Tell Your Tale

The structure of There There plays the most important role in the reader’s approach to and consumption of the novel as a whole. Tommy Orange’s choice in providing a long list of characters provides a variety of experiences and perspectives on Urban Native life that helps feed into the realism of the book. Moreover, the structure of having twelve different characters weaving this tale reflects Dene Oxendene’s film project; these stories are specific to the individuals that tell them. The film reflects the book, and the book in turn reflects life- it is a meta choice that highlights the importance of the contemporary Native experience.

 Dene Oxendene’s film project has him interviewing Natives in exchange for $200 for sharing their stories. As he explains his idea to the funding committee, he tells them how he will be recording these interviews, transcribing them, and how he will “let them tell their stories with no one else there, with no direction or manipulation or agenda” (40). His goal with this project is not to use their words to create a certain narrative or drive a specific agenda; he purely wants to hear about these people’s authentic, genuine experiences as Native Americans. The purpose of the project is that there is no purpose- it is purely set up to see which direction it goes; what it reveals about the community. The structure and approach to this film project parallels the novel. Orange has his characters simply tell their stories to the reader. Each story is different, and doesn’t always seem to have a distinct “purpose” other than giving the reader insight into what Urban Native life is like in the 21st century. Orange’s own thoughts and voice seem to be channeled through Dene Oxendene’s tangent to the committee. Oxendene states, “we haven’t seen the Urban Indian story. What we’ve seen is full of the kinds of stereotypes that are the reason no one is interested in the Native story in general, it’s too sad… the individual people and stories that you come across are not pathetic or weak or in need of pity” (40). This statement reveals how just as Oxendene wishes to modify the representation of Natives in the world of film, Orange wishes to modify the representation in literature. Dene’s sentiments on the topic can be seen as a mission statement that could easily represent Orange’s ambitions for the novel. Oxendene explores the individual stories just as Orange does. For the two, author and character, there is no need for pity, only strengthening through representation. 

The structure allows for the individual characters to speak their truth through storytelling. Had there been only one perspective offered throughout the novel, the idea of conveying the Urban Native experience would not be as highlighted as it is with so many perspectives offered. With the film project present within the novel being structured similarly, the need to modify modern representation in the arts is further called to attention.