Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
English
Date of Award
12-2016
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Karen Kornweibel
Committee Members
Michael Cody, Thomas Holmes
Abstract
This thesis uses the observations of Nancy J. Peterson on historical wounds as a springboard to discuss Octavia Butler’s novel Kindred and its use of both white and black characters to reexamine the origins of the historical wounds and why they are so difficult to deal with even today. Other scholarly works will be used to further investigate the importance of each character in the story and what they mean to the wound itself. Specifically, Dana is analyzed alongside the other main characters: Rufus, Alice, and Kevin. Though Dana’s relationships with these characters, Kindred’s version of the past can be examined in order to determine why the past is so difficult to overcome and what the novel does to come to an understanding or reconciliation with it. This, in turn, allows for the present to be compared to Butler’s representation of the past as a way of reexamining history.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Manis, Haley V., "Reconciling the Past in Octavia Butler's Kindred" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3173. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3173
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
African American Studies Commons, American Literature Commons, Cultural History Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons, Women's Studies Commons