All of its main characters are black women, with women of all races playing significant roles as villains and supporting characters. The versatility of speculative fiction allows Butler to analyze Western standards regarding black women from two different time periods and prove "what life was like for a black woman, even if she was nominally free" (Govan "Homage" ). Kindred uses black feminist theory as an integral method to analyze the many ways in which black women today share common difficulties with those of the past, and reminds readers that in 1979, slavery was legal in just over two-thirds of the United States. History of the States. Despite somewhat similar circumstances, Dana's behavior is different from that of Sarah, the cook and mother figure to the other slaves. For example, Dana still hopes to return to 1976, but slavery is all Sarah has ever experienced.