Tommy Orange’s novel, There There, is a work that tells a story of suffering, identity, mysticism and survival from a Native American point of view, one not often visited in American literature. Tommy Orange, being a man of Native heritage, writes about the modern-day societal experiences of the urban Native Americans, using his home of Oakland as a setting to spin his tales. Tales is plural in this case due to Orange creating a multitude of characters with their own unique interconnected stories to tell. These stories are guided by many things, whether it be personality, experience, beliefs, but one of the more major aspects of Orange’s work that shines through is the representation of self. As stated before, the novel’s characters are constantly going through their own conflicts and turmoil and thus they must utilize their self, their own knowledge, to bypass them. As the characters in this book get to understand their own identities, they invite the reader to also become invested in their story, allowing them to follow Orange’s fascinating weaving of a world and those that dwell in it. 

The first instance of insight into the book’s major themes can be observed through the prologue, detailing the violence, suffering, and misrepresentation that the Native American has faced throughout history. It is here where Tommy Orange lists such things as folklore and genocide, which both illustrate centuries of suffering. He informs the reader of just how much the Native American race has been through; Orange presents the reader with graphic imagery in order for them to be guided with the narrative of the characters, establishing a proper prologue to set the tone of the book. Furthermore, he also brings forth the modern representations of Native Americans, or at least how most people view them today. “We have it in our heads, Kevin Costner saving us, John Wayne’s six-shooter slaying us, an Italian guy named Iron Eyes Cody playing our parts in movies...We have all the logos and mascots. The copy of a copy of the image of an Indian in a textbook.” Orange pairs these misrepresentations with the historic abuse and mistreatment of Native American individuals for the reader to understand just how out of touch modern society is with the Native American identity. As the reader strives to learn more about Native American culture, the characters also try to learn more about themselves and their identities.  

The story that Orange tells is interesting in that it utilizes multiple characters and their own stories, slowly and steadily connecting each arc until it all comes together in the ending. One of the first characters that the reader is introduced to in the story is Edwin Black, a young man who is obsessed with computers and technology. He spends almost all of his waking moments on the computer, hardly exercises and has significant health problems such as constipation as a result of his non-active lifestyle. Edwin lives with his mother, but never knew his father and he spends time looking for him on his mother’s Facebook account in an attempt to find out anything about the kind of man he was. He eventually does find his father, a man named Harvey who tells him of their history. More specifically, he tells Edwin of his Native American heritage, and how he is of the Cheyenne tribe. At this point, Edwin realizes that most of his knowledge of Native American culture is based on the searching he has done on his computer as well as in a classroom. He has no such personal experience regarding his own culture, just from a screen and school. Even with this knowledge, he still claims it felt unfamiliar. 

With this, Orange draws a distinction between authentic and inauthentic knowledge. Yes, the information Edwin got from a computer and class is technically valid information, but can he apply it to himself? Without utilizing his findings in conjunction with himself, then he will bound to be unmotivated in his computer jail for more time to come. However, once he gains knowledge of his father, as well as discovering a piece of himself he had forgotten, things seem to look up for Edwin. He is able to get a job as an intern at the Indian Center, but he also begins to work out as well, with his health problems even dissipating. With this, Orange seems to portray this lack of self-knowledge as almost a curse, and one that can inhibit people and prevent them from fulfilling what they desire. 

This theme is further continued in the story of Orvil Red Feather and his brothers. These characters are the grandchildren of another character in the book, one who has left them in the care of her sister and their great aunt, Opal Victoria Bear Shield. This plot thread revolves around Orvil and his brothers finding his grandmother’s old Native American regalia, the kind that one would wear at an event such as a powwow. Being curious children, they decide to wear the attire and dance like the Native Americans traditionally would. Opal has always told them that partaking in Native American is risky, seeing it as some sort of invitation for disaster should someone participate in something such as dancing. When discussing such traditions, the three kids are discussing the significance of practicing tradition among themselves. It is here where the reader learns that, for their age, Orvil, Lony, and Loother are fairly insightful. It is Orvil who answers, “If we don’t they might disappear.” Again, Orange proposes a dilemma of tradition and self-knowledge. Are culture and the self two ideas that are intertwined? Is it possible to realize one’s self without knowing where they came from? Orvil and his brothers, once they begin to delve deeper into their culture’s history, seem to be engrossed in it, to the point where they are truly interested in participating in the upcoming powwow. Orange yet again invites the reader to ponder the relationship between history and self, and he pushes forth this idea by utilizing a group of young brothers, which is in direct contrast to the jaded and seasoned adult characters that have been present in the book up to this point.  

In the end, There There is a very character-driven piece. The story is built upon many different points of view from many different characters, and these narratives all combine into one towards the end at the powwow. Orange deserves praise for his prose and plot structure, as combining so many different plot threads into a bigger tapestry is in no way easy. However, some of those threads are not as closely woven as others and could be snipped off entirely. Despite this, Tommy Orange is still able to write a gripping tale of intrigue, highlighting the suffering and history of his main cast through the mutual knowledge that is gained from both character and reader. By the end of the book, all stories converge into a finale that is marked by heartbreak and tragedy, which begs the question of whether the practice and attainment of Native American identity is dangerous or beneficial in the long-term. There There is ultimately a tragedy, almost every character suffers due to the crime of trying to reestablish their cultural identity. Acting as a repetition of history, There There is an important work of a culture whose story is almost never told in its fullest, and through characters, setting, and themes of the self, Orange is able to educate his reader on the struggles that past and present Native Americans have had to endure.