Octavia E. Butler's novel Kindred details the harrowing journey of 26-year-old Dana Franklin. A modern black woman in 1970s Los Angeles, Dana is continually thrown back in time to the land of her ancestors: early 1800s Maryland. Her assignment? He saves his white ancestor, Rufus Weylin, from death. The risk? If he doesn't, he may never be born. As an educated black woman in this time of slavery, she has to be careful about everything she says and does just to survive, and she learns to rely on the tight-knit slave community to help her get through the situation. One figure in particular, however, makes Dana notice who she might have been if she had been born in this time period. That figure is Alice Greenwood, born free but forced into slavery due to Rufus' cruelty. Throughout this narrative, Alice's example is a sad reminder of what people will do just to survive and a warning to Dana to be careful not to become complacent. Alice displays multiple qualities as the novel progresses, starting with strength, moving forward to find a solution, and finally ending with desperation as she is pushed past the breaking point. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, Alice displays great strength throughout the narrative. Dana's first meeting with Alice occurs when Alice is a small child. Alice and her mother are free black women, according to Rufus (28), but Alice's father is a slave, who goes out at night to visit his family (35). Dana sees the patrolmen take him out of the house and strip him and his wife naked before whipping him. Alice witnesses what happens and "cries loudly into her mother's leg" (36), but when the patrols are gone, she calmly goes to her mother's side and shows no fear when Dana calls out to her. Seeing such horrific experiences and still being able to trust others shows me that Alice has great inner strength, which she definitely needs being a black woman in a state of slavery. However, it may be easier for children to show strength as life hasn't broken them yet. As Alice grows, her strength threatens to break. Resolves the situation as best as possible by showing resolve, defined as the determination to stick to a plan. Her life circumstances become miserable when she is stripped of her dignity and freedom to serve the aggressive appetites of Rufus Weylin. Although he often gets angry at Dana, calling her a traitor and a "mommy" figure. and has mood swings, is willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Dana often thinks to herself that she and Alice might have been the same person if Dana had been born at different times, and she knows that it's hard to criticize another person's decisions when Alice was simply doing what she had to do to stay in life. a person can only endure so much pain, and Alice's resolve ultimately gives way to despair and the loss of all hope. Her miseries began strongly having been born black in the antebellum South, and the loss of her freedom at the request of Rufus Weylin was also a great shock to her (157). She also suffered greatly as Rufus' lover and was forced into his bed every night, as well as being physically abused by him at least once that Dana is aware of. It is only when Rufus threatens her children that Alice completely breaks down. Dana discovers on her last visit that Alice has hanged herself (248). As Dana begins to investigate what led to this, she discovers that Rufus pretended to sell Alice and her children,.