Losing Dana's Arm in Kindred: How it's connected to the broader narrative
In Kindred, by far the most interesting and symbolic part is when Dana’s arm molds into the wall at the end. It’s the part we know about during the prequel and the part we continue to keep in mind as the book goes on. A big part of this book and how we’ve looked into it is the impact it has on Dana and Kevin, and how it takes away from them and damages their brains throughout the book. As Octavia Butler says in an interview after making the book and choosing to meld Dana’s arm in the wall, she says, “I couldn’t really let her come all the way back. I couldn’t let her return to what she was, I couldn’t let her come back whole and that, I think really symbolizes her not coming back whole. Antebellum slavery didn’t leave people quite whole.” (Butler 267) A big part of this removal of self that Butler is characterizing and symbolizing happens in how the characters are forced to view and sometimes experience physical violence. It becomes, especially fo...