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April 10, 2007
Relationships in Beloved vs. in Kindred
Erin's presentation today touched on all the main interactions between the various characters. The relationship between most of the characters seems to involve some sort of conflict. The tension in Beloved is far more wide spread, or so it seems to me, than in Kindred. In Butler's novel, there was only one main tension and it was between Dana and Rufus. Being narrated from a first person viewpoint, Kindred focused more on the personal issues of Dana and, consequently, entirely on the tensions Dana evolved. Beloved, on the other hand, explores the plot from a variety of angles. In the process, the relationships are cross-examined from the viewpoints of several characters. For example, the tension between Paul D and Beloved is evident from the views of both characters. In fact, the tension in the relationship between the two is even addressed by other characters such as Sethe. From comparing these two novels, it seems Kindred gives the author more control in terms of writing or expressing her opinions and thoughts directly while Beloved provides a more complex, in-depth analysis of relationships.
Posted by kkamaria at April 10, 2007 11:28 PM