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   ladyvols1 Teacher
   High School - 9th Grade

   eNotes Editor

   A rope is a multi-purpose item that is used to connect, to bind, to kill, or to save.  At one point in the novel, Dana creates a bag with items that she can use to make her life better when she is transported back in time.  She ties this bag to her body with a rope.  This is to make sure that no matter where she is, she will arrive with the bag.  In the section entitled "The Rope," Dana arrives and Rufus takes her to the barn where she sees Alice hanging from a rope.  Alice has used the rope not just to kill herself, but also to free herself from the slavery she has endured for so many years.  The rope is a symbol of a connecting life-line for Dana from the past to the present.  The rope symbolizes freedom from abuse and slavery for Alice.  A rope of memories connects Dana and Kevin to the life on the plantation and escape from the slavery Dana has experience.

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   http://www.enotes.com/kindred/character-analysis

   http://www.enotes.com/kindred/rope-summary-analysis

   http://www.enotes.com/kindred/themes

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   Posted by ladyvols1 on Friday November 21, 2008 at 9:57 PM