Dependence in Kindred

In the novel Kindred, Rufus refers to Alice and Dana as “one woman…two halves of a whole” (257).  Alice explains that he meant that he liked Alice “in bed, and [Dana] out of bed” (229).  As the title of the novel suggests, Alice and Dana are in fact kin. That Rufus would see them as similar is not shocking.  Rufus’ way of viewing Alice and Dana as one woman is what allows the reader to see the interesting triangle of dependence each of the character’s have on each other.

Rufus’ inability to see Dana and Alice as separate beings points out the dependence each woman has on the other. Sarah points out how they were like “sisters…always fussin’ at each other, stompin’ away from each other, comin’ back” (249).  The relationship between the two kept them both sane and alive.  They relied on each other, as Alice needed Dana to take her anger out on and survive Rufus’ advances, and Dana needed Alice to provide her ancestor. Alice claims that she attacks Dana because she gets “mad…[She] get[s] so mad [she] can taste it in [her] mouth,” and Dana is the “only one [she] can take it out on—the only one [she] can hurt and not be hurt back” (169).  Dana takes the abuse from Alice because she feels guilty. She herself claims that Alice is “like a sister,” and that it was “hard for [her] to watch [Rufus] hurt [Alice]—to know that he had to go on hurting [Alice] if [Dana’s] family was to exist at all” (180).  Just as Dana relied literally on Alice to exist, Alice similarly relied literally on Dana to keep sane.  Without the other, neither woman would be capable of surviving.  It is this dependence more than anything that makes the women two halves of the same whole. 

Rufus also needed both women—both halves—to survive.  He needed Dana literally to keep him alive, and he needed Alice to fulfill his physical urges. Without Dana, Rufus would have died multiple times over.  Yet Dana also needed Alice for the same reason Rufus did.  As long as Alice was around, Rufus had his physical desires fulfilled, and Dana was free from his advances.  However, once Alice died, Dana no longer had her “other half” to protect her from Rufus’ desperation.  Dana realizes that Rufus wants to sleep with her (256).  Without Alice, the “one woman” is left broken, and Rufus attempts to make Dana both halves, but because one half cannot be made whole, he fails. 

Alice herself relies on Rufus to free her children.  For this reason, however, Alice needs Dana, the half that can talk to Rufus and convince him of reason.  Dana recognizes this, and assures Alice that she will “push [Rufus] whenever she can” to free his children (232).  However, once Dana is sent back to her time, Rufus pretends to sell the children, without Dana, Alice is left desperate.  As Dana was not present to perform her duties as the “out of bed” half, and Alice is driven to suicide as a direct result of Rufus’ actions. Sarah explains how he killed Alice, “even if he didn’t put the rope on her, he drove her to it. He sold her babies!” (249).  Unlike Dana, Alice is incapable of surviving Rufus without her other half.

Dana is the only one of the three capable of surviving on her own.  Alice needed Dana because Dana had the power to control Rufus.  Rufus needed Dana also because she was the only one capable of convincing Alice to willingly go to him. Dana, however, had the strength of all of her ancestors, including both Alice and Rufus, and was therefore the only one with the power of all three of them.  For this reason, she was able to kill Rufus when he attempted to blur the lines between the distinct halves, leaving her once again standing alone.