar, Joe, Nigel, Carrie, Kevin, and everyone else who has fallen victim to Rufus's ruthlessness, rashness, and violence. It is pretty clear- Dana has won. 

Kindred The Fight 155-188

 

The second half of The Fight was a fairly traumatic read. Dana experiences a million emotions and events that are unfathomable. The first part of the reading dives straight into the relations between Alice and Rufus. We see complications arise with Rufus especially during the conversations about this particular relationship. Rufus displays his potential to be cruel and selfish when he explains to Dana that he would wait for Alice to recover before anything more happened. They go back and forth on the matter and Rufus replies, ““Don’t look at me like that,”... “I wouldn’t bother her. It would be like hurting a baby.” Later it would be like hurting a woman. I suspected that wouldn’t bother him at all”(Butler 153). Rufus shows a shred of humanity by suggesting that he will not approach Alice in any manner until she is healthy, yet that is immediately stripped of him when he implies that once she is healed she has no say in what happens to her. I find Rufus’s behavior towards Alice particularly disturbing because it is all done in the name of love, when in reality it is a compulsive need for him to be in control. If Rufus truly loved Alice the way he claims to, both of their lives would look very very different. 

Throughout the chapter we also feel an intense feeling of fear in all aspects of the storyline. Dana not only experiences fear for herself, but also for others as she continues to display her empathetic and kind nature. Towards the end of The Fight though we see Dana’s patience wearing thin as she contemplates killing Rufus if she has to in order to survive because he has turned violent on her. I think we have finally reached the point in the story where Dana is faced with a choice to continue supporting her cruel white ancestor and his endeavors or attempt to save his soul and teach him that his actions have severe consequences for others. 

kindred pg. 52-107

  In the beginning of chapter 4, Dana takes us back to when she first met Kevin. Dana writes about how they met in an auto parts warehouse when she was trying to make more money. After many conversations and shared stories, Kevin asks her out.

In part 2 of the Fall, Dana is transported back to help Rufus, but this time Kevin comes with her. When they get to Rufus, they discover he has broken a leg. Although Rufus is in a lot of pain from his injury, he becomes more interested in what Kevin and Dana are doing together. Kevin tells Rufus that they are married. In disbelief, Rufus continues to ask questions about their relationship. Dana and Kevin explain to him that it is legal to get married where they are from. Still in shock about this concept, Rufus then asks them where they are from. Dana and Kevin hesitate because they realize they might have to tell him the truth. After a long debate about whether or not Dana and Kevin really are from the future, Rufus decides to believe them even though he does not understand. 

When Rufus’ father comes to pick him up, Dana gets nervous about the part she has to play. The slave that came with Rufus’ father warns Dana that his master is very very mean and that Rufus can be too. After receiving the warning, she observes Rufus and his father. She soon came to realize that Rufus is going to be very similar to his father. She starts to question her ability to help Rufus. She says, “The boy was literally growing up as I watched- growing up because I watched and because I helped to keep him safe. I was the worst possible guardian for him- a black to watch over him in a society that considered blacks subhuman, a woman to watch over him in a society that considered women perennial children. I would have all I could do to look after myself. But I would help him as best I could. And I would try to keep friendship with him, maybe plant a few ideas in his mind that would help both me and the people who would be his slaves in the years to come” (68). 

In parts 4 through 8, Dana is forced into living the life of one of the Weylin’s slaves. On the side of her chores, she starts to teach some of the other slaves how to read. She had to do it in private because the Weylins did not like it when their slaves were educated. One day, Weylin walks in on her reading and he beats her. This sends Dana back into a dizzy spell and passes out, but without Kevin. 

This ending of this chapter made me wonder if Dana will still be as willing to stay and help Rufus even though she is sacrificing her life to do so.

Kindred, pg 9-49

In Octavia Butler’s Kindred, the protagonist, Dana is first introduced in the prologue. The prologue opens with Dana having gone through a severe accident, resulting in losing her left arm. It is unclear how the injury occurred to the readers or the character, as they can hardly formulate how it happened. 

Chapter one begins with Dana recounting her first shift to the past and encounter with Rufus. Dana and her husband, Kevin, had just moved to their new house in Los Angles. As she was unpacking books, she felt nauseous and dizzy, and the room began to spin. Everything vanished, and she was immediately transported to early 1800’s Maryland. Once there, she had little time to take in her surroundings before she jumped into action to save a boy from drowning. The boy’s parents come to the scene as well, and Dana shifts back right as Rufus’s dad is holding a gun to Dana. Her sudden disappearance and reappearance have both Kevin and herself completely astonished. Extremely concerned, Kevin begins asking her many questions to try and understand what happened. Despite their overall confusion and panic, they figure out that Dana’s few minutes in Maryland were only a few seconds in her present time continuum. How and why she ended up in 1815 Maryland is still a complete mystery to both Dana and Kevin.  

In chapter two, The Fire, Dana struggles with forgetting the events that took place when she shifted back in time. Then suddenly, Dana has transported once again to the past, except it is apparent that a few years have passed for them despite her only shiting the first time a few hours before. On page 20, Dana notes that Rufus has aged since she saved him in the river. Dana states, “He was not Rufus. I could see that now. He had the same red hair and slight build,, but her was taller, clearly three or four years older” (Butler 20). Time has a bizarre effect in this novel, as the time she spends in Rufus’s era is significantly longer than how long she is gone from her actual reality. Her second shift places her in Rufus’s room as he lights his drapes on fire and is about to burn them down. She then realizes that her changes occur when Rufus is in immense danger or is frightened. 

Her second time in Rufus’s era provides her with much more information about the shifts. She learns that Rufus Weylin is her ancestor and she is somewhat a guardian for him, saving him from many dangerous situations. She also met Alice Greenwood, another ancestor of Dana’s, as Alice provides Dana with shelter from Rufus’s father. Dana is finally transported home after fighting off a white patroller trying to attack her. Dana goes back to her present time much more terrified than before due to all the events she witnessed and encountered. However, this new shift back in time prompted the characters to realize that not only is it Rufus’s peril that controls the shifts, but Dana’s as well. 

        In the beginning of chapter 18, we see Native Americans starting to walk through the Everglades. The town starts to get suspicious of what is happening and a few make harsh comments on the Native Americans. The town hears about a hurricane that is fast approaching, and multiple people start to panic and leave. However, Janie and Tea Cake feel no pressure and assume that the storm will be light. They are reluctant to leave at first because they want to keep making money off of the beans. Later that night, the hurricane hits and Janie and Tea cake along with a few others are in the midst of the biggest storm. They struggle to find a safe location and a way of escaping. Especially when Janie gets blown into the storm and grabs a cow’s tail for safety. Unfortunately, the dog on top of the cow tries to attack Janie, and in panic, Tea Cake rushes out to save Janie. Tea Cake gets attacked and bitten by the dog and ends up stabbing the dog to death. 

In chapter 19, Janie and Tea Cake make it to their desired destination, Palm Beach. However, there is a clear shift in hierarchy in Palm Beach. Due to the many deaths, white men start to take charge and force Tea Cake and others to bury the white bodies in coffins and dispose the black bodies in a ditch. Thankfully, Janie and Tea Cake go back home to Everglades. After a few days back, Tea Cake starts to feel ill and later finds out that the dog that bit him had rabies. The rabies starts to negatively impact Tea Cake’s mind and leaves him with delusional thoughts that cause him to get angry. Tea Cake fears that Janie is running off with Ms. Turner’s son and upon Janie's arrival Tea cake threatens her Janie finds out Tea Cake has a pistol with three bullets in it. Instead of taking the gun, she moves the bullets three spaces in case Tea Cake plans on using it so she will have time to react.  Tea Cake tries and shoots her, but because of Janie moving the bullet nothing happens. In response, Janie grabs a rifle to scare Tea Cake off, but he shoots at her again. Janie ends up shooting Tea Cake. Janie goes on trial, but luckily, she proves how much she truly loved Tea Cake and is proven innocent. 

Chapter 20 starts with the men on the muck beating and scaring off Ms. Turner’s brother due to their realization of how badly they treated Janie. Janie hates living in Everglades without Tea Cake so she returns back to Eatonville. Chapter 20 is where Janie finishes her long story to her friend Phoeby. Janie says,”Ah done been tuh de horizon and back...”. Janie feels content with where she is in life, because of all Tea Cake did for her and the love they shared. 

I was utterly shocked when reading about the death of Tea Cake. I did not expect that at all. Even though Tea Cake was messed up, he was acting too sus, so he kind of had it coming. Rip TC though. 

 In chapter 13 we start off the chapter with Janie and Tea Cake getting married as soon as Janie arrives off the train into Jacksonville. Before Janie had left to marry Tea Cake, her friend Pheoby had advised her that she keep a spare $200 hidden in case Tea Cake decides to run off with all her belongings like Who Flung had done to Annie Tyler. A week into their marriage there comes a morning when Janie wakes up with no Tea Cake or money left. Janie started to worry as it soon became night and then the next morning. When Tea Cake comes back he tells her how he found the money, had a day full of fun, and saw how it was to be rich. It was then after some listening that Janie told Tea Cake she would want to go with him to everything, and Tea Cake realized, “From now on you’se mah wife and mah woman and everything else in de world Ah needs” (Hurston 124).

In chapter 14 we see Janie and Tea Cake move down to the Everglades where lots of people come down to the muck to find work harvesting beans all during the day, and gambling all at night making good pay for it all. Although at first we see Janie cooped up in the quarters all day long we eventually see her come out into the field laughing and making friends with everyone around. Soon enough by the end of the chapter and summer we see anyone and everyone knowing Tea cake and Janie.

Chapters 15 and 16 is where we start to see jealousy from both Janie and Tea Cake rightfully so in their own place. In chapter 15 we see this girl, Nunkie, who keeps trying to get Tea Cake alone and chase after her or take care of her. Eventually Janie gets upset and her and Tea Cake dispute until their night ends in love and exhaustion. In chapter 16, we meet a woman called Mrs. Turner who has taken a liking to Janie due to her being more light skinned than the others. During many discussions she and Janie have, we see that she does not like African Americans and wants Janie and Tea Cake to split, so that Janie may marry her brother. Mrs. Turner remains to be a problem even throughout chapter 17 when she is reported. As Mrs. Turner won’t back down, Tea Cake hits Janie in order to show that he is the boss and in charge and that she cannot have Janie. The chapter ends with a fight destroying Mrs. Turner's restaurant while everyone including her husband idly sits back and watches.

As much as I can understand for the times why Tea Cake hit Janie and why Mrs. Turner thinks as awfully as she does towards others, it is still something that I can fathom or accept especially with a mind of modern times.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Chapter 8-12

 In Chapter 8, Janie continues to recognize Jody's age more and starts to get worried about him and his health. Feeling pity for him, she tries to talk to him one last time. But when he accuses her of never fully appreciating everything he had done for her, she responds with that he never let her express her emotions either. We see this disintegration of Jody's power and Janie taking this opportunity to finally berate him for everything he put her through that she wasn't able to see when he had the power, stripping him of his power even more. When Jody finally dies, Janie's first act of liberation is burning "every one of her head rags and went about the house next morning with her hair down in one thick braid swinging well below her waist" (89), symbolizing one of the ways Jody suppressed her freedom.  

In Chapter 9, Janie finally begins finding herself again, learning how to be alone for the first time since Janie was 16, finally seeking independence and strength for herself. You see Janie also interact with the town folks more and become more social than she was ever able to when Jody was alive. 

We meet Tea-Cake in Chapter 10 when he comes into the store to buy cigarettes when she is about to close up. Automatically, you can see that Tea Cake approaches and perceives Janie differently from how Jody and Logan saw her. There is also symbolism of the horizon again after meeting him from Hurston, saying, "So she sat on the porch and watched the moon rise. So its amber fluid was drenching the earth, and quenching the thirst of the day" (99). 

We see Janie and Tea Cake's relationship flourish in Chapters 11 and 12, while also watching Janie figure out more about who she is and what she wants. And, as the town's opinions of their relationship come out as the they become more public, we see that Janie isn't as fazed by the petty gossip anymore due to her newfound self-confidence. She is also eginning to discover her own values outside of Nanny's, whose priorities were distorted by slavery. She talks about her and Tea Cake wanted to leave Eatonville to start fresh and get married. 

At this point of the novel, Janie continues her journey to find herself, and getting closer to learning about what happened before Janie came back to Eatonville in the beginning of the novel. I am interested to see how Tea Cake and Janie's relationship develops and see why Hurston decided to give us a glimpse of the aftermath of their relationship before learning about it.