There There

Tommy Orange's There There explores gender roles and femininity through its diverse characters, highlighting the struggles and resilience of Native American women. The novel addresses the...

One of the most important symbols in There There by Tommy Orange is the spider. Spiders represent traps of one kind or another, whether it's addiction, bad memories, or ignorance. All of these things...

Tommy Orange's novel There There explores the idea of belonging to a culture, tribe, city, or family through various characters. One such character is Tony Loneman, who often finds himself isolated...

Blue not having grown up with her own mother contributes greatly to her conflict with her own sense of identity. Brought up by a white family, she’s always felt disconnected to her Native American...

In "There There," the "Indian head" symbolizes the dehumanization and cultural appropriation of Native Americans by white society. It references a TV test card image used until the 1970s, depicting a...

The title There There relates to multiple themes in the novel. It suggests comfort to distressed characters, reflecting their need for reassurance. It also addresses the complex relationship with...

In There There, curses are portrayed as psychological burdens stemming from past grievances. Octavio Gomez's grandmother, Fina, describes curses as distant threats, like bullets fired from afar,...

Oakland is portrayed as a complex city representing American geography's challenges, particularly for Native peoples affected by gentrification and displacement. The novel highlights Oakland as a...

Many characters in There There feel discriminated against in direct and indirect ways. Thomas Frank's dad suffered discrimination when he couldn't play sports at college. Thomas Frank discriminates...

Technology, particularly Facebook, plays a crucial role in shaping Edwin Black's perception of his Native identity. After struggling with unemployment and isolation, Edwin uses Facebook to connect...

In "Urbanity," Tommy Orange suggests that for Native Americans, the concept of "the land" transcends physical return because their ancestral lands, once spanning the continent, have been transformed...

Beyond the general points already made, it is important to note that this question is actually written in a way that reflects a certain agenda. The question assumes that Octavio's violence and drug...

Examples of character growth in There There include Edwin's efforts to become more involved in community life and Orvil Red Feather, who enters a dance competition as a way of embracing his...

The essay "Indian Heads" is named after the Indian Head test card. The Indian head symbolizes the white man's appropriation of Native American culture and use of it as a commodity to be sold in the...

In There There, Tony and Octavio’s relationship seems exploitative and manipulative. Octavio takes advantage of Tony’s insecurities and uses him to help rob the powwow. He makes Tony buy the bullets,...

One could reasonably argue that There There sees addiction as the result of historic discrimination against Native Americans and that every person feels responsible for how they react to this...

Drumming at the powwow has an intoxicating and healing effect on Thomas. It helps him focus and not think about his other personal issues. Of course, drumming at the powwow also leads to his death.

Orange describes Oakland vividly and variously throughout the novel There There. Following twelve different perspectives of the city, readers are taken into families and jobs, into histories and...

Internal violence occurs in the narrative of There There via the character of Tony Loneman, to use just one example. His face, affected by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, brings him inner turbulence and...

Great quotes for familial identity, racial identity, and American identity from the characters in There There might relate to Tony’s thoughts on “the Drome,” Orvil’s research on Indigenous powwows,...