The recent Kindred reading has really got me thinking
about time travel. In the beginning of The Storm, we see Dana and Kevins return
to 1976. Although Dana wasn’t gone for long, Kevin was away from the present
(past for us) 1900s for 5 years, and he’s forgotten many basic things about the
modern world, such as how to handle appliances that weren’t even dreamed of in
the antebellum South. In addition, when it comes to writing, Kevin feels only rage
and lashes out, because likely he feels that with all of his experiences, he no
longer can write about anything that he previously did – his whole life had
changed.
I think that this is a really interesting take on time
travel. The contrast between Dana and Kevin is stark – Dana greets 1976 with
happiness, although she does briefly think that she also feels more at home at
the Weylins than in her “new” house. From Dana, we get one perspective of time
travel. We see that modern-day America is miles ahead both technologically and
socially from what she had been experiencing, and we feel a great sense of
relief because she is back in a time where she is no longer in danger. However,
Kevin brings to us a different take on time travel. Kevin deals with a harsh
psychological battle which I find extremely interesting. The effect of living for
5 years in the 1800s has made Kevin believe that he is more at home in that
time. After experiencing none of the pleasantries of the 1970s for over 5
years, while aging and maturing, Kevin seems to have lost much of his ability
to function back in the normal time, along with his temper. I think that this is
a really interesting and valid take on the psychological effects that time
travelling could have on the time traveler.
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the fragility
of the human mind. I was posed the question – would I stay alone in a room with
nothing but a bed, the necessary food and water, and a chair for 30 days if I
were to receive 10 million dollars at the end of the month. I at first thought
that the obvious answer was yes – 10 million dollars is an incredible amount of
time. After seeing what many other people replied, I realized just how much of a
hit the human brain would take from 30 days of solitary confinement, which is
viewed as one of the harshest forms of possible punishment. I brought this take
on the human mind over to my reading of Kindred, and with that, I tried my best
to realize just what kind of effect 5 years in the early 1800s would have on
Kevins mind.
For the readers of my blog I pose you two questions.
Firstly, do you think that YOU would take up the offer of 30 days of solitary
confinement for 10,000,000$? In addition, what do you think of Kevin’s reaction
to returning to 1976? Is it valid? How do you think you would react?
Kevin's reaction (although kind of unsettling) I think is valid, because of what he has experienced. Think about it: he has spent more time in the antebellum South than he has with has (African American) girlfriend. I can't imagine the kind of strain that would put on their relationship. Kevin might say/do something that bothers Dana and not even realize it's wrong. As for me, if all I had to do was sit in a room for 30 days to basically not do anything for the rest of my life, #worthit
ReplyDeleteI definitely think Kevin's reaction to returning to 1976 is valid -- in my experience, when i'm forced to adjust to different circumstances, I feel like I get used to it pretty quickly, and then it seems normal. But then when I return to the original circumstance, it seems really alien, even if I've only been away for like a few weeks. It seems like over 5 years and 200 years difference between circumstances, that effect would be even more dramatic and hard to recover from.
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