Kindred Lesson Plan

How did Dana get to the river? What clues does Butler give the reader in “The River” to indicate what happened?

Dana time travels to the river. The exact scientific or supernatural causes contributing to her time travel are unclear at this point. Butler uses Dana’s description of her surroundings once she has returned home to give the reader clues. Dana says, “I remembered something extra about Rufus’s mother. Her clothing. She had worn a long dark dress that covered her from neck to feet. A silly thing to be wearing on a muddy riverbank.” Dana also remembers the woman had a southern accent. These are all clues for the reader. It does not indicate time travel necessarily,...