What if Kevin were black?
Last week in class we discussed the impact of Kevin and Dana's races on the story of Kindred. We also discussed what it would be like if the races were reversed, and how this reversal brings to light many sexist aspects of Kevin and Dana's relationship in the antebellum South.
Firstly, I think most people agreed that the story would be incredibly different had the races of Dana and Kevin be reversed. First of all, Dana would not be in the same position she is in every time she travels to early 1800s Maryland, as she would not experience the same dangers as a young white woman that she experiences as a black woman. She would not have to hide and be so cautious about being off of the plantation alone, as she would not have to forge papers saying she is free, she would be automatically respected and aided. Dana would also not have to pretend she is actually a slave to be able to stay with the Weylins and she would not have to do all the work that the slaves have to do in the household and on the plantation. Dana's priorities and daily life would be greatly different had to come to 1800s Maryland as a white woman.
Secondly, the experience of Dana and Kevin together in the antebellum South would also be incredibly different if Kevin were black and Dana were white. Kevin claiming he is Dana's master and everyone just accepting that Dana is Kevin's property would not be the same. Patrollers would have a different attitude towards a white woman bringing a black man through antebellum Maryland's countryside. The respect that people showed Kevin, even though he was poor, was not the same as the respect they would have shown Dana. There would be more concern about Dana's safety, as it would have been "unclear" if Kevin could have attacked and escaped from Dana.
This brings me to the aspects of sexism within this relationship. Because Dana is a female "slave" and Kevin is her white master, there are no repercussions when Tom Weylin finds out they had spent the night together. He creepily winks at her, as if he were congratulating her for sleeping with her "master". A master sleeping with his female slave is not frowned about at all, except by Margaret who calls Dana a "filthy black whore", but she is not in charge in the Weylin house. Tom Weylin, about who it has been stated has probably also slept with/raped multiple of his female slaves, even encourages Kevin and Dana's "relationship". If Kevin were a black slave and spent the night with his white mistress, the reaction, both by white men and women, would be entirely different.
The experience of Dana and Kevin show both the deep roots of race relations in the antebellum South, but also exemplify the differences in the roles of men and women and how difficult it was to escape the boundaries set by your race and gender.
Firstly, I think most people agreed that the story would be incredibly different had the races of Dana and Kevin be reversed. First of all, Dana would not be in the same position she is in every time she travels to early 1800s Maryland, as she would not experience the same dangers as a young white woman that she experiences as a black woman. She would not have to hide and be so cautious about being off of the plantation alone, as she would not have to forge papers saying she is free, she would be automatically respected and aided. Dana would also not have to pretend she is actually a slave to be able to stay with the Weylins and she would not have to do all the work that the slaves have to do in the household and on the plantation. Dana's priorities and daily life would be greatly different had to come to 1800s Maryland as a white woman.
Secondly, the experience of Dana and Kevin together in the antebellum South would also be incredibly different if Kevin were black and Dana were white. Kevin claiming he is Dana's master and everyone just accepting that Dana is Kevin's property would not be the same. Patrollers would have a different attitude towards a white woman bringing a black man through antebellum Maryland's countryside. The respect that people showed Kevin, even though he was poor, was not the same as the respect they would have shown Dana. There would be more concern about Dana's safety, as it would have been "unclear" if Kevin could have attacked and escaped from Dana.
This brings me to the aspects of sexism within this relationship. Because Dana is a female "slave" and Kevin is her white master, there are no repercussions when Tom Weylin finds out they had spent the night together. He creepily winks at her, as if he were congratulating her for sleeping with her "master". A master sleeping with his female slave is not frowned about at all, except by Margaret who calls Dana a "filthy black whore", but she is not in charge in the Weylin house. Tom Weylin, about who it has been stated has probably also slept with/raped multiple of his female slaves, even encourages Kevin and Dana's "relationship". If Kevin were a black slave and spent the night with his white mistress, the reaction, both by white men and women, would be entirely different.
The experience of Dana and Kevin show both the deep roots of race relations in the antebellum South, but also exemplify the differences in the roles of men and women and how difficult it was to escape the boundaries set by your race and gender.
Great post! I think that the dynamic between Dana and Kevin is already kind of weird during the 70s, and that weirdness gets greatly amplified when they are transported back in time to the antebellum south. Something I have been wondering is what if Dana and Kevin were both black? They would be able relate to and understand each other's experiences better, but wouldn't have the authority that Kevin brings as a white man.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting twist would be analyzing Alice and Rufus' relationship if their genders were reversed. Had he been a girl, Rufus almost certainly would've been shamed by Margaret for having such deviant thoughts for a black slave. Yet, in this context Tom only deals with the issue by saying "you can have anyone you want, why not Dana instead of Alice."
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