We seem to always think the best of ourselves. When asked about how we would act in a potentially precarious situation, we respond with the obvious acts of nobility, naturally, for we could all be superheroes if we wanted to, right? I am going to temporarily shatter this false self faith.
When we learn about slavery, the holocaust, and other historical tragedies, we are appalled by the actions of the human race. The tyrants of these times seem distant and perplexing, and we immediately self identify with the victims of these adversities. It is easy for us to affiliate ourselves with the "good guys" in these situations. Due to societal developments and changed laws, it would be much more difficult for such tragedies to repeat themselves in their countries of origin in the world today, so as a result the reality of such events seems profoundly intangible.
In Kindred, Butler attempts to shatter our self confidence. By using characters from the 1970's that appear unafraid to break societal norms, and having them affected by the uneasy times they are thrust into, Butler successfully shows the actually close proximity of people today and the people of these historical times. Dana's words clearly display Butler's idea to us readers when she says "I never realized how easily people could be trained to accept slavery" (101). Butler wants us to ask this same question in our own heads. Through Kevin's acquisition of the American south's societal norms at the time, and Dana's general acceptance of these norms (although she does not sit back entirely), Butler wants us readers to see that we are often not even aware of the wrong doings we commit. For we are simply kids "just imitating what [we've] seen adults doing" (99).
It's a really interesting look at human perception and the institution of slavery as a whole. Dana, if asked beforehand how she would respond if she was transported back into the past, probably would have responded with grandeur Tubman-esque plans to rescue thousands of slaves and all that. But when she actually feels the power of the slavery machine, she backs off, for self preservation. It's a scarily honest look at how easily people conform to social norms. Dana just went along with it for the most part, just like most of the people in Germany just went along with the Holocaust; turning a blind eye to the horrors of the Nazi regime.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good point. I think people act based on social pressures more than they would like to admit. Also I think this book shows how people are largely shaped by the environment around them and the time period. For example, I think that Rufus would have become a very different person than he did if he had been placed in a more recent time period without slavery.
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