Could Butler have done more with Kevin?
At least in my opinion, I don’t think Kevin added that much to the story. Well, I at least think he didn’t add as much as he could have. The only significant parts about Kevin that I can remember are that he is Dana’s husband, and that he ended up staying in the past for 5 years or so which ultimately left him feeling out of place when he returned to the present. Other than that, I don’t remember anything else that Kevin brought into the story.
Although Kevin showcases how the two have spent more time in the past than their new home, I don’t think he does it any better than Dana herself does. When Dana returns home after spending months or years in the antebellum south, she exhibits the same feeling of being out of place. And, we see a lot of Dana’s time in the antebellum south, which made me understand how long Dana really was in there for. On the other hand, the 5 years that went by as Kevin stayed behind in the past was practically brushed over. Of course, it wouldn’t make sense for Butler to focus on Kevin’s time there, considering that we are reading the novel from Dana’s point of view, but my point still stands (maybe).
Instead, I think Butler could have shown some change in Kevin's character after spending all that time in the past. Perhaps he would become more and more used to the views of the people during the antebellum south. Dana showcases this herself in the book, becoming more and more desensitized to the horrible treatment of slaves. Somewhere in the middle, Dana even expresses worries that Kevin might become like the white people there. And yet, those fears never really seem to be addressed. I know Kevin is supposed to be Dana’s husband, but it wouldn’t hurt to antagonize him a little, riiight? Kevin wouldn’t necessarily have to agree with the views of the people from the past. But, maybe he could occasionally forget that blacks aren’t supposed to be treated like insects. That would also tie in with Rufus’ personality change. As Rufus grew up surrounded by racist views, he ended up adopting them himself. And Kevin might also showcase something like that, but to a lesser extent. I don’t know. I just think there could have been something to deepen Kevin’s character somehow.
I agree! I think it would have been interesting to see how Kevin could have been influenced by the time period. I don't believe that he hasn't in some way been changed by his time there (more than forgetting how to turn a TV on and off). He has physical and emotional scars that are not touched on at all during the story. Including his experiences would have made the narrative of America at that time more complete.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely be interested to hear more conversation between Dana and Kevin on how his experiences in the past have informed his views on race in the contemporary context. Instead, they mostly focus on how the stove is weird to him, or how he is freaked out by TV. There's a key moment when Dana, in one of her brief periods back in the present, sees a news report on South African apartheid and she directly compares it to slavery: I'd like something like this from Kevin, where he has to view contemporary events through his historically informed lens. Instead, he's all hyped for the 4th of July Bicentennial fireworks, and he's totally down to celebrate 200 years of American history (while Dana is forced to go back and grapple with the historical legacy that has shaped her world).
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I think your exploration of Kevin, especially his weird moments with Dana after the time travel affects his mindset, was spot-on. I agree that I wanted to see more from him, he always gave off these weird, almost-racist vibes that I wanted to see explored and put on blast, but never was able to.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I think it would be interesting to hear about his experiences in the past as I think it would be interesting to hear what he did. I also think it's surprising that Butler so casually dropped him off in the past for 5 years. I think if he went back to the past again it would be cool to see how he's changed and how he treats that environment differently. I also would like to hear more about his struggles in 1976 more.
ReplyDeleteI do think Kevin added things to the novel, particularly in highlighting how Kevin as a white man often had very different understandings and interpretations of situations than Dana as a black women. However, you raise a lot of good points, and I especially agree with your point that some parts of Kevin’s character and the potential conflicts around him are just never fully addressed, or glossed over/brushed off. I mentioned the different understandings between Kevin and Dana, and while some of them do get fleshed out more, some are brought up and then seem to be kind of forgotten about before they can be further explored or resolved in any way. It probably was a mostly conscious choice on Butler’s part, especially because she had Dana acknowledges at the end that her and Kevin still have a lot of things to work through and figure out, but it did personally frustrate me a little bit to see some loose threads just be left hanging
ReplyDeleteNice post Luke! I would've also liked to see more from Kevin. There was a lot that could be done with his character, although it might detract from the central story at hand. Having Kevin have his own story, maybe as a sequel of sorts, and show more character development would definitely be a good read. His character is interesting to think about as he is in the novel, but I completely agree that there is just so much more that Butler could have done with him.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, I think there was more potential for Kevin's character. Although there would be a danger of the white man's story taking over the black woman's too much, he still was a part of her story, and I feel like his presence, change, and affect on Dana was, as you said, kind of brushed over. I am glad that Kevin's time in the past seemed to have had a positive rather than negative affect (since we learn that he tried to free slaves), but I feel like all the time he spent there could have been a bit of a bigger plot point in the book?
ReplyDeleteI agree that Kevin didn't add much to the plot itself. The most significant thing about Kevin's character is when he is stuck in the south for five years and that's used as an arc in the story. Other than that, I remember Kevin being nagging and as someone who made Dana's character more intriguing; Dana, a black woman, cares for her black family and yet, marries a white guy who can't relate to the slaves like Dana can.
ReplyDeleteI personally found that the inclusion of Kevin not being changed by the time he lived in was a really good choice, because it kind of offers some hope. Imagine if Dana had gone through all of that, only to come back to a husband with similar views to those of the antebellum south. It would be a really pessimistic ending to a story that's already so sad in so many aspects. But I think your opinion is interesting, great post!
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