Understanding the Mechanisms of Time Travel
In the novel Kindred time travel operates very differently than we usually see in books or movies. Where as most of the time in pop culture time travel is almost strictly a science fiction concept. In Kindred time travel does not operate in a very scientific or even fantastical way; it is just part of how the world works in the story, and characters seem to just accept it. Not only does Dana time travel, but she is also transported hundreds of miles across the United States. However, there is some clear logic to the workings of time travel in the story. Firstly, we know Dana is taken back to antebellum Maryland sometime in the early 1800's to times where Rufus, a distant ancestor, is in a life threatening situation. In contrast, whenever Dana herself is in a life threatening situation, in the past, she is transported back to her own time of 1976 in California. There does not seem to be much relation in actual time when she actually jumps backwards in time, someti...