One of the most striking moments in Kindred, for me, was the transformation of Rufus from a happy-to-go boy to an adult. It just happened. Dana went back to 1976, and came back, seeing Rufus an adult of 25 years (she was 27 at that point). Time literally “flew by” (hah see what I did there?). Rufus, as he has grown, has contrary to Dana’s hopes, turned into a “normal” person. He has not turned into someone who is kind to his slaves and liberates them-- all the things that Dana wanted Rufus to do, he exactly doesn’t do them. He misused his powers (or in the case of the South, used, hence “normal” person) to rape Alice, and then later attempt to do the same to Dana. At first, very clearly, Dana is a mother like figure to Rufus, and he asks advice from her over Alice, and much more. But with their ages being almost similar, and upon the suicide Alice, we see a transference of power and love: Rufus moves his love from Alice to Dana. He is desperate and being the type of person he is, he used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants (that’s why he’s Rufuss). On that note, we can also see a similarity with “power” between Kevin and Rufus. While it is true that Rufus and Kevin are vastly different in terms of their views of Dana and Alice, and the fact that they have completely opposing backgrounds, the basic similarity is that both Rufus and Kevin want the upper hand in their relationships: while for Rufus it is more extreme in that he is rapping Alice, Kevin’s is more subtle, when he is making Dana to type up his work. Both wish to obtain power in their relationship. My biggest problem with Rufus is that he understands, he knows that rape is a horrifying act and yet he keeps doing harm, and then regrets what he did after he did it. The last thing, therefore, that I can say about Rufus is that while he has a somewhat understanding of morality, he choses not to keep up with it (unlike his father), and he is a selfish and brutal person.
Rufuss
Monday, April 14, 2014
One of the most striking moments in Kindred, for me, was the transformation of Rufus from a happy-to-go boy to an adult. It just happened. Dana went back to 1976, and came back, seeing Rufus an adult of 25 years (she was 27 at that point). Time literally “flew by” (hah see what I did there?). Rufus, as he has grown, has contrary to Dana’s hopes, turned into a “normal” person. He has not turned into someone who is kind to his slaves and liberates them-- all the things that Dana wanted Rufus to do, he exactly doesn’t do them. He misused his powers (or in the case of the South, used, hence “normal” person) to rape Alice, and then later attempt to do the same to Dana. At first, very clearly, Dana is a mother like figure to Rufus, and he asks advice from her over Alice, and much more. But with their ages being almost similar, and upon the suicide Alice, we see a transference of power and love: Rufus moves his love from Alice to Dana. He is desperate and being the type of person he is, he used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants (that’s why he’s Rufuss). On that note, we can also see a similarity with “power” between Kevin and Rufus. While it is true that Rufus and Kevin are vastly different in terms of their views of Dana and Alice, and the fact that they have completely opposing backgrounds, the basic similarity is that both Rufus and Kevin want the upper hand in their relationships: while for Rufus it is more extreme in that he is rapping Alice, Kevin’s is more subtle, when he is making Dana to type up his work. Both wish to obtain power in their relationship. My biggest problem with Rufus is that he understands, he knows that rape is a horrifying act and yet he keeps doing harm, and then regrets what he did after he did it. The last thing, therefore, that I can say about Rufus is that while he has a somewhat understanding of morality, he choses not to keep up with it (unlike his father), and he is a selfish and brutal person.
One of the most striking moments in Kindred, for me, was the transformation of Rufus from a happy-to-go boy to an adult. It just happened. Dana went back to 1976, and came back, seeing Rufus an adult of 25 years (she was 27 at that point). Time literally “flew by” (hah see what I did there?). Rufus, as he has grown, has contrary to Dana’s hopes, turned into a “normal” person. He has not turned into someone who is kind to his slaves and liberates them-- all the things that Dana wanted Rufus to do, he exactly doesn’t do them. He misused his powers (or in the case of the South, used, hence “normal” person) to rape Alice, and then later attempt to do the same to Dana. At first, very clearly, Dana is a mother like figure to Rufus, and he asks advice from her over Alice, and much more. But with their ages being almost similar, and upon the suicide Alice, we see a transference of power and love: Rufus moves his love from Alice to Dana. He is desperate and being the type of person he is, he used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants (that’s why he’s Rufuss). On that note, we can also see a similarity with “power” between Kevin and Rufus. While it is true that Rufus and Kevin are vastly different in terms of their views of Dana and Alice, and the fact that they have completely opposing backgrounds, the basic similarity is that both Rufus and Kevin want the upper hand in their relationships: while for Rufus it is more extreme in that he is rapping Alice, Kevin’s is more subtle, when he is making Dana to type up his work. Both wish to obtain power in their relationship. My biggest problem with Rufus is that he understands, he knows that rape is a horrifying act and yet he keeps doing harm, and then regrets what he did after he did it. The last thing, therefore, that I can say about Rufus is that while he has a somewhat understanding of morality, he choses not to keep up with it (unlike his father), and he is a selfish and brutal person.
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