Kindred's Kevin

I'm still thinking about Kindred, and the role of Dana's white husband Kevin. Kevin accompanies Dana on her third trip to antebellum Maryland by hugging her as she experienced the dizziness that precedes her trips. They pose as master and slave, only revealing their marriage to Rufus.

Kevin can protect Dana from the worst abuse, but he seems to minimize the dangers she faces. He even tells Dana that it could be a great time to live in and experience the west. Dana rejects his romantic viewpoint, telling him, "West. That's where they're doing it to the Indians instead of the blacks."

The danger Dana faces is manifested when Rufus's father catches her with a book. During the subsequent whipping, Dana's fear of death causes her to return to 1976, but without Kevin. He couldn't reach her in time to return home.

Dana spends only a few days in 1976 before returning to the 1800s, but for Kevin, it had been five years there. Dana notices that he looks more than 10 years older and that "this place and time hadn't been any kinder to him than it had been to me." It had definitely been easier.