Dana

Dana is the protagonist of the novel. She travels through time involuntarily, because she needs to keep her ancestors from dying in order to preserve her lineage. Whenever Rufus's life is at risk, she travels back in time, and whenever Dana's life is at risk, she travels back to her present day. Dana is married to Kevin, and they try to ensure that Rufus and Alice give birth to Dana's great-grandmother, Hagar.

Dana's role in this novel is crucial, because she encapsulates the theme of independence, and she represents a break from the recurring instances of racial injustice in this novel. There are many examples of Dana's penchant for independence. For example, after she returns from the plantation in the 1800s for the second time, Dana begins researching ways in which she could maintain her independence on the plantation in the 1800s, such as forging free papers. Dana...