Tommy Orange explores the lives of modern Native Americans in his novel There There. Because of the urban setting of the novel, Orange sticks to a less stereotypical image of Native American life, which includes leaving out many symbols of superstition and myths within the Native culture. Though these symbols are left out for the most part due to the modern nature of Native American life, the symbols and myths that are used are good reminders of how Natives still remember their culture through the forced modernization and separation of their tribes.
One prevalent example of the continued use of different superstitions and myths is through Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield. Opal believes in some popular superstitions such as not stepping on cracks, but takes them to a new level ash she has the “sense that there are holes everywhere, cracks you can slip between--the world is after all, is porous” (Orange 160). Instead of having the modern American reason for not stepping on cracks, which is that it would “break your mother’s back”, Opal follows what appears to be a much more Native take on this. Natives have a tremendous amount of respect for the natural earth, and her rationale for not stepping on cracks correlates with this ideal, showing that she has her superstitions due to her Native heritage.
Another symbol that is seen is the recurrence of spider legs. The spider leg symbol is one that was quite confusing to many, as it was very casually thrown in, but still had a large significance. Though Opals other superstitions were examples of very clear beliefs that she held, the symbol of the spider legs were not as obvious. Jacquie Red Feather is the first character who appears with the spider symbol as she has it as a tattoo of a web on her foot. She recounts the significance of her tattoo as a memory of her mother telling her that a spider’s web was a trap, connecting it to her own issues saying “[in] this case jacquie was the spider, and the minifridge was the web” (Orange 101). Jacquie decided to toss the minifridge to get out of the web and trap that is alcoholism, and therefore continued her trek to a more mature and fulfilled life. The spider legs symbol was also seen in Jacquie’s sister, Opal, and her son Orvile. Opal pulled out the spider legs from her legs right before she left with Jacquie to escape from her abusive home (Orange 165-166). The escape from the constant abuse and the start of a new life shows Opal’s emergence into a better, more flourishing, adult life. Orvile pulled out the spider legs directly before he went to the powwow, showing his emergence into a life more fulfilled by his interests in the Native community, and his own sense of belonging in that community. However, before he went to the powwow, him and his brothers decided that the legs were “‘[definitely] indian’”, showing a significant Indian specific symbol in the novel (Orange 128).
In addition to Opal’s superstitions and the recurrence of spider symbolism in the novel, curses also play an important role in conveying traditional Native American aspects of life in a modern setting. This aspect is shown especially through Octavio and his grandmother, Fina. After getting sick, Fina insists that Octavio has been cursed and proceeds to explain how she was once cursed by her father, as well (173). Fina even provides a poignant description of a curse as “a bullet fired from far off” (171). I think this description is very relevant to the overall tragic nature of the book. Earlier, Orange makes reference to the shooting that will occur at the powwow and says, “The bullets have been coming from miles. Years” (141). Here, Orange demonstrates the unavoidable nature of disaster and tragedy in Native American communities. Native Americans were destroyed by colonizers, and everyone since then has only aided in their decimation as a people, whether it be through bullets, forced relocation, or stealing children from parents. All of history has led up to the point of the shooting, which is like a curse upon Native Americans who only want to gather, sell their wares, and celebrate their culture.
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