Dana as Rufus's Replacement for Margaret Weylin
In “The Storm,” after Dana announces that Tom Weylin is dead and she is unable to help him, Rufus sends her out to work in the fields. When he “rescues” her later on, Rufus tells her to “go read a book or something,” acting as an apology for what he did (Butler 217). At that moment, Dana realizes something: “I remembered suddenly the way he used to talk to his mother. If he couldn’t get what he wanted from her gently, he stopped being gentle. Why not? She always forgave him” (217). Throughout the novel, Rufus comes to view Dana as somewhat of a mother figure. How did this happen?
The act of having to save Rufus every time Dana is transported into the 1800s allows him to view Dana as a caretaker, paralleling his mother’s behavior. Each time Dana reappears in Rufus’s life, she saves him from danger, often nursing him back to health. Because of this, Rufus begins to develop an unhealthy attachment to Dana, learning that she will always come when he calls for help. In “The Rope,” Rufus reveals, “I used to have nightmares about you,” then, “I’d dream about you leaving me…you walk away and leave me in trouble, hurting, maybe dying” (254, 255). From this, we see how Rufus’s attachment mirrors the dependence he had on his mother as a child. Dana is the one who repeatedly saves him and nurtures him whenever she appears in his life—physically and emotionally. She becomes the person he counts on to fix things, just as Margaret Weylin once soothed him and indulged him as a child.
In “The Fall,” Margaret’s caretaking nature is shown by her reaction to her son’s broken leg: “‘My poor baby,’ she murmured, cradling his head in her hands. ‘Seems like everything happens to you, doesn’t it? A broken leg!’ She looked close to tears” (69). In Rufus’s eyes, the two women occupy the same role, both providing him with unwavering care and attention. Dana’s repeated rescues unintentionally reinforces Rufus’s understanding of what a maternal figure should be. She teaches him that she, like his mother, will always comfort him and come when he calls.
Over time, Rufus begins to treat Dana the way he treated his mother, shifting from nice to threatening in just a few seconds whenever he is refused, then assuming he will be forgiven. After Rufus breaks his leg, Margaret hovers over him, asking if he needs anything or wants a slice of cake. Rufus gets fed up and yells at her to “go away and stop bothering me” (103). In the span of a few seconds, Rufus turns from passive to yelling at his mother, excusing his behavior by claiming that his father does the same thing. When Dana questions why he would speak to his mother that way, he responds, “She’ll be back after ‘while to bring me a piece of cake with fine white icing” (104). Rufus believes that treating his mother harshly does not matter because, as we later see when Margaret brings the cake, his mother will always forgive him for his actions.
Rufus is shown treating Dana the same way during her last visit to the 1800s. Dana describes: “He took my other hand, held it between his own in a grip that I knew would only be gentle until I tried to pull away” (259). Even without Rufus doing anything, Dana knows how something so simple as pulling her hand away would result in an immediate mood change for Rufus. Much like the way he reacted to his mother with sudden anger, Rufus treats Dana no differently when she does something he dislikes. Dana also demonstrates her willingness to forgive Rufus despite all he has done to hurt her, similar to how easily Margaret forgave him. Sitting next to Rufus in the attic, she notes, “I realized how easy it would be for me to continue to be still and forgive him even this” (259). Besides this instance, there are various other times throughout the novel where Dana decides to forgive Rufus for something he did, despite however much it may have hurt her. Thus, not only does Rufus begin to treat Dana like a mother figure, but Dana herself begins to act like Margaret.
Ultimately, Rufus’s treatment of Dana and Dana’s repeated forgiveness of him create a relationship that mirrors the one Rufus once shared with his mother. As Dana becomes Rufus’s rescuer, caretaker, and forgiver, she becomes the maternal figure that Rufus already knows well.
Hi Lena, I definitely agree that there are a lot of parallels between Dana and Rufus's mom. I think that Rufus as a character is just very confused, so he tries to place how he feels about Dana by first letting her take a more motherly role. After Alice dies though, Rufus wants to use Dana to replace Alice and attempts to rape her. I think that this complicates the motherly relationship Dana has with Rufus.
ReplyDeleteHi Lena, I do agree that there are some similarities between Rufus' mom and Dana. Rufus did at first take Dana with a more motherly role, which you can see during the earlier chapters. Though later Rufus turns on Dana in a way, and uses her, which takes away that motherly role. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteHi Lena, I really like your interpretation that Rufus often treats his mom and Dana the same way. I think one thing that is notable is the difference between the reactions of Rufus's mom and Dana. His mom often decides to forgive him without really asking him to apologize for his rudeness, while Dana has standards that require him and her to be in mutual agreement on what he is allowed to do and what he can't (even though at the end, these standards start to slip). I think the self-respect Dana has is what ultimately allows her to survive this time.
ReplyDeleteLena, this is a really interesting point that never occurred to me. With all the evidence laid out, it makes perfect sense that Rufus treats Dana in this way. He is an extreme example of a spoiled child who is never taught to be respectful. Always getting what he wants from his mom, he naturally expects the same from Dana. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHey Lena, I'm really impressed with this line of thought! I think its easy to get caught up in the obvious, yet uniquely complicated, relationships Dana serves for Rufus, from savior and role model to slave and desired lover. When you dig into the parallels between Dana and Margaret, it becomes so clear that this was partially how Rufus felt and a relationship Butler intended to portray, yet I completely missed it during my read.
ReplyDeleteHi Lena! The way you explain Rufus’s growing dependence on Dana makes it easy to understand why he eventually sees her as a replacement for his mother. By showing how Margaret forgives Rufus over and over, you make Dana’s own forgiveness feel even more significant and help clarify why Rufus treats them almost identically. Your post really highlights how both characters slowly slide into roles they never intended to take on, which is what makes their relationship even more unsettling. Great work!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very novel and interesting perspective on the development of Rufus's relationship with Dana, and I think viewing Dana as a sort of "mother" to Rufus does so much to explain why he behaves the way he does. Just like a mother, Dana always seems to appear by Rufus's side to save him whenever he gets into trouble or has his life put in danger. But since his current maternal figure has already spoiled him and Dana has more pressing matters to worry about than whether Rufus thanks her for her actions. You highlight very well how Dana's continued forgiveness of Rufus's transgressions develops him into the evil, practically irredeemable character he becomes by the end of the novel, and overall, you develop all your other points very well too.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how Dana is inclined to be critical of Margaret for "always forgiving" Rufus (the implication is that she "spoils" or indulges him too much), but then she starts to wonder why she herself manages to keep forgiving him when he abuses their trust or holds her at gunpoint. This definitely helps us see how she starts to serve as a kind of surrogate mother-figure for Margaret, and Margaret certainly picks up on this dynamic, becoming openly jealous of Rufus wanting to spend time with Dana. Of course, Dana's intention to influence Rufus in some way would have her serving a less "forgiving" role, instead trying to change him in a positive sense. But we start to see how Rufus is taking advantage of her and manipulating her much like he does with his mother, and right up to the very end, she keeps finding herself inclined to "forgive."
ReplyDeleteHi Lena!! This connection is super interesting! I think it was kind of interesting to see how even though he somewhat processed Dana as someone of a mother, he still didn't exactly respect her like one, notably seen at the end when he tries to rape her. I think it points to a quite skewed interpretation in his mind about the role women play in society and how much respect they deserve so to speak. Great blog!!
ReplyDeleteHey Lena! I really like this reading of the dynamic between Rufus and Dana. I like how you trace the “mother figure” relationship back to Dana’s repeated role as rescuer rather than something emotional or symbolic. The evidence you use makes it clear that Rufus learns to treat Dana exactly the way he treats Margaret: shifting from vulnerability to entitlement and assuming forgiveness is guaranteed.
ReplyDelete