There, There: Edwin's relationship with his Weight and Exercising

We see Edwin’s struggle with his weight and how it affects him throughout There There. The most obvious effect it has on Edwin is his self-esteem: “My stomach is a bowling ball” (Orange, 64). Edwin is awkward and socially inept, mostly because of how big he is. This awkwardness causes him to struggle to communicate, especially with women. When Edwin has the opportunity to hang out with Blue and take her on a friend date, they walked around a lake for the entire date, and Blue says, “The awkward silence that was the entire walk was intense” (Orange, 357). Even blue picks up on how Edwin’s size is creating problems elsewhere in his life when she says “he makes too many comments about himself, his weight. It makes people uncomfortable as he appears to be most of the time” (Orange, 238). Blue acknowledges that if Edwin were to accept his weight, he might be happier. But because he points it out all the time, it hurts his relationships with others.

              While Edwin’s struggle with his weight is hurting him socially, it also causes him to push himself to be better. Edwin wants to lose weight, which causes him to attempt to work out. When he attempts to workout, rather than being sad about his weight, he gets angry: “I am a Cheyenne Indian. A warrior. No. That’s super corny. Fuck. I get mad at that thought, that I even had it. I use the anger to push, to do a sit-up” (Orange, 77). Anger often causes overweight people to begin working out or eating less. Being overweight is often so embarrassing and difficult to deal with, that anger naturally occurs. Fortunately, working out is an excellent way to blow off steam, and is also great for losing weight. Working out also releases endorphins in your brain, which make you feel good. This might explain why despite pooping his pants, Edwin has an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction after completing the sit-up: “I found myself saying ‘Thank you out loud, to no one in particular” (Orange, 78).

              Edwin struggles with his weight throughout There There. His weight makes him super awkward and hurts his relationships with others. However, his weight pushes him to make a positive change and try exercising. The feeling Edwin gets from accomplishing something and exercising, despite pooping his pants, is so overwhelming that he sits in his own poop, thanking no one in particular. This accomplishment is amplified by the fact that his weight is directly correlated with his awkwardness, so losing weight could make Edwin less awkward. Overall, Edwin proves that being overweight is hard and can cause you to be self-conscious, but that working out is a great release that has positive effects both physically and mentally.