Kevin as an Ally
I find Kevin interesting because he serves different purposes for different audiences. He’s the embodiment of a good white character in a novel full of bad ones, to appease conservative readers who believe discussions of slavery are attacks against white people. Yet to someone paying closer attention, Kevin embodies the many flaws in white liberalism, making his character development in an even more racist society both a lesson in allyship and an interesting thought experiment.
His entrance as a character is pretty rocky due to his tendency to put his foot in his mouth and his struggle to fully comprehend the danger that Dana is in for much of the book. Dana is acutely aware of everything that could go wrong for her when she journeys to the past, whereas Kevin clearly can’t fully put himself in her place to understand this. Much like many white people today, Kevin struggles to understand the full scope of racism because he has never had to experience it himself, while Dana has no choice but to live in it, especially when she goes to the past.
Which brings me to the topic of white allyship and antiracism. Like many people, I feared that once Kevin was stuck in the past he would conform to society, and end up choosing the more comfortable role of an observer (or at least that would be the justification). Instead, he directly endangers himself when he plays a role in freeing slaves and teaching slave children to read. I see this as a parallel to white allyship today. It is much easier to sit back and proclaim that you are against racism, police brutality etc., without actually participating in meaningful change, just as Kevin could have done. I think this step further than empty platitudes (or black boxes) is what is meant by the term anti-racism. But one huge disclaimer, I know that there is a big debate about the place that white allyship has in movements like Black Lives Matter, and I’m not trying to make a statement about what exactly people should do. I believe that Butler includes Kevin's character as a lesson: to make sure your actions match your moral compass.
I hadn't thought of Kevin as being a character to appease conservative readers who get upset over discussions on slavery, but that is an interesting point. I also found your discussion of being a white ally interesting. Though he could never fully grasp the conditions, Kevin tries to help the slaves (though he did show some ignorance at first). Great post!
ReplyDeleteInteresting points! I really found your perspective on Kevin to be interesting, especially about white allyship and antiracism, especially on even current movements like BLM. Kevin does a lot of off-putting and hypocritical things, so I agree that he does serve as a warning to readers.
ReplyDeleteInteresting points except I don't really agree with the idea that Kevin is designed to appease white conservatives. During the middle of the party swap both Conservatives and Democrats had their fair share of racists. Additionally, reading about Butler I don't think she is very interested in appeasing these kinds of people. Rather, I think Kevin represents the idea of complacency among white liberals. The idea that people won't really step up to make the change necessary for progress. Kevin is supposed to both represent the "well meaning" white liberal as well as someone who actually fights for change.
ReplyDeleteNot only does he not experience racism, but he also almost doesn't even notice it during his time at Weylin's plantation. Although Dana saw the horrible treatment of the slaves, Kevin didn't seem to see much of it (or maybe just didn't think too much of it) and ended up thinking the plantation wasn't as bad as he had heard it was.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I think it is interesting to consider what Kevin might mean to different readers. It is interesting how sometimes he seems like a great moral character, but at other times it feels like he is there to show that racism hasn't completely vanished.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I agree with most of your points about Kevin. He does not inspire much confidence for the average reader, until he proves himself with what he did during his time in the past without anyone else. While I don't think it was Butler's intention to use Kevin to appease conservative readers, he could definitely be seen as a cover against backlash from conservatives. I agree that Kevin is really more of a thought experiment, as much of this book is.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Kevin is more so used by Butler as a character who introduces contrast - a different perspective that clashes with the outlook of our main protagonist Dana. By introducing contrast in two of our characters who have a very interconnected role (though probably not as much as Dana and Rufus since that's the whole premise of the book), not only do we get altering displays of character personalities and actions, we get deep conflict which pushes the story forward while offering new points of discussion. I found our discussions most interesting regarding Kevin when we talked about how he *wanted* to play the observer as much as possible and remained ignorant to Dana's outlook on the situation. He is that bystander with a "textbook paradigm" of this "historical" environment, something he only hopes to understand in the same manner Dana does.
ReplyDeleteMaking Kevin have just the right amount of insensitivity is no mistake on Butler's part. It's enough to have all the readers squirm and silently tell Kevin to keep his thoughts to himself, without making it unrealistic. I didn't think of it paralleling allyship though, great post!
ReplyDeleteKevin was a relevant character, if he was the perfect ally from the beginning it would have been just unrealistic. I was so happy when Kevin said that he spent time helping and freeing slaves, because I thought something similar to you. His character is a good teaching moment.
ReplyDeleteI think that Kevin is a unique character. To me, he represents a large group of people in society today. On one hand, he does something that makes me root for him, and then on another, he says something that takes away from the good he has done. I think it is interesting that of all the white characters in the book, he is the 'best' one. I agree with points in your blog and think you articulate characteristics of Kevin nicely.
ReplyDeleteKevin is quite comparable to the modern-day "ally." He doesn't experience all of the hardships and oppression that Dana undergoes, but even so, he doesn't stand idly by, though he could have. I was definitely concerned for Kevin towards the middle of the book when he seemed to sympathize a bit with the system of racism that he encountered as a white male. Ultimately, he "redeems" himself to the reader and perhaps to Dana as well by helping escaping slaves. Great post!
ReplyDelete