Key Facts
full title · Kindred
author · Octavia E. Butler
type of work · Novel
genre · Bildungsroman, historical fiction, science fiction,
dystopia
language · English
time and place written · Maryland, 1979
date of first publication · 1979
publisher · Doubleday
narrator · Dana
point of view · First person
tone · Spare, straightforward, sober
tense · Past
setting (time) · 1976 and early nineteeth century
setting (place) · California and Maryland
protagonist · Dana
major conflict · Dana struggles to survive in antebellum Maryland.
rising action · Dana is taxed with saving Rufus's life.
climax · Rufus attempts to rape Dana.
falling action · Dana kills Rufus.
themes · The corrupting influence of power; the bondage of familial
love
motifs · Violence, home, race
symbols · Whips, birthdays, maps
foreshadowing · Sarah's warning foreshadows Rufus's failure to mail
the letter; Dana's fear of Rufus's jealousy foreshadows Sam's sale
