The Logistics of Dana's Time Travel
Before I start the main part of this post, I want to acknowledge that I do know that Octavia Butler makes a deliberate choice to not discuss the logistics of time travel in Kindred and leaves it intentionally vague because it's not the point of the book, but I still have some questions about it and I think it's fun to think about these types of things. In the second chapter of "The Fall" in page 58, we learn that Dana can bring things from 1976 to the 1800s whenever she is called to save Rufus because she brings brings both Kevin and a bag of simple necessities. But, this doesn't explain what determines which things in contact with her she brings. For example, she brings the bag of necessities, which she is holding, but also brings Kevin, who is holding her. So, how are the things she gets to take with her decided? It's definitely not the things she wants to take with her, since she was pushing Kevin away and telling him to get away from her just ...