Contemplating Perception

Plenty of discussion we've had has been about the effects of the Antebellum South on the people who are already living in the time period, Dana and Kevin from the 20th century, and ourselves from the 21st century. Gradually the conversations have built upon one another as Dana has traveled to and returned from the 19th century, becoming ever more involved with how we may have dealt with the situations that Dana has been put in. Rather, we've talked about how we can't really understand the situations we read about in the same way Dana is experiencing them or easily think about how characters like Rufus would act in a 20th or 21st century environment.

Frankly, it's almost infuriating to me that, unless we've gone through a similar experience (as wholly awful that would be), we can't fully connect with the characters or understand the motivations of characters like Rufus. Not justifying any actions taken, it's both confusing and sometime appalling just how those from the Antebellum South act, even though we know that the actions are based off of them living their entire lives in that environment. Because of this, I somehow can't find myself to totally despise Rufus, but I'm still leaning over the edge of hating him for a multitude of obvious reasons. In a similar vein, though not in a negative way, it's becoming more and more apparent how Alice seems to be acting like Dana, except from a different time (which brings up even more quandaries in my mind when it comes to the situation Dana is in). Really our lack of being able to perceive the world in the same way Dana does or experience it the same way either, works better for us as readers. We can experience a similar sense of disgust and shock without having to personally experience it. We just need to gut it out with Dana through her experiences.