Orvil’s first point-of-view chapter begins with him trying
on traditional regalia. His first worry in the novel is wondering if Opal will
catch him. Orange writes, “Ever since they were in her care, Opal had been
openly against any of them doing anything Indian” (118). Orvil is obviously
drawn to his culture through dance; he wants to connect with his community and
his past. Opal, however, will not teach Orvil anything about the culture from
which she comes. Even though Opal is not Orvil’s mother, she is still the elder
to with Orvil looks up. The older generation passes culture to the younger
generation, but Opal denies Orvil this passing of knowledge. Her excuse is, as
Orange writes, “[There are t]oo many risks… Especially around powwows” (118). Opal
sees danger where Orvil sees community. He does not understand that to immerse
himself in Native American culture means accepting the good along with the bad.
Trauma scars Opal's life. Someone rapes her sister, her
niece and her mother die by suicide, she's witnessed countless people fall into
alcoholism, and she almost kills her sister's would-be assailant. Her life has
not been an easy one, and she associates her trauma with her culture, hence
telling Orvil that there are “[t]oo many risks” (Orange 118) for her to teach
him about “Indianing” (Orange 118). Her decision not to teach Orvil about the
culture that has scarred her is an understandable one. Unlike Orvil, she
understands that accepting culture means accepting the good and the bad. She
just wants to protect Orvil from the bad.
Ultimately, Opal’s fears are realized, and someone shoots
Orvil at the powwow. For Orvil’s story, the powwow is a physical manifestation
of the good and bad of Native culture. Through dance, he accepts the joy of his
heritage; through the fear and pain of being shot, he accepts the trauma from
which Opal wanted to shield him. He cannot pick and choose what part of the
culture he inherits. Opal knows this and tries to keep Orvil away from Native
culture entirely. Orvil, however, chooses to immerse himself in Native culture.
Being shot is not a punishment for going against Opal's wishes; rather, it is a lesson. He learns that to inherit the joy, he also
inherits the trauma.
I also thought it was very interesting how Opal is constantly in fear of something happening to the boys at the powwow, and yet the worst happens in the end. This comment was able to put into words what I was thinking as I read, with Opal always thinking back to her past trauma and living in constant fear at some level. I agree that Orvil wants to embrace the culture and all that it has to offer to those with lineage, but he does not understand the downsides that go along with the culture, as Opal tries to explain to him. The trauma Opal has faced is very clear, and I believe it would be very interesting to see whether or not Orvil was able to pull through in the end. While I agree that getting shot was a sort of lesson for Orvil, I don’t believe that was a direct result of his involvement in the Native culture; rather, it was just the result of very poor luck. For Orvil to learn his lesson, I believe exposure to some of the things Opal witnessed would have been enough. Although the shooting will likely prevent Orvil from returning to Native culture events, he may still embrace the culture.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Opal chooses not to expose her adoptive grandsons with the Native culture due to painful experiences of her own. I also think that Orange uses Orvil and Opal’s different viewpoints to demonstrate how age differences and experience differences shape viewpoints. Opal has learned through her experience that connecting with her native culture brings bad omens. Orvil, however, has not had the experiences that Opal has had. Orange explains, “Orvil couldn’t fathom what [Opal] meant by risks” (118). He establishes pride in his Native roots, but fails to see the harms because he has never experienced the outcomes. Orvil’s lack of experience contrasts with Opal’s experience. Orvil’s viewpoint (along with those of his brothers’) is subject to change after the shooting. Just like Opal’s viewpoint of Native culture changes after her experience at Alcatraz with the rape of her sister and the witnessing of alcoholism at a young age, Orvil, Loother, and Lony’s viewpoints of Native culture are going to change as well. From witnessing such a surprising, painful event, Orange foreshadows their disinterest in Native heritage through that of their adoptive Grandmother. Opal’s connection of her Native heritage to painful events contrasts to the ignorance of Orvil during the beginning of the novel, but is subject to change after the conclusion of the novel.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a very interesting point of view, in that Orvil has also inherited the trauma of his whole family, and in a way, of Native Americans as a whole. This connection of shared trauma is brought up by Jackie where she states that the “Indian world is small” and that so many Natives are “fucked up” (Orange 115). Orvil desperately wants to feel some sort of culture and connection with his Native American heritage, but wasn’t sure how to because he was not taught. He actively disobeys Opal’s instruction to stay far away from the powwow and ultimately gets shot because of it. Orvil also finds spider legs in his thigh, something that Opal and other Native Americans have experience with, which further ties his life closer with that of other Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteThough Orvil was not raised with any Native American culture, he still experiences many of the same burdens as other Native Americans, and has felt the trauma of his family. This includes his mother’s death, his grandmother’s alcoholism, and the trauma of the genocide and oppression of Natives as a whole.
I hold a similar opinion on Opal’s disconnect with her Native American culture and how she chooses not to mention it to her grandsons. Opal experienced so much pain at the hands of her culture, so to protect herself, she lets Orvil, Loother, and Lony to experience the culture on their own. Orvil is the eldest and leader in discovering their Native American culture. Because everything is new to him, he sees it through a rose colored lense. He only sees the beauty in the regalia, dances, and music. He doesn’t understand the “risks” Opal keeps him away from. Opal and Orvil are connected by the fact that they both pulled spider legs out of their legs. Opal discovers the spider legs prior to escaping Ronald and hitting him over the head with a baseball bat. Orvil discovers the spider legs before being shot at the powwow. After Orvil is shot, Orange foreshadows that Orvil will stay away from Native tradition due to the pain he has experienced while celebrating it. Opal and Orvil are once again connected, but this time through pain. While the readers never know how Orvil will choose to acknowledge his Native American culture after he is shot, it is significant that he is no longer innocent and understands the risks Opal is talking about.
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