Dana's Pride
Like with most main characters, readers connect and support Dana throughout her trials and tribulations in Antebellum South. Dana is clearly a good person, attempting to survive in a new environment in which she has little to no experience. Yet, Dana is still a flawed character, as the best characters often are. One of her many flaws is her pride. Dana has always considered herself special around Rufus (at least compared to the other slaves). She tells the readers time and time again “if he ever raped me, it wasn’t likely that either of us would survive” (180). Although she doesn’t have a choice, Dana is the one that has to tell Alice to get raped and sexually abused by Rufus. She lets it happen, thinking only of self-preservation, and doesn’t even think to try to limit the abuse that Alice is taking from Rufus. Dana instead acts lofty, scoffing at the idea of being raped by Rufus, while Alice has to go through this personal invasion daily. Dana doesn’t even try to sympathize wi...