Final Impressions?

So after I finished Kindred and completely forgot to write my final impressions of the book, I guess now's as good a time as any. With the way Dana was summoned back to the past before she killed Rufus, I can't help wonder if maybe Rufus had figured out how to summon her. Maybe summon isn't the right word, because it makes Dana seem like a servant, but then again, Dana seemed to be acting more like the slaves on the plantation every time she went back. But I digress. Rufus' life didn't seem to be in any danger. He was just contemplating whether or not he should kill himself after he had found Alice's body. This was quite different from all the other times Dana had come back to see Rufus. Every other time, she had found Rufus nearing death or fearing it. This time Rufus was calm, collected, and almost content. I didn't get the impression that Rufus was afraid of death, but I did get the feeling that he was satisfied that Dana had come back. It almost seems like Rufus knew if he threatened his life, Dana would come. But this confuses me even more. If Rufus didn't fear death and if his life wasn't even really in danger (at least in my opinion), then what's been pulling Dana back? The idea that Dana was being pulled back in time whenever Rufus feared for his life worked until this last time. So, my opinion, which could be completely wrong, is that Dana was pulled back in time whenever Rufus needed or wanted a companion, or just somebody who he could talk to. It doesn't fit every scenario perfectly, but I feel like it's plausible. Except for the first time Dana came back, one of the things Dana did without fail was talk to Rufus for long periods of time. Sure, Dana had her reasons for wanting to talk to Rufus, but what if Rufus had reasons other than wanting to know more about Dana and where she came from? It didn't seem like he could talk for long periods of time about his problems to either of his parents or Nigel, who would have had to work. Dana might not have been able to understand Rufus completely, but to me, she seemed like the person who would be able to listen to Rufus' problems and possibly give him advice the best out of any alternatives.

The next question that popped into my head was, is Rufus what anchors Dana to the past? I mean this in both the literal and the figurative sense. Rufus is Dana's ancestor, she's looking at her own history, and looking at her white roots when she looks at Rufus. But beyond the more complex stuff that could end up in lots of arguments or possibly philosophical questions, does Rufus' existence actually keep Dana in the past? I get that when her life is in danger, she goes back to the present, but after Dana killed Rufus, I wondered, did she go back that time because Rufus wasn't living anymore? I mean, when she's transported (or however you describe Dana going back to her time) to the present, every part of her except the arm that Rufus was holding on to comes back with her. So was it because Rufus was something that couldn't go to Dana's time the reason why what he was touching didn't go back with Dana? To me it seems like it could happen, but again, like every theory I have, I could be completely wrong.

Lastly, I was left wondering, can the ending of the book be considered a 'happy ending'? I mean, Dana and Kevin live, and Hagar obviously lived, which is good. But Dana and Kevin are very changed. Dana even thought of herself almost as a slave at one point in the book. Kevin was stranded in the past for years, and had troubles adjusting to the present once he came back. This doesn't seem like your traditional happy ending. In the traditional happy ending, everybody comes back relatively unscathed and those that do come back injured make a swift recovery and everybody is happy and there's reason to celebrate. In Kindred, Dana kills her own ancestor. That must feel weird. She even learned firsthand some of the terrible experiences that slaves had. She has scars to prove it, and Kevin has a scar or two to show what he's been through as well. Overall, I feel that the ending of Kindred set itself up almost for a sequel, or at least a short story on what happened to Dana and Kevin's life afterwards. I probably won't ever find out, but I can still dream.