Easy?

In class today, we spoke briefly about how Dana's condition may be classified as easier than the slaves she interacts with such as Sarah and Nigel because she does not truly belong to the 1810's. However, as the discussion progressed and we discussed a word play on “nowhere/now here” that summarizes Dana's existence, I reconsidered whether Dana's condition can really be classified as easier than the condition of a slave.

What creates such difficulty for Dana is that she constantly has to re-acclimate to the 1810's. Each time she is thrust back to the 19^th century, she must immediately address a challenging situation that may put her at risk. For example, when Dana returns to find Isaac severely beating Rufus, Dana must risk immediately returning to the Weylin plantation by herself with the knowledge that the last time she left was amidst a whipping from Tom Weylin. The unpredictability of when and where she will be sent next means that she never forms the consistencies of everyday life granted to the other slaves. She may benefit from the confusion and fear of Tom Weylin and the slaves that stems from her miraculous disappearances and reappearances without aging, but the inconsistency of her life outweighs this benefit, and the fear that protects her also holds the ability to hurt her. Tom Weylin whips Dana for teaching a slave to read. However, I would argue that the cruel whipping that Dana experiences closely connects to Tom Weylin's fear of Dana. He fears what he cannot understand.

Dana is aware of the difficulties of continually switching realities, which helps explain why she stays at the Weylin plantation and urges Kevin to do the same. Forming some assemblance of a life at the Weylin plantation is the only way she can have a sense of consistency and knowledge when she returns. Dana also realizes that she will always return to Rufus, so creating a tense or highly dangerous relationship with Tom Weylin or Rufus will ultimately hurt her. She cannot run from the Weylins as long as Rufus's misfortunes continue to call her into the 19^th century.

Combining all these aspects that complex Dana's life, I think its very difficult to say her existence is easy. She may possess some benefits from her existence in the late 20^th century but the inconsistency of her life in the 19^th century that constantly introduces danger and challenges seems to outweigh these benefits.