The novel has definately taken a much more sinister turn than I initially expected, but I believe it is admirable that it is depicting slavery in what seems to be an accurate way. Dana's assimilation into the Weylin plantation is disturbing to say the least. While Dana claims that "we were simply actors", it appears, especially after the beating and subsequent enslavement, that the "acting" has stopped. The scenes of brutality are especially hard to read, and it is hard to imagine that humans are capable of such atrocities. Dana's comparison of the slave plantation to Nazi Germany is particulary fitting.
Rufus' character developemnt is interesti0ng because, while he has been influenced by Dana, he is much more influenced by the ways of his time. The fact that he is now capable of rape, and that the laws of his time don't punish him, only seems to fuel his tendency to become more like his father. Ironically Dana's very existence depends on the crimes that Rufus inflicts on Alice. Dana seems more and more hardened as time goes on, even to the point she believes herself capable of murder (something she has yet to attempt despite the hardships she faces at the hands of the Weylins). The scene where she goes to tell Alice that she must go to Rufus that night is disturbing, because Dana seems to inform Alice of what she must do with a "determined calm". She realizes that her very existence depends on their "relationship" and therefore she knows what she must do, but it is still hard to imagine allowing Alice to relive her rape again. It will be interesting to see Dana's character continue to develop. The novel as a whole is disturbing, but it tells a gripping story.