In
class today we had a great discussion based on the Kindred about what it meant to be home and how Dana was reacting to
being home. The class talked about how there is a difference between what it
means to be home and what it means to be in a place that feels like home.
Octavia Butler does an excellent job identifying and highlighting a problem
that the main characters, Dana and Kevin, have. This problem of almost an
identity crisis happens at the very begging of "The Storm” chapter in the
book.
Kevin
one of the main characters was stuck in a time travel that was five years long,
in that time he had grown accustom to what was happening in the era where he
was stuck. When Kevin returned to the home that he and Dana lived in everything
changed and not necessarily for the better. “I found him fiddling with the
stove, turning the burners on, staring into the blue flame, turning them off,
opening the oven peering in. He had his back to me and didn’t see or hear me.
Before I could say anything, he slammed the oven door and stalked away shaking
his head. “Christ,” he muttered. “If I’m not home yet, maybe I don’t have a
home”” (Butler, 190). This quote spoke out to me and grabbed my attention in
the aspect that he was not sure what or where his home was.
While
reading over this quote in the book I felt as if I had a connection with Kevin.
Now that I have been attending the University of Redlands for three years now I
can say that this is my home. Although, realistically, my home is still in
Winter Park, Colorado where I grew up. What really catches me up is that I
spend so much time in Redlands that whenever I go home I feel as if I am out of
place and don’t necessarily belong there. This is the same feeling the Kevin
has when he goes back to 1976 and is in the California home. Dana is able to
see Kevin not really being able to adjust to their home.
I
found this portion of the book spoke out to me and gave the book a more
realistic feeling because I was able to relate to what was happening to one of
the characters (even though I don’t time travel). Being able to connect with a
character drew a higher interest in the book for me and I hope this book did
the same for others!
The whole dilemma about being “home” in this novel stood out to me as well. The struggle that Kevin had once he returned to his “home” was very peculiar. He didn’t know how things worked exactly. Unlike you, I am only a freshman, however I have become accustomed to life here at Redlands. When I go home for breaks or what not, I look forward to coming “home” – that is, back to Redlands, My life here as changed so much that going back home to Florida where I grew up feels different. I pack a suitcase to go home. I feel like I only visit what used to be my home, and I have made a new home here in the Redlands community. People say “home is where the heart it”. Now I am not exactly sure if this works for Kevin in this scenario or not. I don’t think he loved the era he was trapped in; he just became accustomed to it. But for you and me, we can say home is where the heart is.
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