Connection reoccurs as an important theme in Tommy Orange’s There, There. The novel’s structure, its
emphasis on the Internet, and its culmination in a powwow create a sense of the
“Urban Indian” community and connection.
The prologue addresses the common association between Native
people and a connection to land. Orange notes that the “Urban Indian” connects
to the city, and that, “[b]eing Indian has never been about returning to the
land,” (11). In fact, according to Orange, “[a]n Urban Indian belongs to the
city, and cities belong to the earth. Everything here is formed in relation to
every other living and nonliving thing from the earth,” (11). These statements
establish connection as an important theme in both Native life and in the
novel.
The importance of connection shapes the structure of the novel.
Orange creates interconnected characters whose narratives are shaped by others
in the novel. For example, the character Harvey influences the lives of Opal,
Jacquie, Orvil, and Edwin through his sexual activity/paternity. Other examples
appear in the book, such as how Blue realizes that Jacquie might be her mother. These connections between characters illustrates the size and intertwined nature of
the modern and “Urban Indian” community, particularly in Oakland.
Internet use connects characters in the novel, which helps
create a “Pan-Indian” community, as well as emphasizing the modern/urban
setting of the novel. Edwin uses Facebook to connect with his father, Harvey (Orange
69). Orvil uses videos and powwow music to connect to Native culture, planning
to, “dance the dance he learned by watching powwow footage on YouTube,” (Orange
130). The use of the Internet by Edwin and Orvil help create connection and
community. On the other hand, Daniel uses the Internet to ultimately 3D the
guns used at the powwow. This example places the novel firmly in a modern
setting.
Lastly, the powwow connects characters both emotionally and
physically. Orange describes powwows as a, “place to be together,” and states
that, “[w]e keep powwowing because there aren’t very many places where we get
to all be together, where we get to see and hear each other,” (135). In other
words, powwows exists because Native people desire connection and community. The
powwow at the end of the novel serves an additional purpose. All the characters
end up together, connected by their Native heritage, their urban identity, and
are ultimately connected by the violence that takes place. By bringing the
characters together at an event that traditionally values community, the structure of the novel reinforces the importance of connection for (urban) Native people.
Even though I knew that the novel was leading up to all of the characters connecting somehow at the powwow, their interconnectedness throughout the novel continued to surprise and intrigue me. What I found most interesting was the connection between Blue and Edwin, partially due to their existing relationship. While I was aware from the character list and hints throughout the novel that Blue was the daughter that Jacquie gave up, making her also Harvey’s daughter, and I also knew that Edwin was Harvey’s son since they connected online, I still continued to forget this connection as Blue and Edwin’s relationship grew. They obviously had no idea, thinking that their only connection was through both becoming involved working with the powwow. The way that their bloodline connection came up was coincidental and shocking. Edwin and Harvey had planned to meet at the powwow, but Edwin kept getting nervous and just walking by him, so Blue went with him for moral support. It was only then that Blue connected the fact that Jacquie was her mother due to their common “Red Feather” heritage. Blue had never known who she was or where she came from, so this came as a huge shock to her and she did not say anything. There was so much interconnectedness throughout the novel because of who knew who, but this one seemed the most coincidental and therefore the most impactful. I think it links to the sense of community that all of the Native Americans in the novel seemed to find in the powwow. People were coming from different tribes, different families, and different backgrounds, and all connecting over one common thing – their Indian heritage.
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ReplyDeleteI had noticed while reading There There the emphasis on community in the story, but I hadn’t yet thought about the idea of the interconnectedness of the characters and how that also relates back to connection or community being a theme in the novel. I found it particularly interesting in the chapter about Jacquie Red Feather when she meets back up with Harvey for the first time since they were together on Alcatraz at a AAA meeting for Native Americans in Albuquerque. The fact being that they met in Albuquerque of all places seems to suggest that one is not able to completely escape their roots or problems because the world is so interconnected or can be explained as blatantly as Jacquie puts it, “The reason is we’re both fuckups and the Indian world is small” (115). The fact that Jacquie ultimately ends up deciding to go back to Oakland with Harvey also seems to reinforce the importance of community in the characters as Jacque was willing to let go of the issues she had in the past with Harvey to go see her sister Opal and her grandkids in Oakland while Harvey was going back to meet his son, Edwin, for the first time also in Oakland. Another fact that adds to their shared connection as Native Americans is their problems with alcohol which Jacquie describes as a web, “because the web stuck to you everywhere you reached once you were trapped, once you started” (116). By describing alcohol as a web that traps you and makes you keep coming back to it, this seems to parallel how the characters in the chapter felt a need to go back to Oakland to be with their families because of their value in family and community.
ReplyDeleteRight away in the introduction of the novel, Orange sets a unique background for each of the characters that is showcased in the Cast of Characters. From this, it can be easy for readers to assume that there are many separate plot paths that will run within the book. However, it quickly comes apparent that there are many more familial and cultural connections than is originally expected. I like how you related your post to the cultural aspects that connect people. I think Orange frames the issue of cultural unity in a unique way, tying in both history and a shared passion for attempts to reconnect throughout the book. Something about race relations in the United States that has always interested me is the idea that that people of similar ethnic or racial backgrounds will have either a feeling of shared connection or judgement towards people of their shared background. This idea was discussed in Americanah as well, and Ifemelu goes greatly in-depth when analyzing race relations in both the US and Nigeria. For her and other black students, the African Student Association and Black Student Union were places to share cultural unity with others of their shared identities. I see the powwow as this type of hub for Orange’s novel, There There. In the age of the internet, as you noted, it can be simple to create superficial connections between people thousands of miles apart and veiled behind the protection of a computer screen. However, in the case you illustrated with Orvil connecting to Native dance styles, he was able to extend an internet understanding to real-life action when he desires to compete with those dances. Whether it be a deep desire to connect with one’s roots or the hopes to share a cultural identity with others, “People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them” (157). It is the human need for connection with our pasts and the others that live those traditions as well, that builds a foundation for our social nature.
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