Questions:
Kindred by Octavia Butler
1) Do you think it's better for minority groups to stay together to empower themselves, or for minorities to continue trying to be a part of the dominant culture?
2) Did anyone think Rufus would survive this novel? Was there a realistic way to end the novel with Rufus living?
3) Would the relationship between Rufus and Dana in â??Kindredâ?? would be considered impossible between a black woman and a white man in the antebellum South?
4) Of her concluding visit to the past, Dana says: "With some kind of reverse symbolism, Rufus called me back on July 4" (243). What exactly do you think Dana sees as "reverse symbolism," ? Why did Butler embellish the narrative in this way? Is it a compelling idea or not?
5) Whose method do you think was more effective in fighting for equality, Martin Luther King's or Malcolm X's?
6)Do you think that from a child Rufus was aware of his power and even understood what purpose Dana served in his life? At the time of his demise, do you believe that Rufus actually knew what was going to happen to him and that it would be at the hands of Dana?