Dana's Influence on Rufus
In Kindred, we as readers get to witness the transformation of multiple characters, including Rufus, Dana, and Kevin. These transformations are unique in that they are shaped by the time period of the character themselves and from the time period of the characters that they are interacting with. The most interesting character development to me was by far Rufus’ development. We see the boy grow up from his early childhood from an innocent boy to a morally ambiguous man. The story opens with Dana meeting a very young Rufus and saving him from drowning. Rufus sees her, but their interaction is very limited, and it is mainly a moment of shock for all involved. It is when Dana meets Rufus for the second time that the two start forming a connection and talking to each other. Rufus continuously calls her the n-word, and she consistently reprimands him. Although he is dumbfounded by the idea that it is not alright to call a black person by that slur, he still listens to Dana’s argum...