Excuses Excuses
Throughout Kindred , there has been one dynamic that has especially bothered me: the one between Dana and Rufus. Specifically, the way she systematically excuses his behavior, even when it gets to the point where he is constantly raping and beating Alice (who, Dana seems to often forget, is her ancestor too). As Rufus does these horrible things, Dana recognizes that they are horrible things to do, but doesn't associate that with Rufus as a person. She seems to think of Rufus as the little boy that he was when she first met him, and is incapable of seeing his actions as a direct consequence of his character. As he becomes more and more similar to his father, she does not accept that this is the person that he is and that there is no changing him. That is, until the very end. The only point where Dana realizes that Rufus is evil is when he puts her safety in question, and that is when she takes direct action by killing him. Why didn't ...