Dana never remained in the past for as long as Kevin. Kevin was there for an entire five years of his life while Dana was never there for even close to that amount of time. It is clear that both characters were affected greatly by their time spent in the past, but what would have happened if Dana had been stuck in the past for five years instead of Kevin?
I think that five years as a slave would have affected Dana far more than five years as a free white man affected Kevin. After coming back to the 1970s after his lengthy period in the 1800s, Kevin has an extremely difficult time adjusting back to modern life. He cannot figure out how to turn on the television or use other modern technologies, he can’t remember where things are in his home, and he finds himself thinking of the 1800s as where he truly belongs. Kevin did experience adversity in the past, but definitely not as much as a black woman would have living in the 1800s for five years, slave or free.
If Dana had been trapped in the past for five years, one can only imagine how difficult her time there would be. I think that one of two things could happen: Dana would either completely become a slave and forget that she was just “acting” or she would realize (over time) that she should no longer play the role of a slave and she would escape North despite the odds against her.
In the first situation, Dana would eventually lose hope in ever going home; as the years go by she would truly become a slave from the time period. She wouldn’t realize that it was happening, but over time she would become more submissive and eventually act just like most other slaves on the plantation. She would have no hope in anything better and the 1970s life would be almost entirely forgotten. She would totally drop the idea of “acting” the part of the slave and by the time she would realize what has happened, it would be too late. Once she takes on the role of the slave and forgets about her life in the 1970s, there would be no going back. Even if she were to return home after five years as a slave, she would never be able to adjust back to free life. Dana would have a completely different perspective on the world and her place in it. Her relationship with Kevin would be changed even more than it was by the events that occurred in the novel; she would never be able to see herself as an equal to him. Five years would have convinced her that men and especially white men were far superior to women in general and far superior to black women. I think that it would be nearly impossible for her and Kevin to ever get back to the relationship they had before Dana gets stuck in the past. In the book when Kevin is trapped in the past, he does not have to live with the idea that he is less of a human being than anyone else. He is able to continue to fight for freedom for other humans and while he has a difficult time, the way he looks at himself does not change as much as it would for Dana if she were instead trapped in the past for such a long period of time. I’m not suggesting that Kevin does not have a difficult time, just that Dana would have had a much more difficult experience than Kevin ever would. Kevin mainly has to adjust between differences in the way of life between the two times while Dana would have to adjust the way she views herself.
In the second situation, I think that Dana could realize that she does not deserve to be a slave and that she should fight for her rights, whether or not odds are against her. I think that it would take some time but eventually Dana could realize that she doesn’t deserve to be subservient to anyone. I think in this situation she would escape North and help other slaves gain the same freedom as she has. This way she could make the best out of her situation; she could educate and save other slaves from lives of unjust service. In this case, I think it would be easier for Dana to adjust to the 1970s than in the first situation. By fighting to save other slaves she would be recognizing her own self-worth and would not have given into the roles of the time period. She would still have a rough time adjusting back to an entirely free life, but she would I think, eventually be able to eventually adjust back (maybe after another five years or so). Her relationship with Kevin also might be eventually able to recover because she would regard herself more equally with him than if she had given into being a slave.
I think an interesting to think about what if the story was told from Kevin's perspective rather than Dana's. It would be interesting to know all that he saw and did, and how those experiences changed him in different ways. It would be a good companion to this novel because we would have the complete story. The five years that he was stuck there would not be a question and we would know what was going on not only with Kevin, but the others on the Weylin plantation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Alison. I have been very much interested in Kevin's role. It is strange because I sense a inconsistency with the novel involving Kevin. Kevin mentions that he would like to stay in the past because he would like see the building of the United States' west coast. However, given the opportunity to explore the past for five years, Kevin travels up the northern boarder (almost into Canada). It would be definitely interesting in this sense then to see where his idea for life in the past changed, and to view his metamorphosis from an eager, curious individual to a bitter, society-hating person.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very interesting point. I thought it was necessary that Kevin had to be the one to stay back because Dana had the choice to return back to 1976 as we discover later in the novel. But I think it was also necessary because, like you said, 5 years in antebellum South would probably render her unlikely to return back to 1976 as herself (if she was to stick with the Weylin family to ensure her ancestors exist.)
ReplyDeleteHate to be a downer, but I don't think she would last five years in the antebellum South. Since she has experienced life as a free, educated, independent, modern woman, being forced to live as a slave is even brutal (we see how a day of being a field slave breaks her will). For the majority of her time as a slave, she was assigned the role of a house slave. The work of a house slave is significantly lighter than that of a field slave's. Yet, even being a house slave pushes Dana's limits. She lacks the tolerance to the labor and abuse (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc.) which the others slaves have been conditioned to since they have been born into the system. Even if Dana did fall out of her role as an "actor" in the novel, a key difference is that she did knew that her role as a slave wasn't permanent, that by mysterious forces, she could return "home." Yet, as with Kevin being stuck in the past, there was the giant "what-if" factor of being stuck there permanently. I think that would be an even greater source of stress and fear. Even if she somehow managed to escape to the North, society was still overtly against blacks. She would never have the same sense of autonomy and dignity that she did in the present and that too, I believe would break her will (and even more simply, as Weylin knew, it only takes a good whipping). So, if I had to imagine, I think she would attempt running again before resigning to be Rufus' sex slave/house slave (after Alice's death). If she dared to disobey, I can imagine her being thrown to the fields for a day or two. Theoretically, since Rufus was so attached to her, she wouldn't be at risk of being sold. Yet, if Weylin were alive and she still dared to speak up against him... well, it wouldn't be pretty. Also, I doubt that she would be the "revolutionary figure" who would teach slaves and lead them to freedom. As we see with how she was reluctant to teach Carrie, she too weighs the consequences before acting. If she was in such a situation, she wouldn't have the gall to fight the system (much like Alice). So, chances are that a few months in, maybe a year or two, she'd commit suicide (once again, like Alice).
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